Last Kiss Goodnight Read Free Page A

you?”
    “Why do you care whether or not he delays?” John said. “It’s the off-season for you, so you’ve got nowhere else to be.”
    “Speak for yourself.” Blue hitched his thumb in the Rakan’s direction, all Can you believe this guy? “I have a wedding to pretend to help plan.”
    Unvarnished truth, right there. And Michael was still shocked about the impending nuptials. He kept track of his boys, and knew Blue hadn’t known the girl long. A few weeks, nothing more. But that wasn’t the shocking part. After a failed relationship a few yearsago, Blue had become a serial one-hit batter. Yet now he expected a lifetime of wedded bliss? Please. And the girl? Blue’s philandering was well known. Did she truly believe she would be the one to change him?
    Well, she wouldn’t. The fiancée had no idea Blue worked in the shadows of the government as a hired killer, and she never would. Eventually, she would realize he was lying to her about his whereabouts, and she would demand answers he couldn’t give. She would assume he was having an affair—and he might be doing that, too—and leave him.
    Michael had seen it happen to his operatives time and time again, but they kept trying, hoping to build ties with someone, anyone, and create an illusion of normalcy. When would they learn? When your life was a big fat lie, happily-ever-after was impossible. And yes, Michael knew that firsthand.
    He would have released the boys from his employ, but they would have told him to go screw himself. They were brothers by circumstance rather than blood, and deep down they truly loved each other. Michael, too. Besides that, they knew of no other way to live. He hadn’t let them learn. A mistake on his part, yes, but one it was too late to rectify.
    At least John and Solo would not make the same mistake as their friend. The pair had waded through too much filth to try the marriage thing, and Michael knew they both felt as if they were tainted all the way to the bone. And Solo . . . well, he wasn’t wrong about that.
    Other agents made messes, and Solo was the one to clean everything up, destroying evidence that wasnever meant to make the light—whether living or not, whether guilty or innocent.
    Michael would call him, give him a location, and tell him what had gone wrong. A few days later, Solo would have everything in order. And oh, the things he’d had to do to succeed . . .
    “What’s got your panties in such a morose little twist, boss?” Blue asked. He’d always been the most observant of the three. “You thinking about my wedding? Wanting to cry because you didn’t get an invite?”
    “Cry, when I’d rather kill myself than attend?” he asked, already knowing he would be there, hidden in the shadows. “Hardly.”
    His gaze returned to Solo. Would he go? The guy was slouched in his chair, his shoulders slumped in a wasted effort to make himself appear smaller. His eyes were narrowed and still locked on Michael, now piercing as sharply as a sword.
    “All right, moving on,” Michael muttered, taking the hint. He punched a few buttons and a screen appeared on the wall behind him. Images formed. “Meet Gregory Star. Human. Thirty-three. Married with two children, a boy, twenty-one, and a girl, nineteen. Both are heavily into drugs. We’ve traced the disappearance of several Alien Investigation and Removal agents to Mr. Star’s door.”
    “Location of the agents?” Blue asked.
    “Scattered. We haven’t yet acted because we aren’t yet sure if they’re dead or alive.”
    A few more buttons were punched, and a picture of each agent flashed over the screen.
    “So you have no idea what Star wants—or does—with those agents,” John stated bluntly.
    “Correct.”
    “But you’re sure it’s him?”
    “We are. We had him under surveillance for something else and overheard a few phone conversations. While we can pin him to the crimes, we can’t figure anything else.”
    “Well, I’ve spoken with