Total pages in book: 115
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107376 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 537(@200wpm)___ 430(@250wpm)___ 358(@300wpm)
Maddox shakes his head. “Those chemicals in there. They’re not just the shit you need to develop your photos. You had other shit in there. Hidden in plain sight.”
Lyra glances away, guilt flashing in those bright green eyes for just a moment, and Maddox grins wide. “Gotcha, baby.”
“You ain’t got nothing.”
I laugh as I continue down the road, never so fucking thrilled with myself for having put that all together. She was clever. Careful. But nobody out-fucks me.
“Holy fuck,” Maddox says, leaning back against his seat and pushing his hands through his hair. “All this fucking time. You’re just as messed up as we are.”
Lyra sighs, her shoulders slumped when a slow grin creeps across her lips. “Okay, fine. You got me. I’m the Red Widow, and I’ve been stealing your hits out from under you because honestly, it’s the best fun I’ve ever had.”
Maddox just laughs, looking as though he’s about to come in his pants with excitement. “I’ve never been so fucking turned on in my life,” he says, letting out a heavy breath as he just stares at Lyra as though only just seeing her for the first time. “So, we’ve all just been lying?”
Lyra scoffs and smirks, folding her arms over her chest. “You assholes started it.”
I glance at her. “What was I supposed to do? Hi, my name is Hunter Cole, and apart from wanting to spread those thighs and fuck you until you scream, my hobbies include the dark web, stalking, and bloody murder. What about you?”
Maddox huffs, ignoring my comment. “You gave me shit for not speaking up when you found out about Hunter, and here you were, holding out on us. I’m wounded, Savage. How am I supposed to recover from this?”
“I, uhhh . . . guess we’ve evened the score now.”
I side-eye the little she-devil. “Not even close.”
“I came clean, Savage,” Maddox says. “You got caught. There’s a big difference.”
She cringes and glances back at Maddox. “I’m sorry,” she tells him. “I wasn’t meaning to intentionally keep it from you, I just . . . I’ve held on to this secret for so long that the thought of it getting out there terrifies me. And while I know that you guys would never tell a soul, it still makes me uneasy.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about, Lyra,” Maddox tells her. “Besides, now knowing that you’re the redhead who was at that compound last week, I’m almost certain you could beat the shit out of both of us at the same time.”
“And win,” she mutters with a wild smirk.
I roll my eyes and look at her again, trying to work out if she truly believes that, and seeing the silent confidence in her eyes, a laugh rumbles from the back of my throat. “Come on, Savage. Be serious. You honestly think you could take us at the same time?”
She holds my stare, that confidence unwavering. “Blindfolded.”
Maddox leans forward between the seats and steals her attention. “You saw me in action, right? I’m not trying to piss in your Cheerios, and I’m sure you have some wicked skills, but babe, I’m a fucking beast.”
She just grins. “You’re right. You are a beast. I was thoroughly impressed by the way you slaughtered those guards. Buuuuuut, you’re not better than me.”
I laugh, and she glances back at me. “That goes for you too, Hunter Cole.”
I shake my head. There’s no fucking way, but I’m not about to burst her little bubble. If believing that she’s untouchable is what puts that smug little smile on her face, then so be it. I’ll let her believe it. But not for long. When the time comes, I’ll be sure to let her know who’s really on top around here.
Our conversation falls away as I pull up into Maddox’s driveway, and after cutting the engine and making my way to the door, I find myself pausing on the front porch, my gaze locked on Lyra.
“What?” she mutters, not missing a thing.
“There’s one thing I don’t get,” I muse as Maddox pauses, wanting to know what’s on my mind. “If you were in the back alley that first night, why put on such an act afterward?”
“What do you mean?”
“When you saw me in the street and followed me to that apartment complex. You already knew, but acted like you were only just finding out.”
She shakes her head. “I didn’t know,” she says as we hear Smooch inside, desperate for someone to open the door so he can barrel into Lyra’s legs. “That night in the back alley, I was there for barely a second. In and out. I took my shot and took off. I knew there was a contract, but at that point, I didn’t know who it belonged to, just that there was another killer in the area. I got off on the idea of stealing your hit, but I didn’t care to wait and see who you were. That didn’t matter. Not until I’d worked out who you were. But I gotta give it to the both of you, I had no idea you were working as a team. You cover your tracks well.”