Page 76 of To Curse A Knight

“Mr. Roboto doesn’t feel much for anything,” I whispered conversationally, despite the creepy murder vibes. “Gotta wonder why he’d risk it all for this—”

“Hold it,” Kellan hissed as he peered through a metal door’s teeny window. “We’re here.”

Adrenaline burst through my brain like tiny little fireworks.We’re here?Did that mean Aaron was just sitting back, having a yarn with another baddie sexpot and forgot the time or—

Kellan let out a string of colorful Spanish curses as he kept to the side of the door, motioning for me to do the same.

The glass shattered outward and smothered the two of us in teeny shards. I rolled to the left while Kellan leaped to the opposite side as a tiny bullet lodged itself into the opposite wall.

Without pausing, the Viking crept low and shot the door handle clean off. He only made eye contact with me for a split second before he kicked in the door and rolling through it like Mark Wahlbergin—anything Mark Wahlberg’s ever done.

Another stifled pop of a silenced pistol echoed through the chamber, and I cursed colorfully in English before crouching low and following in after him to cover his arse; I didn’t even think these two liked each other, and now my blond buddy was just going in, guns-a-blazing, to rescue a bloke who’d brought a knife to a gunfight.

Bet ya he wouldn’t be risking his neck to saveme.Good thing I was the hero type and would throw myself into chaos to save him instead.

I mean, don’t threaten a mate with a good time.

The dark room reminded me of the basement Kellan had attempted his sexy torture session in—dim, dank, and dirty. A lone figure slumped in the center, head hung like he was already a corpse.

Fuck.

Kellan fired another shot, and in a blinding blur of motion, a tiny figure slipped behind me and wrapped dainty little arms around my neck. Before I could fight them off, cool metal kissed my temple.

“Drop it, Kellan,” a calm, feminine voice commanded as she wrapped her arm tighter into my windpipe, choking me out and bringing me to my knees within seconds.

Not even in the action for two seconds, and I was already the sitting duck. I needed to up my assassin training skills when I got us out of this one.

I was a wee bit worried about me, but more worried about the man who hadn’t even moved since we’d come into the room. The air smelled of gunpowder and metal, and whatever sweet perfume the lass behind me was wearing. Not like death yet, but that was coming.

“Carmen,” he replied, his gruff, growly voice his version of calm. “Care to explain what you’re doing with Aaron Rodriguez?”

What the—heknewthis woman? If air wasn’t being cut off from my brain, I might have put two-and-two together but—

“Care to explain why you are after a dead man that you were already to have killed?” she countered, her lips purring the words into the shell of my ear as her grip tightened even further.

Ahh. So, she was a baddie for the Cartel. Didn’t need the old oxygen to make that connection. That wasn’t good. If they knew Kellan hadn’t killed Aaron like he said he did then…

Time for Plan B.

Kellan, if you can read my mind right now, you stall her while I play dead.

I willed my muscles to go limp in her hold and dropped to the concrete floor like a stone, pretending to pass out sooner than she expected. Her grip loosened in surprise, giving me just enough wiggle room to buck her off my back. The move propelled her forward into the empty space between me and the big oaf.

She was quick for a tiny thing. Before I could re-grip my weapon and point it at her, she sprang to the side and whipped around, her gun pointed at me, and another smaller pistol pointed at Kellan.

It’d be fucking impressive if it wasn’t my life on the line. We were in a triangle stand-off, and currently, one of us was going to end up dead.

I finally got a good look at her. Pretty, with long dark hair and dark eyes, and a snarl that rivaled my Blondie’s when she was pissed off. I’d hedge my bets with the woman of my dreams, but somehow, I didn’t think that sort of charm would work on this one. She seemed more of the psycho-twin type.

Everyone, remain calm.

To be fair, I appeared to be the only one freaking out.

“Carmen,” Kellan commanded again and his voice rang with authority like a true cartel king. “Stand down on this one. You don’t want to make an enemy of me.”

“You are wrong,Careverga.” Her gaze trailed over to Aaron’s lifeless body; while she was distracted, I snuck a peek, too. His head hung limp to his chest, with bloody gashes showing through his clothes all over his body; my favorite suit ruined.

Not the point, Locke.

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