Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 45957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45957 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 230(@200wpm)___ 184(@250wpm)___ 153(@300wpm)
There’s my kitten.
“I’m going to fucking slaughter whoever did this to James,” he growled. “And then, when I find Boris and Ninel, I’m going to make them regret the day they were fucking born.” After this bullshit, I’d let him have all the kills if that was what he wanted.
I wrapped my hand around his throat, then pulled his mouth to mine in a hot, deep kiss. He groaned, melting into me almost immediately. His pulse began to beat rapidly at the base of his throat, echoing through my palm and vibrating down my wrist.
“Only if you’ll allow me to bathe in their blood with you,” I growled against his lips.
He nodded before tilting his head to kiss me again. I nipped at his bottom lip before sucking the abused flesh into my mouth, my hand tightening around his throat.
“While I’m all for a good pornographic film,” Igor said, interrupting the moment as he came to lean on the seats across from us, his arms folded over his chest. I slowly released Adrian to look up at him. “Mark is here with the rental car. Let’s hit the road.”
When we got to the hospital, Darren was waiting outside for us. He nodded once at me in greeting before turning to Adrian. They slapped their hands together before drawing each other into a one-armed hug, their hands clasped between them. When Adrian stepped back, Darren led us into the hospital and to the elevators without a word.
The ride up to the fourth floor felt like it took ten fucking years. We were on the second floor when Adrian asked, “What room?”
Darren’s eyes were locked on the numbers slowly climbing to floor four. “Four nineteen,” he quietly answered.
When the doors finally slid apart, Adrian didn’t waste a beat. He followed the signs leading toward room four nineteen. A nurse shouted at him to stop, but I slipped her a hundred-dollar bill, and she went silent, turning away to go bother someone else.
When we stepped into the room, Adrian paused, staring at James. The man was pale—too fucking pale. And lying in that hospital bed, he looked fragile. A man who always seemed like he was practically fucking immortal now looked very mortal. It was a haunting reminder that we were all one bullet away from death’s door.
“Adrian,” Emmaline croaked as she looked up at James’s best friend, rising to her feet. Her face was pale too, her blonde hair a mess around her shoulders. Mascara lines stained her cheeks, and her face was damn near as pale as her husband’s.
“Hey,” Adrian roughly greeted. When she rounded the bed, he drew her into a hug, dropping a kiss to the top of her head. “Has he woken up yet?”
“No,” she quietly answered. “But the nurse said it would be any minute now.” She blew out a soft breath. “I’m so glad you’re here.” Stepping back, she swiped at her cheeks. “You’re going to find who did this, aren’t you?”
“I won’t stop searching for them until they’re dead,” he promised her. He stared at James’s still body, only the rise and fall of his chest indicating he was still alive.
Darren clapped a hand to Adrian’s shoulder. “I need to get back down to Juliana and Amberose,” he said, mentioning his wife and daughter. “Call me if he wakes up.”
Adrian nodded, and Darren slipped from the room, quietly shutting the door behind him. Igor, who’d been leaning against the wall doing something on his tablet, suddenly pushed off and came to stand beside me. I glanced over, my eyes locking on the grainy black and white image on his tablet. An image of a man, looking right up at the fucking camera in James’s kitchen.
“Found him,” Igor said, a smirk playing at his lips.
Adrian swung his gaze to us, then came to stand beside me, peering over my shoulder as the video played. There was no sound, but we didn’t need it. In the video, James was putting the finishing touches on a cup of tea. Someone moved from out of the doorway, their hood up. I gritted my teeth, watching as James continued to remain unaware of their presence. They moved closer, and that was their mistake.
When they were right behind James, they lifted their arm, aimed—
And then, James turned around. Quick as a flash, he snatched a knife from the knife block and slashed it across the intruder’s neck but not deep enough to do real damage. The gun fired twice, catching James in the chest at a super close range. James hit the floor, and the attacker frantically reached up to cover their wound. In their haste, their hood fell back, and then, they looked up, their eyes wide with panic, staring directly at the mother fucking camera.
“Got you,” Adrian whispered. He made a tsking sound. “Rookie mistake.” He looked at Igor. “Can you get me an ID?”