Page 62 of Good As Hell

One by one the screens flick off, leaving only FADE and Ghad looking at me with worry marking their faces.

“Lyric—” FADE starts.

“I got this.” I assure them with a confidence I don’t feel.

“You sure about that?” Ghad demands. It’s then I realize he’s made contingencies and by the look FADE shoots him, he’s just realizing it too.

I nod. “He’s my husband. I love him.”

“Fuck.” I hear them both swear as I head out to the front of the house to meet my husband.

The anticipationdamn near cripples me as I wait for Hassan. Tummy tight with anticipation I go through the front room entrance of Oz’s palatial living room, turning on all the lights.

I wish I’d changed out of the frilly gown and matching wrap, miffed that Nikko didn’t give me heads up about what was going down before I went in to hear this news.

Joggers and a fleece would have been better even in the South African heat.

Hearing a fleet of vehicles converging on the compound, I move to the entrance. There’s no point in having them kick down Oz’s doors and tear apart his home so soon after the man just had it renovated.

Briefly I wonder if Ayaan will wake from the noise.

Opening the door just as the black tactical vehicle pulls to a stop at the bottom of the drive, I step out the door.

Wrapping my arms around myself, I try to quell to shivers racking my body that have nothing to do with the warmth of the night.

What if they are wrong? I know Ghad is a genius hacker. I’ve heard about Hisashi Takeda. But what if Nikko’s intel was right? But FADE would kill Hassan’s entire family if he harmed me. Ghad, though, the quieter of the two brothers is even more deadly.

A dark figured clad from head to boot in black emerges, slamming the door behind him. My heart seizes seeing his tall frame silhouetted against the night sky. Seeing me, he pauses for a second, raising his fist high in ‘hold’ sign before he starts towards me, his strides eating up the distance.

He’s coming so fast I start backing up. I reverse into the entrance when he finally stops, his boots touching my bare toes.

Gauntleted hands reach up, ripping the mask free of his face. A thin, still healing scar is etched across high on his jaw.

“My son?” he grits. Gaze fierce, his rakes me with barely held rage.

I almost stumble, backing away, righting myself as I pivot, just in time to save me from crashing into the marble floor. Steadying myself, I inhale, trying to calm myself.

Leading him up a flight, then another of stairs to the guest wing of the house, I try to ignore the heat lasered on my back like bullseye.

Standing at the door of my son’s temporary room, I take a moment to catch my breath. Twisting the nob slowly, I ease the door open with Hassan’s presence at my back.

The heat of his body brushes past me as he strides over to the baby bed Oz had set up for Ayaan before we arrived. He’d been waiting playing action figures with Ayaan when I arrived. The picture was of pure doting uncle.

One could almost forget he’s a remorseless killer. It had been his job to retrieve my baby while Nikko came to rescue me. My childhood friend rightfully knew I wouldn’t question him if he came and got me.

“All this is left over from when my cousin Easy came to visit.” He shrugged when he showed me to the room. Only I knew it wasn’t just any visit. She ran away from her biker husband, Angel, for nearly a year. He attacked this compound to get her and their son, Judah, back.

Watching Hassan, as he stands over our son for a long moment, staring down at the mop of curly hair, my heart feels heavy with deep empathy. The pain etched on his face breaks my heart.

His shoulders rise, then fall heavily, as with what I assume is relief. Pulling off one of his gauntlets, he reaches down, touching Ayaan’s curls.

Shooting me a hard look, his mouth hardens. “Where’s the motherfucker who took him and did this to my face?”

“He left not long before you came.” I tell him.

He looks at me for a long uncomfortable moment, his face a mask of icy stoicism, before turning back to gaze down at Ayaan.

Finally he brushes a kiss on his forehead, closing his eyes with reverence.

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