Damon froze at the sudden invitation. His brow furrowed into a deep scowl.
Hunter saw the reaction and stayed quiet, letting the older man process the offer.
He knew Damon was a former police officer. As a vigilante, Big Daddy had exclusively hunted down heinous drug lords and cartel thugs. It was completely understandable that he despised professional hitmen. Deep down, he probably harbored a lingering hostility toward Hunter's line of work.
But Hunter had good reasons for making the pitch.
First, Damon had spent years torturing his own body to become a lethal weapon. His marksmanship was top-tier, guaranteeing lethal precision within fifty meters. His hand-to-hand combat skills were equally impressive. He could effortlessly dismantle five or six armed men in close quarters. Fully geared up, he could wipe out a dozen attackers single-handedly.
Leaving a man with that specific skill set to rot on a peaceful California farm was a tragic waste.
Second, Hunter had recently heard about an incident at Mindy's school.
Damon had gotten into a physical altercation with another parent while picking Mindy up. The two kids had gotten into a minor verbal argument, and Damon's response was to viciously beat the other girl's father to a pulp.
In Hunter's eyes, the man was a ticking time bomb.
Without a drug cartel to focus his rage on, the retired cop was lashing out. That little schoolyard incident had earned Damon a half-day trip to the Pomona holding cells until Hunter showed up to post his bail.
That incident proved Damon needed an outlet. He needed a target.
Leaving him idle on the farm to pace around all day was a recipe for disaster. Seeing Damon's deep scowl and obvious resistance, Hunter decided to reframe the proposal.
"Damon, don't overthink the title," Hunter coaxed.
"I know you aren't like the rest of the underworld. You actually care about justice and fairness."
"You did incredible work as a vigilante back in New York."
"So here is my proposal. I will accept the high-level contracts from my brokers."
"You can review the dossiers and personally select the targets who are undeniable scum. You only eliminate the worst of the worst."
"That way, you earn a massive paycheck while continuing your personal crusade for justice. How does that sound?"
Those last few sentences clearly struck a nerve.
Damon had moved to California for the sake of Telly and Mindy. He was getting used to the quiet life, and he loved having his family back together without the looming shadow of Frank D'Amico.
But over the past few months, he had felt a hollow void in his chest.
Initially, he thought he was just struggling to adapt to the slow pace of farm life. Hunter's words hit him like a lightning bolt.
He didn't miss the city. He missed dispensing brutal justice to the wicked. That was why his blood had been boiling.
The more Damon thought about the proposal, the more perfect it sounded. He swallowed hard.
"You would let me pick my own targets?"
"Absolutely," Hunter nodded firmly.
As an A-Class member of the Continental, Hunter had the privilege of autonomous contract selection. He could easily ask Cole for a curated list of targets that fit Damon's rigid moral code.
Furthermore, the Continental didn't restrict its members from forming their own sub-factions. In fact, the hotel's entire network relied on affiliated syndicates and secondary organizations.
This was all part of Hunter's new master plan. He wanted to establish his own elite private military and assassination firm.
He already had himself. If he recruited Damon, he would have a solid foundation. Next, he wanted to bring in Perkins and Jane. If everything aligned perfectly, he eventually planned to pull Cataleya into the fold as well.
An independent syndicate boasting several world-class assassins would be a terrifying force.
It wasn't just about the money he could pull from the Continental and Diana's organization. It was about raw deterrence. If anyone ever thought about crossing him in the future, they would have to weigh the consequences of going to war against a unified faction of legendary killers.
Damon couldn't read Hunter's grand ambitions. He just assumed the young hitman—who had a highly complicated relationship with his eldest daughter and several other women—was trying to find him a job after the schoolyard assault.
He thought it over and realized it was a win-win. Besides, with Telly in the picture, Damon trusted that Hunter wouldn't actively screw him over.
He finally gave a slow nod. "I'll give it a try."
"Perfect."
Hunter smiled brightly. Securing Big Daddy was a major victory.
His next targets were Perkins and Jane.
Perkins would be easy. She was a pure mercenary. As long as the money was right, she didn't care where she worked or who she killed.
Jane, however, was going to be a headache. Hunter had invited her to move her operations to California several times, but she had always brushed him off.
But Hunter was nothing if not persistent. He thought about how he had successfully conquered Slat and Sam. Both of them were fiercely independent, strong-willed women, yet they were now happily living under his roof.
Hunter already had a plan forming in his mind.
He instinctively rubbed his lower back, knowing his upcoming trip to New York was going to demand a lot of physical stamina.
With Damon on board, Hunter pulled out his phone and dialed Jane's number.
"Jane, I'm setting up a new company. I want you to come out here and run it for me."
Halfway across the country in New York, Jane raised an eyebrow and flatly rejected him.
Her sexy red lips curled into a smirk. "Not interested."
Hunter fully expected that response, but he pressed on anyway.
"Don't say no just yet. Take a look around your current agency."
"See if there is anyone worth poaching to bring with you."
"I'll be flying into New York in a few days. We can have a proper, intimate chat about it then."
Before he could even finish the sentence, Jane hung up the phone.
Hunter shrugged. He knew building his empire wasn't going to be easy.
Western women were fiercely independent. If he wanted to be the undisputed master of his domain, he still had a long way to go.
Putting his phone away, he thought for a moment before dialing another number. It was Diana.
He had left the icy handler and her mysterious faction hanging for long enough. It was time to see exactly what the ICA wanted from him.
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