The Billionaire's Assassin [COMPLETE]

File 11: Ten Feet

Seattle, Washington

2018

Ten feet. Their offices were ten feet apart from one another. And they both liked it that way.

For Mia, it was the gracious satisfaction of Rex returning to her side. Unbelievable to her, she would always peek across the hall to see him through the glass window of his door. Just seeing him at his desk, scrolling through his computer, made it even more surreal.

For Rex, it was the comfort of knowing his target was at a nice distance, keeping his guard up. They’d agreed to become partners for the time being but any wrong moves, he’d slit her slender throat. And yet, he found himself peeking through the window of his office and kept his ears vacant in case she walked out of her office. And she did so often. Such a tease.

As the new CEO of Zen Comforts, Rex had become Thomas R. Landon to his associates, being told by Mia that his job would be cushy. “Just sit there, look pretty, and sign the documents that I give you,” were her only instructions on his first day. This ignited an agitated flame that couldn’t be washed away.

“Are you kidding me?!” he retorted loudly. “I’m not some doll here for your amusement!”

Mia crossed her arms. “The Rex I remember liked to take things easy.”

He granted her seething glare from his desk. “The Rex you remember is dead.” She winced at the word but brushed it off smoothly. “This man standing before you doesn’t have time to bend to your every whim. I need to be productive.” Since his training after their fall out eight years ago, all that wasted potential of taking the easiest classes for the easiest passes was a fond memory. Training and classes at Red River Agency made him work physically and mentally for hours on end. And he pushed himself even further just to reach her. Now he had to sit and wait. “This is agonizing!”

“Little by little, as you gain my trust. But for now, I need you more as an assassin than a businessman. I called upon you to help me find and get rid of The Sun, not to talk mergers and finances.”

A smirk rose upon his lips. “Then I will do just that.” I will gain her trust as she’d done with me years ago and I will crush her entire world, he thought wickedly. “I’ll start on my research on The Sun as soon as possible.”

And with that, she sauntered out of his office with the gut feeling this partnership would be harder than they both thought. So now Rex spent his days sitting back, looking pretty, and jotting down everything there was to know about Mia-Amber Lee around the office. This information became the easiest to gain from his admirers down the hall, ladies who flirted and men who wanted to suck up to the new “jefe.”

“Lydia,” he called when he spotted the woman leaving Mia’s office. Lydia purposefully swayed her hips towards him appealingly. Unlike the other women who gazed from afar, gossiping about him in the break room, Lydia outwardly flirted with him shamelessly. He liked that. And she was pretty enough in a tight blouse and wavy blond hair to her waist for him to flirt back. Especially in front of Mia. “Can you come to my office for a moment? I wanted to ask you a few questions.”

She entered his office with a sultry smile, eyeing his broad frame openly. “Of course, sir.” Closing the door behind her, he watched her strut to the chair in front of his desk, legs crossed by the ankle.

His office had a beautiful scene of the Seattle skyline, the sun rarely peaking through grey clouds overhead. It made the wide office seem more ominous, even during the afternoon when it was the clearest.

“What would you like to ask me?” Lydia straightened her back, proudly displaying her chest to his delight. Mentally, Rex made a tab of her in his mind, probably an easy lay when the opportunity presented itself.

“A few things about Mia-Amber.” Like deflated air balloons, she slouched in her seat, obvious disappointment of his inquiry about another woman, her boss. “I came here for business,” he assured her, perceiving her sudden change in demeanor. “I know very little about Mi--Miss Lee as COO and personally.” Lydia didn’t correct him on Mia’s martial stature and he hadn’t seen a ring on her. But this was Mia, the same secretive girl who lied to him for a year in high school which led to his parents' death. Could never be too cautious. “ I’m a very guarded man and she...doesn’t have my full trust. For starters, who used to be the CEO before me? I was brought on quite suddenly.”

She lifted her head up slightly but not entirely to her original stature. “Um, that would be Richard Prince. I don’t know what led up to his dismissal but I heard it was a quick but messy subject.” She tapped her glossed lips. “A bunch of lawsuits were filed against him. And in the end, they made some out-of-court agreement and he’s been gone ever since.”

Rex leaned against his desk, absorbing every word and memorizing the name Richard Prince on the list of subjects to use against Mia in the near future. “And personal life?”

Lydia shrugged, looking him over suspiciously. “She’s also very guarded with her personal life. If you want to know, you’ll have to ask Fiona or Hanna about that. They’re always by her side.”

Like that isn’t obvious, he scoffed mentally. Fiona, being her personal assistant around the office, was more loyal to Mia to ever divulge such information. The same went with Hanna and personally, that wasn’t a pin Rex wanted to pull out of that grenade.

“However,” she began, an impish smile curling at the edges of her lips. “Rumor has it that she’s dating a hotel heir, Eli Bridgemont.” She flipped her hair over her shoulder, confidence returning as she leaned forward in her chair. “Well, not a rumor, per se. It’s a fact. I’ve seen him picking her up from work sometimes. Real charmer...Mr. Landon? Mr. Landon?”

Eli...Bridgemont? Rex thought in disgust, feeling a heated sensation broil within his veins at the name. The muscles in his forearm bulged at the thought of whoever this Eli guy. Maybe their relationship was nothing. Thinking about their contract though, wanting to save someone she cared for, maybe it was everything. But why did he care? Mia was nothing but a target, a corpse-to-be. Nonetheless, the thought of another man having her all to himself brought rageful tremors rushing through his body. He hadn’t felt this way since high school when he was dating...shit.

I’m jealous, he admitted pitifully to himself. Only Mia.

“Mr. Landon? Do you secretly like Ms. Lee?” The words rolled off her tongue more accusingly than questioningly.

His gaze fell upon her as though he just recalled her presence at that moment. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head. “No, I’m just...impressed with her accomplishments.”

Lydia chuckled, now standing closely. “I’m more impressed by you, CEO.” The glint in her blue eyes had Rex straightening his posture, eyebrow arched. Yes, Lydia was a woman with no shame and he liked that.

“Is it the title?” he smirked, taking a step closer. Since he’d come into contact with Mia, his game with the ladies has been weaker than usual. Ordinarily, he’d have a woman like Lydia naked on his desk, legs spread and screaming in pleasure by the time she set foot in the room. Now, all that seemed to ripple through his mind was if Mia and Eli whatshisface had ever done it in her office.

“The ruggedly dashing looks.” She pressed a solid hand on his chest. “A well-sculpted physique.” Her lips teasingly mere inches away from his. “Eyes any woman could get lost in forever.”

“A s****l harassment complaint underway?” a voice asked by the doorway. Immediately, Lydia stepped back, straightening her hair over her shoulders as she adjusted herself from the sudden disturbance.

Fiona granted them both a gingerly smile, eyes narrowing at Lydia crossing her arms. “Sorry to enter like this. Lydia, please get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.” With a courteous nod, Lydia strutted out of Rex’s office, cheeks mildly red as she held a hand over her racing heart. Rex watched with amusement until the door closed behind her, Fiona capturing his attention. Fiona seemed to be the designated killjoy around the office.

“Mr. Landon, may I ask you not to infatuate with the other employees during work hours?”

Rex rolled his eyes, pushing himself off the edge of the desk. “I can’t help that women throw themselves at me. But look at me”--he gestured to himself with a pompous grin--“who could blame them?”

Besides a slight arch of her eyebrow, Fiona made no other gesture towards his obvious vanity towards himself. “Very well. Tone it down until after work hours. And here.” She handed him a sticky note and a fancy envelope sealed with red wax. “They are both invitations. The sticky note is from Miss Lee to further discuss your contract over dinner Friday night. And the envelope is an invite to one of our most prestigious clients, Mr. Andrew Ivanson’s banquet. Since you’re CEO now, he wanted to cordially invite you next weekend.”

“Will...Miss Lee be there?” Rex asked with hesitance noted in his voice.

A dimple shot at her cheek, amused at the question. “Of course.”

“Will she be bringing a date?” Maybe a guy named Eli Bridgemont perhaps.

“Not that I’m aware of. You’ll have to ask Miss Lee for certainty.” She took a step back towards the door, gesturing at Mia’s closed office door. “She’s in her office if you’d like to ask. If that is all, I’ll be heading out, Mr. Landon.” With a graceful swivel, she headed out the door and down the hall, leaving his door wide open to approach Mia.

“What is wrong with you, Rex?” he asked himself, holding his head in agitation.

For years he’d been the cool, calculative man who measured his words before speaking. A man who didn’t muse over petty things like jealousy. But Mia made that seventeen-year-old boy from California return in an instant; the familiar sensation of envy, worry, and doubt plagued his mind. And if he didn’t do something that reminded him of the killing machine he was, not this suit and tie, gossip over the water cooler crap he’d been subjected to, he’d surely lose his mind. “This ends now.”

With a fearless stride, he buttoned his blazer and marched across the hall to her office, ready to knock. She wasn’t going to make him some puppet and make him forget her head was on the line.

“...course!” Mia exclaimed, her voice penetrating through the door. Freezing in his place, he listened closely through the cracks. She sounded...cheerful. Way too cheerful than the strike demeanor she’d be presenting to him since his arrival. Something inside of him twisted at the bubbly chuckle. Who was making her so joyful in there? “How about this? After dinner, we can snuggle up on the couch and watch a movie.” He could hear the clicking of her heels, pacing around her office in silence for a moment. She was on the phone then. “Oh, I did too! I’ll pick some up on my way home, usual time.” Rex hadn’t pinpointed Mia’s exact home location but now he wondered if she lived with this guy as well. He clenched his hand in a fist at the thought. “Ok. I love you. I love you. Bye.”

Love? As though a knife had been jabbed into his chest, it took a second for Rex to catch his breath after the word fell from her lips. Twice! That teenage boy who still loved the girl behind the door wanted to smash his fist at the thought of her with another. And to love another? To love another man? It had been eight years. She could have moved on. He scoffed at the thought. Mia didn’t deserve to move on, not after all she’s done. If he couldn’t move on, neither could she.

He’d make sure of that and this Eli Bridgemont would be the perfect target. Yeah, it was only a rumor--or fact, as Lydia proclaimed--but it would have to make due. Without hesitation, he marched back into his office, slamming the doors behind him. Swiftly taking out his private phone, he scrolled through until he found the number, calling.

“Hey! Change of plans, I need you in Seattle ASAP. There’s a job that needs your utmost attention.”