Page 15 of Rivals & Revenge

My fingers closed around the handles of my knives, groaning as I remembered I didn’t have anywhere to sheath them in this—outfit. If it could even be called that. I pinched my phone between my finger and thumb, struggling to get a comfortable grip.

I blew out a quick breath that did little to settle me and scanned the room; I needed a way out. Not the door, obviously. I couldn’t risk running into Rossdale or his two mutts or even that Connor person he spoke of.

Heavy dark curtains covered most of the wall behind me and I stepped closer, wondering what secrets they hid.

A giddy laugh bubbled up through my throat as I pulled back the curtain; fate was truly on my side. There were no sensors or alarms that I could see, so I eased the glass door open and stepped outside. The night air was cold and unforgiving and even the barest whisper of a breeze sliced through me like an icy scythe, cleaner and deeper than any blade I could wield.

I turned back to the empty room, my eyes bouncing from one surface to the next before finally landing on a black leather duster draped over the wooden chair next to the bed.

The supple leather caressed my skin as I slid my arms into the sleeves, wrapping myself in warmth for the first time since I left the downy blankets and I stifled a groan.

I slid my knives into the inner pockets, slotting my phone into the outer one, briefly wondering how pissed he would be finding he lost not only his prisoner, but his jacket as well.

I shrugged off the errant thought and stepped out into the night. The sharp pain limited my breaths to shallow pants, but I welcomed it, relishing my first breaths of free air in God only knew how long.

My feet hurried as quickly as my injuries would allow, tracing the familiar pathways across the well-manicured lawn and through the towering pines that bordered the western edge of Rossdale’s property, avoiding his mutts and his cameras along the way.

Despite the pain of obviously broken ribs, I found myself breathing easier the farther I got from him, each step taking me closer to the relative safety of home.

Chapter 10

AHREN

My jaw clenched, the muscles locking into place as I surveyed the empty room. Relieved. Relieved is what I should be feeling right now.

A deep breath, releasing all the pent up oxygen my body had been hoarding since the moment I set eyes on her in that grove. That, along with three fingers of scotch and a roaring fire, would go a long way to relax the tension that still coiled in every muscle.

She was gone and with her, not only the responsibility of nursing her back to health, but the target painted on my back at the mere proximity to her. My life had become infinitely less complicated with her departure.

I made her a silent promise I would hold the line until she was well enough to be properly offended on her own behalf. While she hadn’t spoken the words aloud, she had gathered the stones to leave not only my makeshift hospital room, but the entire property as well.The lads were outside for more than an hour, searching without a sound, though they did trace her scent all the way to the western fence.

She took me out of the equation. That should be the end of my involvement with the entire dumpster fire of a situation.

And yet… my eyes flicked between the empty bed and the message from my tech guy explaining his findings.

Pulling the door closed, I headed straight for the bar, pouring myself three fingers of Wolfsbane Silver, my preferred drink of choice when I needed to mull over a particularly vexing problem and little vexed me more than her.

The cool edge of the glass against my lips was a stark contrast to the fiery amber liquid as it slid down my throat. The burn grounded me in this moment, clearing away the cobwebs of the day and leaving me with just important matters to consider.

Supple leather wrapped me in its warmth, protesting slightly as I settled into its embrace. I leaned back, allowing myself a moment of comfort as I cast each of my swirling thoughts into the fire, considering them anew as they rose and burned in a seemingly never-ending cycle. Tierney. The assassination attempt. The broker. The report from my tech guy. And possibly the most frustrating, perplexing bit of all; why did I give a fuck about any of it?

It certainly was a three finger problem, I thought to myself, smirking as I brought the glass to my lips again. Those were usually fun to solve.

Three fingers of my favorite scotch, followed by those same three fingers buried inside a beautiful woman. Somehow, in the clarity of my release, I always managed to find the answer. Tonight though, I found I had little interest in bedding some meaningless girl in hopes of finding answers to life’s—complications.

No. Tonight there would be only one girl haunting my mind.

Soft tapping mingled with the occasional scuffing signaled Connor’s arrival. “Grab a drink. Pull up a chair.”

“I’m here to work, remember?” she scoffed, the sarcasm so thick in her voice I could almost hear her eyes roll back in her head.

“Should have called first. Could have saved yourself a trip.” I drawled, taking another sip.

A quiet chuckle and the tinkling of glass behind me as she poured herself a drink pulled a smile to my lips.

“So, our girl escaped, huh?” she said, sighing heavily as she dropped into the seat opposite mine.

“What makes you think she fucking escaped?” I asked, arching my brow.

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