Page 54 of Monsters Wear Crowns
“Two SUVs. No ID yet.”
He turned to me slowly. My stomach clenched. Then–
A gunshot split the night.
The sharp crack sent a jolt through me, my breath seizing. The echo rang through the shipping yard, bouncing off the steel walls, making it impossible to pinpoint its origin. My heart slammed against my ribs, but I didn’t freeze. Years of being raised to expect the unexpected kept my instincts sharp. I dropped low behind one of the containers, my heels scraping against the concrete.
Rafe didn’t move like a man caught off guard. He moved like a man who had been expecting this. “Stay down,” he ordered, his voice low and even, but with a lethal edge. His hand slid inside his jacket, drawing a gun in one fluid motion. The sight of it should have sent me into full-blown panic. Instead, it steadied me. He stepped away, his focus locked on the shadows beyond the floodlights.
Another shot rang out, sparking off the metal inches from my head. I flinched, my pulse roaring in my ears. The night exploded into chaos.
Rafe whirled, his eyes finding mine. “Stay fucking down,” he repeated, harsher this time.
I didn’t get a chance to argue. A figure moved in the darkness, and Rafe fired without hesitation. The body dropped, and the world narrowed to chaos, the thunder of footsteps, the crack of gunfire, the metallic scent of blood in the air.
And then, I saw him too late. A shadow moving fast, slipping around the far edge of the container. A glint of metal caught the dim light–a gun. My eyes narrowed. I twisted, instinct screaming at me to move, but he was faster. His hand clamped around my arm like a vice, yanking me back so hard I nearly lost my footing.
“Rafe!” I shouted, struggling against the iron grip.
The man spun me, slamming me into the cold steel wall. The impact sent a shock through my spine, knocking the air frommy lungs. And then–
The press of a gun against my ribs. I stilled, my pulse quickening.
“Stay quiet,” the man growled, his breath hot against my cheek.
I bared my teeth. “Drop fucking dead, little dick.”
His fingers twitched on the trigger, but I spat on him.Fuck this weak man.
“That’senough.” Rafe’s voice sliced between us like a sharp, brutal, absolute blade.
The man holding me went rigid.
I turned my head. Rafe stood a few feet away, his gun leveled, unwavering. His expression was calm, collected. But his eyes…ice and fire. Controlled rage coiled beneath the surface, waiting to snap.
“Let her go,” he said, his voice soft yet fucking horrifying.
The man’s grip tightened. “Not a chance. Not this pretty little thing.” His free hand drifted lower, fingers skimming over my hip.
Wrong move.
Fury flared hot in my chest. I lashed out, driving my heel into his shin with every ounce of force I had.
He snarled, his grip crushing. “Fuckingbitch!” He shoved me harder into the metal, my skull rattling against the steel.
I swallowed down my own rage because I had a goddamn monster willing to blow this man’s brains out.
“You don’t want to fucking test me,” Rafe warned. “And youreallydon’t want to find out what I’ll do if you hurt her.”
The man hesitated, and I felt his mistake the second before it happened. Rafe moved faster than I thought possible.
I flinched as a single, deafening shot rang out. The man jerked. His body crumpled against me, dead weight pressing me into the cold metal. Warm blood splattered across my cheek.
A gasp tore from my lips as I shoved him off, stumblingforward. But Rafe was already there, his grip firm as he caught my arm and pulled me into him.
“Are you hurt?” His voice was low, his hand already brushing over my waist and my arms, checking for injuries.
I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. “I’m fine.”
