Monster

Chapter 1

One

Evelyn

I knew I was in trouble when my boss didn’t send a regular goon to pick me up.

For the first time since I’d made the mistake of borrowing money from Gerald Brigs, casino owner, mafia boss and all-round scumbag, he came by my flat in person. Not a good sign.

In my one and a half years of service to London’s underworld, I’d learned that any deviation from the norm was never good.

“Evelyn. Always a pleasure, my dear,” said the man on my doorstep. He was wearing a trench coat and a thin-lipped smile that didn’t touch his eyes.

I tried to return the expression, but could only manage a grimace as I swept my gaze over his three companions. The two goons he’d brought as bodyguards I didn’t recognize, but the third man I did.

Where Gerald rarely bothered with his lowliest employees, his nephew, Leo, was the guy who usually briefed me on my marks and dealt with any situations the goons couldn’t. I’d also witnessed what he did to the prostitutes unfortunate enough to work for the Brigs empire. I made it a point to never be alone in a room with him.

“Have I done something wrong?” I asked. Leo closed the door behind the two, leaving their two-goon escort outside. I mentally reviewed the details of the last assignment they’d given me. I had done everything they’d asked, as I always did. I might not have made it to university, but I was smart enough to know what happened to people who disobeyed a crime lord.

“On the contrary,” Gerald said as he took in my studio flat. “You’ve been doing such an excellent job, we’ve decided it’s time to entrust you with something a bit more… delicate.” He reached into his coat and produced a brown A4 envelope.

I took the brief from him, examining its contents. Where normally the envelope would contain a couple of pages’ worth of information on the mark, this time there was only a picture and a series of seemingly random words. I held it up, scrutinizing it to see what was so different about this guy.

The first thing I noticed was that he was exceedingly handsome. His black hair was tousled perfectly, though it was obvious it had required no effort on his part. Dark brows framed his gray, almond-shaped eyes and his cheekbones were strong and defined. If his mouth hadn’t been so soft, his features would almost have been too prominent to call beautiful. But it was—and he looked like a freaking supermodel.

“Er… are you sure I’m a good match?” I bit my lip, feeling oddly self-conscious under the intensity of the photo’s stare. “I mean…”

It wasn’t that I was bad-looking. My figure might have been fuller than what was considered the hallmark of conventional beauty, but my curves had lured enough hapless men into Brigs’ claws that I knew the appeal of my red hair, round hips, and full breasts. But this guy was clearly a class—or five—above mine. I was distinctly more girl-next-door than swimsuit model.

“I mean, he’s probably used to more high society girls,” I finally managed, pulling my gaze from the picture to look at my boss.

A small smile pulled on his lips. “You’re the perfect girl for this job. His name is Marcus Steel, and he has something of mine. A pen drive. I want you to get an invitation to his flat and find this pen drive for me. It’s bound to be somewhere secure, so there’s a chance you’ll have to get into his safe. The list on there are things and people that might mean something to him. Use that to work out the code.”

I blinked down at the list. “How on Earth am I meant to figure out a code to his safe from random words?” I might have plenty of street smart, but solving ciphers was above my pay grade.

Brigs’ smile turned cooler. “Don’t sell yourself short. We’ve been nothing but pleased with your results so far—I am certain you won’t disappoint me this time, either. After all, such a delicate assignment will cut a thousand pounds off your debt rather than the usual five hundred.”

His tone made it clear that I didn’t want to find out what would happen if I failed. Then the other implied part of the assignment dawned on me and I paled. I had lured men with the promise of my body before, but I’d never had to follow through. Once the poor idiots followed me to the designated drop-off point, Brigs’ goons had always taken over. But if I was supposed to get an invitation to this mark’s home… then there would be no one to intervene. And a guy like that would most definitely expect s*x if he brought a woman home.

It was kind of funny—before Brigs, I would have been more than happy to spend a night with a man that looked like this Marcus Steel, but now… When Brigs had discussed how I could repay my loan, I’d been very adamant I wouldn’t work in one of his brothels, which was what landed me my job as a Honey Trap. But deep down, I’d known it would only be a matter of time before they would make me go all the way.

The way Leo treated the other women in his employ, it was pretty obvious no one in the Brigs empire cared about a woman’s right to her own body.

I dug my nails into the palm of my free hand. I knew better than to protest. I’d just have to work out how to get out of any s****l obligations once I was inside Marcus Steel’s home. I might be forced to work for the mafia, but someday I would be free from them again, and when that day came I wanted to be able to look myself in the eye.

I forced a smile on my face as I looked at my boss. “Okay. I’ll get your pen drive back. Where can I find this Marcus Steel?”