Page 10 of Risky Passion

The weapon coughed softly. Not quite silent, but close enough.

Lurami crumpled to the concrete mid-stride, his scream cut short.

"Christ." One more mess. Always one more.

In the quiet aftermath, every small sound was amplified: the humming fluorescent lights, a distant drip, the drone of traffic outside. Someone probably had heard that scream. A security guard, workers changing shift, or patients taking a stroll. This place was never truly empty.

The damn loose ends were getting messier by the minute.

And I’m getting too old for this shit.

"B!" Diego's voice barely registered through my pounding pulse. "You there?"

I pressed the phone to my ear again. "Kill that pilot. Get those bags. That shipment is everything."

I ended the call.

Blood spread beneath Lurami in a widening pool, seeking the rusted drain two feet away like a crimson snake. Thankfully, Hughes still had his head slumped forward in his wheelchair.

My knees cracked as I crouched by Lurami. No pulse. Clean shot through the heart. At least my aim was still true after all these years.

I plucked his phone from his pocket and, clutching the wheelchair handles, I forced myself to move. The sedative that had knocked out Hughes wouldn't last much longer, and a man crying for help from a car trunk tended to draw attention . . . no matter what time of day it was.

CHAPTER 5

Tory

A thick,golden-brown cloud burst throughLadybeetle’sshattered windshield, billowing into the battered cabin like a ghostly explosion. My thoughts spiraled into panic as sand churned in the murky water, scraping against my face and stinging my eyes. Visibility vanished, replaced by a suffocating, swirling haze.

Fuck! I’m going to drown. Move, damn it. Move!Clenching my teeth, I forced my eyes open. The gritty water sliced by eyes like tiny blades and the pain burned, sharp and unrelenting.

I reached for the jagged opening in the windshield and shards of razor-sharp glass sliced my palms and tore my uniform. Gritting through the agony, I dragged my battered body through the gap.

Free of the wreckage, I swam to the undercarriage and foundLadybeetle’sleft float had miraculously survived the crash. The metal groaned under the pressure as I launched myself off it. Clawing through the water with every ounce of strength I had left, I focused on the shimmering surface above me.

When I finally broke the surface, I sucked in a desperate gasp, filling my lungs with the sweetest oxygen I’d ever tasted.

The world roared back into focus in a chaotic blur of sound and motion. The shoreline was closer than I’d thought, but the wateraround me felt alive, rippling and shifting as if something massive stirred just beneath the surface.

My heart pounded as the thought seized me:Crocodiles.

I didn’t dare look.

Fearing one was already eyeing me for lunch, I kicked hard as adrenaline ignited every muscle in my body. My legs churned the water, and each stroke was a frantic battle against the terror scraping at my mind.

Every yard stretched into an eternity.

The mangled bushes ahead took shape, revealing a thin, unwelcoming veil of sanctuary. The ripples around me seemed to close in, tightening like a noose, but I didn’t stop. Couldn’t stop.

When my feet finally hit the muddy shallows, I stumbled forward, collapsing onto the gritty, wet earth. My chest heaved, and every muscle trembled uncontrollably as I rolled onto my back and stared up at the overcast sky.

I just lay there, the wet mud clinging to my skin and the sound of blood rushing in my ears.

The urge to look back pulled at me. I forced myself to turn my head toward the water.

Bits and pieces ofLadybeetlefloated on the surface, bobbing like scattered debris in a storm. The rest of the wreckage was gone, swallowed by the depths.

From the air, though,Ladybeetlewould stand out like a massive yellow X marking the spot.

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