Page 4 of Beneath My Skin

CHAPTER 2

I screamed. The man turned to me with a vaguely annoyed expression as metal crunched around him instead of knocking him down and crushing him the way the bump should have.

I slammed the car into park and scrambled to get out of the seat belt—then changed my mind immediately when I saw the rude mobster guy hurrying toward the second guy.

“You bastard,” the sandy-haired man growled, striding over. “You fucked my brother on his wish.”

The second man was attractive, I decided instantly, although it was neither the time nor the place for those thoughts. Tattoos decorated his arms—why the hell was he wearing a short-sleeved shirt in December?—and two small gold hoops hung from his left ear. He turned, stepped out of my bumper, and pinned me with his gaze.

His build was rugged, strong, with dark hair trailing below his ears and a five o’clock shadow lining his jaw. He looked exotic. Like a jungle cat.

Then there were his eyes. Serious. Too serious. And they were green. Green and penetrating. Jungle cat, again.

“I am so, so, so sorry!” I screeched, pushing out of the car and rushing toward him. “Please, I didn’t see you. Please don’t sue me!”

“I’m not going to sue you.” He glanced over me. “You shouldn’t be here,” he said. Almost like I was an afterthought. “You know he intends to maim me. Yes?”

I blinked. “M-maim you? In a Target parking lot?”

His accent surprised me. It sounded like you’d imagine some foreign prince who’d learned English for diplomatic purposes would sound. I was enchanted yet disgusted by said enchantment at the same time. He was the physical embodiment of sin: masculine, arrogant, and sexy enough to have me wanting to rip off his clothes and do crazy, wonderful things with him.

Where the hell had that come from? What are you doing? Focus! My thoughts snapped back from where they’d wandered as the first guy came closer.

“Pay attention to me. I said you fucked his wish.” Sandy Hair lifted his arms straight out to shove Green Eyes. His fingers were like overstuffed sausages. “Did you hear me the first time? I shouldn’t have to repeat myself, buddy.”

Green Eyes flicked his gaze down. “You’re lucky I was sent here to speak to you. I don’t work for you or your brother. He got his wish. What more is there to ask for? What…did he hire you to kill me?” The man stifled a laugh, apparently finding the thought uproariously funny. “Did he really? How wonderful!”

“He wanted an Apache fucking helicopter!”

“And he got one.”

“He got a toy wrapped in plastic from the nearest fucking hobby store. You know what he wanted. What we wanted.” Sandy Hair was adamant. He curled his fist until only his index finger remained pointed at the other man’s chest. “Machine guns, weaponry, the works. You had no right to do what you did, Dax.”

“As I stated earlier…” Green Eyes—Dax?—took his time lifting the finger from his chest and returning it to its owner. “He wished for an Apache helicopter. Which is what he received. If either of you ever have the rare opportunity to partake of my services in the future, maybe you’ll remember to be explicit when casting your wish.”

“I’m gonna enjoy killing you. You motherfucker!” Sandy Hair reached behind his back and brought out a large hunting knife.

I screeched at the sight of it, my knees clacking together. Forget about the weather. I was about to witness a murder. In broad daylight. In a Target parking lot, in case I forgot to mention it earlier.

Neither one of them looked at me. Instead, Sandy Hair decided to lunge. He swiped right and Dax ducked out of the way. Then he recovered and swiped left to the same end. The blade made a hissing sound when it cut through the air. An instant later, Dax raised a hand and knocked the knife a few feet away. I heard him issue a guttural utterance in a language I couldn’t understand and suddenly the knife disappeared entirely in a brief blaze of smokeless fire.

“I suggest the next time you try to kill me, do your research first. You think a steel blade is going to do any damage? Do you know how long I’ve been alive?” Dax asked. “I’m a djinn. I’ve seen the birth of nations.” Then he winked at me.

Come again?

Sandy Hair stared across the parking lot then back to Dax. “You are nothing but a dick. You know how much that knife cost?”

“Maybe you can use the hit money to buy yourself a new one.”

“You’re going to pay for this. We’re not the first people you messed with. There are more of us, and we’re coming for you.”

“Wonderful,” Dax replied. “I hope you do. I’ll be sure to give the boss your regards.”

Sandy Hair stormed off across the parking lot. I watched him go, my mouth hanging open.

“Sorry about that.”

It took effort to peel my eyes off the other man’s rapidly retreating form. “Huh?” I asked stupidly.

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