Who We Are

Who We Are A Dark Romantic Thriller Sloane Bennett Copyright © [2023] by [Sloane Bennett] All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. 1 Silas Silas I’m on my third whiskey, sipping it slowly as the heat coils through my body. I try not to get too drunk while I’m on the job, but sometimes it’s necessary. Sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me out of my head. I’m sitting here in this pretentious bar, doing my best to blend in, even though I know I stick out like a sore thumb. I don't belong here. But that’s what this job is all about. Waiting for the right moment and having the right plan. A girl like this, from a town like this, where money is practically dripping from the trees, would spook easily. I need our meeting to feel as organic as possible and pray like hell that she would want to come home with me. Because that’s my plan. That’s all I’ve got right now and honestly; I’m taking a pretty big risk here by showing her my face. If this doesn’t work, plan b is going to be a whole hell of a lot harder. But really, who am I kidding I know damn well I could have any girl in this place, if I wanted one. Too bad my heart is cold as ice. I don’t let people in, I simply collect the lost souls and deliver them for retribution. My eyes follow her slowly as she moves across the space, the low lights making it difficult to really see her. She's stunning, really and if I were a different man, I'd probably be interested, but this is a job. I’m careful not to let anyone catch me watching her, but she’s easy to watch, easy to stare at, captivating really. I’ve never seen someone move so freely, be so genuinely happy while surrounded by literal scum. I’m the asshole, who has to ruin her night, most likely ruin her life. I can’t worry about that, that parts not my job. I need to stay focused. I need to get this job done, so I can move onto the next one. There’s always someone to find, someone to hunt down, always someone next in line on the list and I’m the best of the best. She’s getting tipsy by the look of things. I can tell by the way her shoulders have finally relaxed, the way the smile never leaves her face as she laughs and tosses her long dark hair over one shoulder. When she first arrived, she was stiff, careful in her movements, cautious even, but she loosened up after her friends arrived and she had a few drinks. She's tiny in stature, barely five feet tall, and I think how easily I could over power her, but her personality is big, I can tell by the way she acts. The way she tosses her head back when she laughs really hard, the way she cringes after she throws a dart and it lands at her feet instead of on the dart board, the way she wraps her arms around her friend, hugging her tightly to say goodbye. I have to say, this particular job assignment is out of my normal realm. This one was special. This one my boss was adamant I don’t fuck up in any way. Which is why I can’t seem to stop fidgeting in this damn booth, my hands wrap around the half empty glass as I slowly roll it across the table absent mindedly. I’ve never fucked up a job before, not sure why this one is more important than the others, but it has me on edge, or maybe the fact that it’s a woman has me on edge, I’m not sure, but things definitely feel different. I've never taken a woman before. I don’t know the deal, I never have before. I just do my job; I find the people my boss is looking for and I deliver them. After that it’s not my problem, I just move on to the next assignment. But this one, feels different already. I swallow the last few drops of whiskey, the taste lingering on my tongue. I’ve never tracked a woman before, never staked one out with plans to kidnap her, let alone a woman like this. I keep thinking to myself, what could Lars possibly want with this woman? What could she have done? The people I’m usually sent to track down, are hardened criminals, guys who did time in prison, who stole from my boss have outstanding debts they can't pay, or something worse. I don’t feel guilt bringing them in, I don’t worry about their fate. I couldn’t care less, but maybe that’s because they deserve what they get, maybe I don’t care because I know, justice will be served. The longer I sit here and watch her, the more the questions begin to build up in my head. I remind myself, I have a job to do. She isn’t my problem. She belongs to someone else. This is just a job. My only problem right now, is how to get her into my car. I grab the glass in front of me absently, bringing it to my lips, its empty. I’m trying to keep myself together, I can’t afford to get drunk and allow my vision to be clouded, I need to stay focused, but I also can’t sit in this bar without a drink in my hands and not be noticed. So, I walk up to the bar, and slide right against my mark. Harlow Winters. I’ve read her file twice, one page of information. Hardly enough to tell me the story of this woman. It didn’t connect any of the puzzle pieces on why my boss wants her. Why he sent