Hell Bent by Devon Monk

Zayvion would be the one to pull the trigger. But I hated what it would do to him and Allie. They’d carry the guilt of my death for the rest of their life. Because they are like that.
    But here, now, this woman—this gorgeous and, yes, kind woman—was a solution I hadn’t considered. I could make a deal with her, and she could make my death look like an accident. No one would carry the guilt. Not Zay, not Allie, not Terric, not my mum. No one would have to know the truth.
    “Glorious, eh?” I asked.
    “Unforgettable.”
    “How about accidental?”
    “It can be arranged.”
    “So you’re offering my life—or my death—if I help you find a guy and kill him.”
    “That’s the deal.”
    Tempting. Dangerously so.
    I leaned back, lacing my fingers together just behind the shot she’d bought me that I still hadn’t touched.
    “Why can’t you kill him? I’ll buy that you might need help finding someone. It’s less likely you think I’m the one who can track him down—plenty of better trackers in this town. But what I’m really having a hard time believing is that you need help killing. Anyone.”
    “He’s different.”
    “How?”
    She shook her head. “You agree to help, I tell you. You don’t, then I’m gone.”
    I thought it over. Several things made this seem like a good idea. One: she was hot and had stirred feelings, and a need, I hadn’t had in a long, long time. Two: she had information that might keep Terric, Zay, Allie, and the rest of the Soul Complements safe. Which meant it was possible she either worked for the government or worked against them. Three: did I mention she was hot? Four: that kill-you thing she offered was a pretty sweet way to deal with my ultimate dilemma—my problem, as she called it.
    It would, however, be insane to commit to a revenge that I didn’t give a damn about.
    It would not, on the other hand, be the most insane thing I’d ever done.
    “No,” I said.
    It surprised her and she didn’t bother to cover it up. “Are you sure?”
    “Yes. Yes, I am.”
    She pulled her hair back with both hands and let it cascade back into place. “We would have made a hell of a team,” she said.
    “Undoubtedly.”
    “Was it the glorious death that turned you off?”
    “No. I thought that was a nice touch.”
    She smiled. “Well, then. To happy endings.” She held up her drink and I picked up the shot.
    Touched the edge of my glass to hers. “To endings, happy or otherwise.”
    She nodded, then took a long drink.
    I slammed back the whiskey, enjoying every moment of the burn. I only wished it were enough to put out the fire she’d started in me.
    A slightly sweet aftertaste coated my throat. I wondered which brand she’d ordered.
    “Now that business is out of the way, care to stay for a couple drinks?” I asked.
    “Maybe. What do you have in mind?”
    “I thought I’d unpack my boyish charms and try my hand at seducing you.”
    And the smile she gave me.
    It lit up her face. She was, I realized, the kind of woman who knew how to laugh. Who was probably gentle to small animals, and kind to old people. Behind her mask, she was vibrant. Alive.
    I wanted that.
    “First,” she said, “don’t tell a woman you’re going to try to seduce her.”
    “Oh, I don’t think that’s fair. Relationships are much more fun when . . .” The pub spun to the left and I braced my hand on the table edge so I didn’t slap it with my face.
    “That’s not right,” I mumbled.
    Dessa leaned forward. “Second, don’t accept drinks from strange women.”
    “What?”
    “Well, look at that,” she said. “Your boyish charms are working. I’m just all wobbly in the knees and so are you. Why don’t you come home with me, kitten?”
    “Kitten?”
    And before I could make any damn sense of that, she was next to me, then standing with me. Her arm was surprisingly strong around my waist, and I wanted like mad to pull her into me. But the pub was coming in and out of focus as I