Page 21 of Lone Wolf

We both hear the loud swearing as the newcomers realize something’s wrong.

“You better fucking clean this up,” one of them says. “If Danny comes back to find his office like this, he’ll go off his head.”

“I didn’t make the mess,” protests whoever is with him, another man.

“I don’t give a fuck if you made the mess or not, you’re cleaning it up. Go get a fucking rag before I beat your face in.”

Shit. Heavy footsteps headed straight for this closet. I’m automatically moving into a defensive position, calculating how to neutralize two opponents in this confined space, when Sunny grabs me and…

Kisses me.

Time seems to slow as I process the feel of her mouth on mine, her desperate hands pulling me close, the taste of her lip gloss.

It tastes like raspberry and vanilla. Super sweet. Super addictive.

Just like Sunny herself…

CHAPTER 8

Ariadne

“Hey! Who the fuck—”

Sunny’s lips tear away from mine, leaving a ghost of warmth that lingers like a burn. The security guard’s face contorts with confusion as he yanks us both from the supply closet, his meaty fingers digging into my arm.

“What the hell are you doing in there?” he demands, breath reeking of cigarettes.

“Omigod!” Sunny squeaks, her voice suddenly climbing two octaves higher. “I’m so sorry—we got lost, and then—” She giggles. She actuallygiggles. “Well, it’s our anniversary tonight and we figured we’d be a little naughty, you know, so…” She shrugs, her face transforming into a mask of tipsy innocence.

I must look genuinely shocked because the guard’s grip loosens slightly. The way Sunny plays this role—effortless, seamless—is almost as impressive as her combat skills.

“We didn’t realize…” I say, letting my voice trail off, forcing softness into my normally rigid posture.

“What the hell is going on out there?” calls the other guard from the office. He hasn’t seen us.

One guard distracted, one still unaware. I could break the first one’s windpipe, silence him before he could call out, then slide into the office and eliminate the second guard before he could reach for his weapon. Easy. Clean.

Except for our order not to kill anyone…

“Nothing!” the man holding us calls back. He drops his voice to a harsh whisper. “Get the fuck outta here,” he tells us, shoving us down the hallway. “You’re lucky I’m the one who found you, you stupid fucking…” His words dissolve into muttered profanity as he pushes us around the corner.

“Omigod, like, we’re really sorry,” Sunny continues her performance, giggling again in that soft, girlie whisper that’s so unlike her normal confident tone. “Thank you so much for understanding!” She’s doing a flawless impression of being drunk and horny.

And apparently I’m doing a convincing impression of being confused and aroused, because despite the fact thatsomeoneclearly knocked over that decanter in the office, and two strange women are the closest suspects, the guard merely scowls and lets us saunter right back down the hallway toward the thumping music of the club floor.

“Holy shit,” Sunny breathes once we’re back out, the bass vibrating through the walls around us. “That actually worked. Let’s get out of here fast.”

“Slow down,” I snap. My adrenaline is spiking high, but it’s not just from the near-miss with the guard. My lips still tingle from Sunny’s kiss, a sensation I can’t seem to shut down. It’sdistracting. Dangerous. “We don’t run. We play this smart, and we don’t get caught.”

Sunny glances over her shoulder at the door, then laces her fingers through mine. “Gotcha.”

Her palm is warm against mine. She pulls me down to the dance floor again, where we weave our way through gyrating bodies, trying to blend into the crowd as we move toward the exit.

My head spins, every nerve ending amplified. The strobing lights cast Sunny’s face in alternating shadow and harsh illumination. The music pounds through my bones, matching the erratic rhythm of my pulse. Sweat and perfume hang thick in the air, but all I can focus on is the lingering taste of…

Sunny.

And it’s only made worse because we have to maintain our cover, her body pressed against mine as we dance toward the exit, her hips moving with practiced ease to the music.

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