Page 48 of Blood & Kisses

The front door opens and closes, and I poke my head out from the kitchen to find Blake standing there expectantly but frowns when those eyes run up and down my sleepwear. “You’re not ready yet?”

“For what?” I ask as he checks the time on his phone.

“I sent you a message. There’s been a change of plans. The Crow is heading to his mistress’s place a day early. Hurry up, get yourself up those stairs, and change. Quick smart. We’ve got work to do.”

“But I’m not ready, Blake. You saw that I still need work shooting that long-range rifle,” I argue in a panic. He seriously believes I can hit the target after practicing for only a few hours.”

“What I saw, Rae, was someone who hit those cans more times than you missed.” He used that panty-dropping charisma to convince me, and let’s face it, it often works. You’ve got style, girl. Now get up those stairs and put on some appropriate clothing.”

“Like what?” I ask, wondering if there’s a special serial killer uniform one must wear.

“A top that’s not see-through for starters. I can see your nipples from here,” he claps his hand to hurry me along. “Haven’t got all day, sweetheart.”

I drop what I’m doing and run upstairs, excited that I’m going to erase the big, ugly Crow sucker from my list. The further up the list I go, the more difficult the target, but to see that solid lump fall like a hunk of timber will be utterly rewarding.

Once I’m at the top of the stairs, I look back to catch those twinkling brown eyes watching my backside wiggle. “Will Gabe and Cormac be there?”

“Nope,” he replies swiftly. “Just you and me and an AK47. The romance will be like no other.”

“I’m sure it will be,” I mutter with a smile, heading into my room to find some clothes to put on. I’ll miss class again, but luckily, I don’t have a shift in the gardens to phone in and say I can’t make it. I’m already on thin ice with my boss.

Quickly, I checked my phone to find messages from Blake and Z asking if I was okay after the fire.

Me: I guess we’re out of a job now.

Z: Maybe Smiler could find an alternative location.

That’s a possibility, I suppose. However, I don’t know how wealthy Gabe is and whether or not that house was bought under his name and is insured. I still don’t understand how someone got the lackey’s number to message Z to do a job. Maybe Blake will know. What am I thinking? Smiler’s lackeys are Cormac and Blake, and Smiler is Gabe. It’s going to take me a while to get used to that.

“Hurry up,” Blake’s voice calling from downstairs, so I pull myself away from my phone screen, brush my hair and tie it up into a ponytail to keep it out of my eyes, and decide to wear khaki-colored military-style shorts and a dark blue T-shirt for camouflage. I haven’t had the chance to bathe, so I slather the deodorant and make sure my underwear is nice and fresh.

“Ready?” he asks as I run back down the stairs with my bag loaded with my Glock, spare underwear, wallet, phone, and other essentials.

“Sure am,” I reply, eager to go on this adventure.

After locking up the house, we pile into his truck, and he leans over and kisses my cheek, making my body sizzle. “You smell nice,” he states, burying his nose into my neck.

“I haven’t bathed this morning, so what you’re smelling is my natural sweat,” I chuckle to see if he’ll cringe.

He cocks his eyebrows with that devilish, dimpled smile, “Natural is the best.” Putting the truck into gear, he backs out of the driveway, then drives to the end of the road and turns left, away from the road that curves around the lake towards the inner city.

“How long will it take to get there?” I ask curiously as exhilaration rises at the thought of knocking off that filthy hulk.

“A couple of hours, but we have a stop along the way to change the vehicle,” he explains, slamming his foot to the floor to increase speed as we exited the open road.

“Insight of a thief,” I crow, winding my window down an inch to let fresh air in. “Swapping vehicles to evade someone identifying you.”

“Correct. One must always cover their tracks,” he replies smoothly. “For example, it pays to have an airtight alibi. Where are you right now?”

“Huh? I’m here in your car,” I state. Am I missing something?

“No, you’re not, Rae. You’re not here with me at all. You are at home or uni,” he clarifies. “Whatever you decide, you’ve got to stick to it. Don’t change your story if you were to be questioned by police.”

“Okay,” I decide to change my tune. “Then, in case I’m at home having a shower, I went to… I can’t say I went to class because they would be witnesses, wouldn’t they? Mind you, I doubt they’d notice me not being there.”

“I’m sure they would, Rae. You’re an impressive woman to look at, so they’d likely notice when the Scandinavian maiden hasn’t graced their space,” he croons, and I crack up laughing.

“Hardly. The Scandinavian maiden is soon to be a serial killer. Strike one - The Lion. Strike two -The Crow with The Pig porked in-between thanks to you,” I rattle off, feeling satisfied that my list is shrinking.

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