Free Hired Gun #4 by Julia Crane, A.J. Bennett

Chapter 1
     
    Pissed off, Thorne stormed out of his apartment, leaving Ragner and Nike to fend for themselves.
    Once he was in the elevator he dropped his head, releasing a deep breath he hadn’t realized he was holding, and reached his hand back to rub the tension out of his neck. 
    Gods, the fact that Kataya was Laurie, it was just too much to take in. He really couldn’t seem to wrap his mind around it. It’s no wonder his attraction to her had been immediate, absolute, and bordering on obsession. Fuck! 
    And let’s not forget that Kataya was married to Thanatos! Did she think she was funny by telling him that Thanatos was his nickname behind closed doors? What the fuck was she up to? Dammit, he felt like his head was going to explode into a million pieces. 
    His long dead wife, whom he missed every waking moment, was married to the daemon he was somehow meant to kill? Could this get any more complex?
    Closing his eyes, he clenched his hands into fist. The thought of Thanatos’s hands on his mate was enough to make him want to tear the city apart. He had to find a way to distance himself from the mental images before they drove him insane. 
    As much as he wanted to react, he needed to think on it first. The fate of the world was literally on his shoulders. 
    If there was one thing he knew for sure, it was that he was going to bring Thanatos to his knees, one way or another. Even if it meant his own last breath.
    The elevator dinged and Thorne stepped out it. As he walked down the hallway, he continued going over possible scenarios in his mind. 
    Not in the mood to fight traffic, Thorne closed his eyes and stepped into the wavering portal in front of him. Next thing he knew he was standing in Benny’s living room. 
    Taking a deep breath, he waited for the room to come into full focus and willed his anger to tamper down, but that task was pretty much laughable. 
    “Hey, honey, I’m home,” Thorne practically growled. His emotions were intensely swirling around inside of him. He wanted to break something. Preferably Thanatos’s neck. 
    Looking all godly, Benny strolled into the living room wearing nothing but boxer briefs. His skin was practically glowing. Had Nike already made it over here? 
    “Did I interrupt?”
    “Nothing important.” He tilted his head toward the couch, but Thorne was too keyed up to sit down. “What’s going on? I can’t even remember the last time you graced my modest home.” 
    Glancing around, Thorne took in Benny’s subdued taste. It was cozy and very understated, and it fit him well. However, he wasn’t here to talk about decor. 
    “Let’s say life just got a bit more interesting.” 
    “Oh?” Benny raised a brow. 
    Thorne tossed him the thumb drive. A laptop immediately appeared before their eyes. Ah, the power of the gods. 
    Sinking back into the couch, Benny pulled up the information and scratched the side of his face. “What am I looking at?” 
    Benny might be a god, but he didn’t have Thorne’s ability with electronics so all he was seeing was a distinguished older gentleman. And not the daemon that he was. 
    “His name is Geoffrey Willis and Ragner wants us,” Thorne gestured between the two, “to take him out.” 
    “Unusual, but not strange enough for you to come into my home unannounced.” 
    Benny and Thorne might take on hits together to pass the time, but they were never tasked for a hit at the same time. Meaning only one of them got paid. 
    Taking a deep breath, Thorne closed his eyes and instantly the image on the screen turned into Thanatos. 
    “What the hell?” Benny ran his hand over the side of his face. 
    “Meet the next future president of the United States of America.” His lips tilted into a humorless grin. 
    “Well ain’t that some shit.” 
    “That’s not the half of it.”
    Benny’s eyes narrowed. “Well don’t keep me waiting in suspense.” 
    “Kataya Clarke is his wife.” 
    Benny moved the computer