Page 11 of Unholy Cross

Chapter Five

Cross watched as everythought broadcasted over Lorelei’s beautiful face.Her wide-eyed gaze left little doubt that she was an innocent, and nothing appealed to him more than taking that innocence for his own pleasure.She didn’t know it yet, but he was keeping her.He would own her body and soul, and keep her gift for his own needs.The first time he took her, however, wouldn’t be in a guest room above a strip bar.

They stayed until closing and then Cross held out his hand to her.Lorelei looked at it for a moment, and then shyly took hold.He pulled her from the barstool and led her to the side entrance where the dressing rooms were located.The few dancers that remained, taking off makeup and putting their clothes back on, smiled and waved at them.Lorelei waved back as they passed by.

Back in the guest room, he took a quick shower after her, then dressed in his black boxer briefs.Lorelei was already under the covers, turned away, and he slid in next to her.

“Come here,” he said and spooned her.When he slid an arm under her body as he wrapped himself around her, she instantly went stiff.“Relax.I’m not going to do anything.”

At first, she didn’t move, but after a few minutes, she followed his order and relaxed.He willed his dick not to get hard.They’d leave in the morning, head to a place Birsha would never think to look.Cross had vowed never to return to the city he grew up in, but he had money stashed there.Now that he had a woman to take care of, he needed that hidden cash and hopefully it was still there.Content he had a plan in place, he relaxed enough to doze.

He wasn’t sure what caught his attention, but something jolted him awake and made him untangle himself from Lorelei.He slipped on his jeans, grabbed his gun, and carefully looked out the window, but saw nothing.His gut, however, told him something was wrong.Noiselessly opening the door, he studied the long shadows, not liking the tension tightening his muscles.

Then he saw it.A body slithering through the darkness, moving silently as it maneuvered through the apartment.He closed the door and went to his jacket, sliding his hunting knife from its sheath.Since he didn’t know how many men came for them, he decided to play it quietly.He didn’t have time to wake Lorelei and warn her, because the door opened.A person came inside, and Cross stepped up behind the body and slapped his hand over the mouth.He immediately recognized two things.The person was a woman, and she had a gun.

When the barrel came up, he grabbed the arm, twisted it, and an audible snap cracked through the room.The woman screamed from behind his hand, waking Lorelei.She jumped up and turned on the light, revealing he held Jessica.He pushed her and she fell against the bed.

“Goddamn it!”she screamed.“You broke my fucking arm!”

“Be lucky I didn’t slit your throat,” he growled.“Why?”

Jessica let out an agonized sob when she tried to move off the mattress.Then she flicked her gaze over at Lorelei.“She has a bounty on her head.T-ten thousand dollars.”

“How do you know she has a bounty?”

“I know a lot of things, Cross.”

He lifted his foot and shoved her, which caused her to fall back onto her broken arm.Jessica let out another pain-filled cry, and tears ran down her face.

“Th-the bar is a network,” she managed to say in between sobs.

“So, you thought you’d, what?Kill me?”

“Please, my arm hurts,” Jessica begged.

He grabbed the back of her hair and pulled back.She cried out, her good hand reaching back in a fruitless effort to pry him off.

“I don’t give a flying fuck about your arm,” he sneered.“What was your plan?”

“To kill you,” she mumbled.“Then take her back to Noble Vale.Collect my money.”

“You threatened me.Threatened Lorelei.I should bury this knife deep in your chest and spit on your corpse.”

“No, please,” she bawled.“I was wrong.Please, Cross, I don’t wanna die!”

“Should’ve thought of that before you decided to betray me.”

Cross looked at Lorelei, wondering if he scared her.She stared at him wide-eyed, but he didn’t detect any fear or shock.It looked like she was waiting to see what he was going to do.

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