The Hitman's Fall

By Rexi Lake

Lauren Cartwright is the soon to be ex-wife of billionaire playboy Zane Cartwright. When she caught him with his pants down - literally - she immediately filed for divorce and walked away. She might have been a small-town girl originally, but he'd made her a society wife and she had learned all the tricks in the book on navigating that stratosphere of vicious and cutthroat deals and dining. Half of his money is hers by rights, but only if she lives long enough to claim it.

Noah Lynch is known only as a top businessman whose family business and military defense contracts got him into the DC elite. He rubs elbows with senators, dines regularly with congressmen, and has the ear of the Secretary of Defense. He also has a secret. He's a contract killer. But he doesn't take out just anybody. He's a killer with a conscience. 

When Zane Cartwright puts out a contract to kill his wife for $30 million, Noah grabs it up. He's met the man. He's also met the woman. While Zane is a selfish prick of a man, Lauren isn't the snobby socialite she pretends. He's not about to let Zane get away with one more selfish act. But will he just take care of Lauren's problem? Or will his interference lead to more than he expected?

**Author's Note: This novella was originally published in the Heart of an Alpha anthology for the Alpha Author Event 2020.**

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rexi Lake
• Release date: Apr 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393479789

Rexi Lake

Rexi Lake has been writing stories in her head for as long as she can remember. Her goal was always to write in the genre she loved - romance. She has always believed in the reality of true love, and that the world could use more happily ever afters. She currently lives in southwest Pennsylvania. When she's not hard at work on the next book, she's busy being an accountant, learning guitar, making jewelry, and chauffeuring her socially active daughter to her various activities.

Book preview

The Hitman’s Fall

Copyright © 2020 Rebecca Luman (as Rexi Lake)

Previously Published January 2020 in Heart of an Alpha Anthology

Cover design by Destiny Hawkins of Vibrant Designs

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All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems — except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews — without permission in writing from Rebecca Luman or Rexi Lake.

The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

This book is sold in print and electronic formats and is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book, when in electronic format, may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person or use proper retail channels to lend a copy. If you are reading this book in print or electronic format and did not purchase or borrow it through proper channels, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

For Naomi. Always.

Prologue

***~*~***

Seeking - 30M

- full-service Debris Removal -

Contact: [phone]

***~*~***

He read the line in the personals of the D.C. Examiner. Debris removal was the code used locally for anyone who needed a problem removed. Grabbing one of the many disposable cell phones he had, he dialed the number and waited.

Hello? The slightly nervous hitch on the other end didn’t detract from the familiar, arrogant tone that he recognized instantly.

I understand you are looking to remove some debris? he asked after a length of silence.

There was a blown out breath of air. In relief? Perhaps.

Yes, I am. I have a problem and it was recommended that someone like you could resolve it. The voice and tone grew in confidence.

I can. If the information is accurate and acceptable. He never took a job without vetting the information and the source first. Now that he recognized the voice, he had his own plans. But he needed the information first.

I expect thirty million can make anything acceptable, the voice sneered.

He didn’t answer. While he would certainly enjoy a bonus of thirty million dollars, he still didn’t take on a job without confirming certain details.

Look. Either you want the job, or someone else will call that understands your little code. Now the voice was condescending.

Who is the target? he asked.

How do I know you aren’t recording this?

You don’t.

The voice scoffed. And I should trust you why?

You requested contact. Either share the details of the job or stop wasting my time. He was cool, collected. He didn’t need the work. He had plenty of money. He had more than enough to keep him busy. But that didn’t feed his need to hunt, to make a difference. To take the jobs that would mean a better life for someone who needed it. Or, the reverse, to take a life that didn’t need to continue. In his line of work, he was paid to be judge, jury, and executioner.

Fine. The voice huffed in annoyance. Lauren Cartwright. She’ll need to be taken care of by the end of the month. Can you do that?

He raised a brow. Although he’d suspected, he was still a little surprised by the confirmation. The man he knew to be on the other end of the line was a selfish prick. A playboy with a streak of viciousness that rivaled his selfishness and was only matched by his inability to be faithful to the woman he’d married on a whim to boost him in the eyes of his socialite friends.

Well? There was that annoyance again. And arrogance.

I can take care of the problem. You will receive a bank account number when we hang up. You will transfer the full amount immediately. Once the transfer is complete, you will forget this number. You will act like nothing has transpired. If you act like a fool, the job will not be completed. Do you understand?

The man snorted. Seriously? You want payment up front? Before a job is done?

Yes. There was no way he would follow through on a hit if the money wasn’t paid first. The contractor could change their mind. They could act in a suspicious manner, which would negate the agreement. They could be broke and unable to pay. Any number of possibilities. Upfront payment was an insurance policy, making the contractor as responsible for the action as the hitman. Regardless of whether he would complete the job or not, he always got cash first.

Fine. But it better be done, or I’ll find someone to take care of my problem and then take care of you for stealing my money.

The threat was empty. No one was going to come after him. Even if they managed to track down who he was, there were very few people in the world who could catch him unaware.

There will be no further communication.

He ended the call before the man could utter another word. With practiced fingers, he sent the text through with the bank transfer information. Then he shut down the phone, threw it into the compactor he kept for such purposes, and turned the machine on. If the money came through, he would decide how to proceed. Until then, he had other business that needed his attention.

Chapter One

***~*~***

Zane, so help me, Lauren muttered under her breath, reading through the latest of his exploits in the Entertainment section of the LA Times. The ass of her almost-ex-husband had taken his newest piece of ass to a party in LA the weekend before, then gotten himself trashed before letting himself be overheard talking about leaving her with nothing.

Well, the joke was definitely on him, because all he was doing was