Page 16 of Kai
I bent over the man, pressed my handgun against the back of his head, and snarled. “If you move, you’re dead.”
“I give up.” The bastard went still. “I surrender.”
“She’s gonna move off you in a moment,” I barked. “My gun will remain on target. If you wanna keep breathing, follow my instructions to the letter. Got it?”
“Got it,” the man rasped, his back heaving beneath Cece’s knee.
Cece waited until I gave her a nod. Keeping her weight on him and her knee staked on his back, she leaped away from the merc, grabbed his carbine, and aimed his own weapon at him.
“Turn around.” With my arms outstretched and my Glock up and ready, I took a step back and kept my aim on him. “Hands in the air.”
The man rolled onto his back, showing me his bare palms. A bunch of scratches added viciousness to an already brutal face. Blood flowed from his nose and poured over his lips. The gruesome twist that crooked the bridge of his nose was a recent development.
“You broke my fucking nose.” The merc’s deep voice dripped with incredulity as he shifted his toad eyes toward Cece. “Nobody breaks my fucking nose.”
“She did.” I flashed my teeth, and keeping my eyes on him, spoke to Cece. “You okay, sweetheart?”
“Fine,” she rasped, still pointing the rifle at him.
She was so fucking brave. And beautiful. And smart. I’d been told that she’d won a shit ton of trophies and tournaments in her life, but given her opponent, this was next-level fighting competence.
“Hello there, Cersi Astor.” The merc grimaced a bloodysmirk and blinked the tears off his eyes. “We got off to the wrong start. I’m here to save you.”
“Save me?”She sneered, raising her chin in the air. “I don’t need anyone to save me. Who are you supposed to save me from?”
“From him, of course.” The merc tossed me a sullen glance before he returned his gaze to Cece. “He’s here to take you back to your father. I’ll set you free.”
“Right.” Her face set into an icy scowl. “And why would you do that?”
“Someone who loves you very much hired me to take you to safety.”
A scoff escaped my lips. The fucker knew enough about Cece to sabotage me.
“You’re a fucking liar.” The sheer ferocity of her glare should’ve given the merc the runs. “If I have to choose between his brilliant aura and your putrid one, I’d choose his every single time.”
I blinked at the words, but it was the merc who uttered the question.
“Did you just sayaura?” The merc frowned.
“Shut the fuck up!” she snarled and nudged her head in my direction. “And I’m going withhim.”
I inclined my chin. “Good choice, Sorceress.”
“Who the fuck are you?” the merc demanded from his place at my feet, even though I still aimed my gun at his head.
“You don’t need to know that.”
“Listen to me, sport.” The merc studied me with cold calculation. “I’m here for her. This is just a job. Nothing personal.”
“Nothing personal, my ass,” Cece spat, clearly incensed.
“All you have to do is leave,” the merc continued in an eerily benign tone, ignoring Cece and keeping his calculatingeyes on me and my gun. “Walk away. We’ll take care of the rest.”
I lifted a quizzical eyebrow.“The rest?”
“The bitch.” He launched a murderous glance in Cece’s direction. “Leave her to us.”
“Why would I do that?”
