Page 104 of Property of Bones

The implication is disgusting. But it works.

The men chuckle, dark and knowing.

“West wing, huh?” one says. “He must really like this one.”

“She’s a screamer,” Max mutters. “Already caused trouble.”

They laugh louder.

“She won’t last a week.”

We keep walking, their voices fading behind us but Max’s pace doesn’t slow.

Just when I think we’re in the clear, he mutters under his breath, “Heads up. Couple big names coming this way. People Muerte actually listens to.”

I nod faintly, tightening my grip on his hip and bracing myself.

Then I go all in.

I thrash violently…kicking, twisting, clawing at his back. “You touch me again and I’ll kill you!” I scream, voice cracking.

Pain explodes through my ribs like fire. Something shifts. A stab so sharp it steals my breath.

I can’t inhale. Can’t speak. Can’t even cry out.

But I keep fighting.

Even as my lungs seize and I struggle to pull in air, I keep struggling because someone important is watching. Because Max needs cover.

Max’s hold on me tightens instantly. “Knock it off, bitch,” he barks, playing his part to the end, even as I feel his grip shift…more secure now, more careful.

He knows I’m hurt.

But we’re still being watched.

So I keep moving.

Even if it kills me.

And if this pain is anything to go by…it just might.

Boots echo ahead.

Max slows just slightly, his posture tightening beneath me. “Play it up,” he mutters low, almost silent.

I kick again, gasping, the stabbing pain in my ribs spreading like fire. My lungs still won’t work right, but I force a sound out anyway. A broken, high-pitched cry. If I can’t scream, I can at leastwhimper.

I can’t see anything from my position, but I can hear the men approach. My face is angled toward Max’s back, but Ihearthe shift in his breathing. Feel the subtle tightening of his muscles.

These men aren’t like the others.

They stop in front of us.

“Problem?” one of them asks, voice older, smoother. The kind of voice that doesn’t have to shout to be dangerous.

“No, sir,” Max replies instantly, his tone clipped and respectful. “Boss ordered this one to the west wing. Said she’s special. Long-term material. Wanted her secured before he left for Palm Springs.”

There’s a pause.

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