Page 145 of Seek Me Darling

A beat of silence.

Then Bodhi says, “So, just another Tuesday.”

I roll my eyes so hard it gives me whiplash and drop into the armchair like it insulted me personally. “You two said twenty-four hours. I gave you twenty-three. Don’t make me regret the generosity.”

“Wasn’t generosity,” Matteo says. “It was a bargain. You lost. This is the fallout.”

“Yeah? Well I’m done playing.” I lean forward, elbows braced on my knees, voice low and sharp. “So unless the next sentence out of your mouth is a name, location, or set of coordinates—get out of my way.”

They exchange a look.

That silent communication that makes me want to throw something at them both.

Bodhi leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “You want him. We understand that. But the second you step out that door without a plan—without control—he wins.”

Matteo’s voice follows, quieter but firmer. “We’re not letting that happen.”

I go still.

Because for all their violence and all their obsession… they’re not wrong.

But that doesn’t mean I’m patient.

Bodhi stretches, catlike, then stands slowly. “All right, princess. You want out so bad?”

I tilt my head, watching him with narrowed eyes.

He gestures toward the far window—the one that looks out over the tree line, the dark slash of forest beyond. “Then go.”

I blink, looking between them. “Excuse me?”

Matteo’s voice is soft, amused. “You heard him. You want to hunt Javier so badly? Then run for the gate.”

My stomach tightens. “Gate?”

“Perimeter gate,” Bodhi supplies. “Back side of the property. About a mile through the trees. You want out? You want a shot at handling Javier your way? Run. Make it to the gate, and we’ll consider your terms."

"That’s it?" I ask, squinting.

Bodhi grins wider. "That’s it. You reach the gate, you win."

Matteo leans forward, his voice smooth as silk. "And because I'm such a nice guy, if you win, I'll even help you hunt down Javier."

"Generous," I murmur.

"Hell," Bodhi adds, cocking his head, "if you make it to that gate, maybe I'll throw in my help too. Maybe we adjust the plan. It wouldn’t take much as his son to draw him somewhere private. Somewhere... intimate."

I scoff. "Just like that?"

Matteo shrugs and smiles like a man who knows exactly how deep the water is—and doesn’t care if we both drown. "We’re men of our word."

"And if I lose?"

Bodhi’s smile doesn’t waver. "Then you stay. You trust the plan we already have in place."

I think for a second. Calculate. I've run with Matteo before. DEA training courses. Urban assault simulations. I know how fast he is. How precise.

Bodhi's different. Less technical. More brutal. He doesn’t run—he hunts. I still have the bruises from the last time he chased me through a forest, mask gleaming in the half-light.

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