Page 105 of The Hitman and the Psychic

Keola stood as well. “Wish I could do more, but I’ll let you know if he comes in again. And if you need me, let me know. In the meantime, have you got your lucky stone on you?”

“No.”

“Maybe you’d better get it, cause a little more luck might come in handy about now.”

“You have a point.”

Keola met my gaze. “I remember how dangerous he is. Watch your six.”

“I will.”

We said our goodbyes and left. As we walked out, Serenity bumped her shoulder against me. “Don’t worry. I’m here to watch your six, and we’ll figure this out.”

I took her hand, more grateful than ever to have her at my side. “Thanks Babe… just… I don’t want you to get hurt either.”

She squeezed my hand. “I won’t. You’ve got my back, too. We can do this because we’ll do it together.”

My heart swelled. I’d been alone for so long, I’d forgotten what it was like to have someone who really cared about me. Dropping her hand, I took her face in my hands and planted a kiss on her lips, wanting to burn this moment into my heart, so it would be there forever.

She kissed me back like her life depended on it, and it was hard to pull away. Breathless, I rested my forehead against hers. “That’s right, and I’ll always have your back, Sen. Always.” I almost added,even if that means leaving you behind, but I kept my mouth shut.

A car pulled into the lot, and I grabbed her hand to walk back to the car. “Now that we’ve got a name, let’s check the database for information. It might tell us more about John Bowles. It also wouldn’t hurt to talk to Dino and see what he can find out.”

She raised a brow. “You think the detective will help?”

“That’s what he gets paid for… off the record, of course.”

“Of course.”

While Serenity drove back to her house, I scanned the roads to make sure no one followed us. I’d been taken bysurprise too many times now, and it wasn’t going to happen again.

I hadn’t told Serenity that JB was one of the best sharpshooters around, or that he was an expert on bombs, since it was pretty obvious. But that wasn’t the only thing that worried me. The JB I knew wouldn’t stop or give up until he’d accomplished his goal. If that meant killing me, it meant one of us would die.

After all of his attempts on my life, I could see why he’d gone to such extreme measures last night. He was getting frustrated and reckless which meant things were bound to escalate. But it also meant he could make a mistake that I could capitalize on.

Still, at this point, he’d be coming for me, and he probably wouldn’t care who was in his way. That meant Serenity’s life was in more danger than she knew. Maybe it was time to leave her behind. She’d hate me, but if it saved her life, I had to consider it. Thoughts of her dying because of me sent cold chills down my spine.

Chapter 25

Serenity

Idrove into my garage and we hurried inside. Nate had been quiet for most of the ride, and I worried that he was still blaming himself for Johnny’s sorry state.

His emotions were usually hidden behind a stoic mask, but I’d learned how to read him better now, and it was easy to see that finding out about Johnny had brought back all those deep wounds he’d kept buried for so long.

As we entered the kitchen, I reached for his hand and wiggled my eyebrows. “Why don’t you get started on a search for Johnny-Two-Legs, and I’ll make us a sandwich.”

His lips twisted, and he tugged me against his chest. Closing his eyes, he inhaled. “How do you always smell so good?”

“It’s part of my natural charm.” I smirked, wrapping my arms around his neck and meeting his gaze. “Is it working? Do you find me irresistible?”

He lowered his lips for a tender kiss. “Definitely. I’d say, if it wasn’t for this mess, I’d cart you back to bed for a week or two. But since this mess is what brought us together, I guess we’ll just have to figure it out first.”

“That’s probably best. But look at it this way—now we have something to look forward to once we’re done, right?”

He groaned. “Do I have to wait that long?”

“Hey! Maybe we’ll figure it out today? You never know.”

---