Page 243 of Under Her Skin
Alan was waiting at the ferry terminal in a black-out sedan that he didn’t recognize. He slippedinside.
‘Max says to stay inside until he opens the door. Plausible deniability and allthat.’
Shit. Max was taking a lot of the weight of this when maybe he didn’t need to. Now Alan was involved too. Theo’s face must have registered his frustration because Alan turned around in hisseat.
‘Boss, whatever you’re thinking, we’re grown men and we’re just as invested. We all love Miss Wood, youknow.’
Theo smiled tightly and nodded. ‘You’re a good man,Alan.’
Two hours later,Max opened the car door. As Theo got out, he saw that they were in abandoned junk yard. Max nodded silently to an empty barn and Theo followed him in. Inside, a bare lightbulb lit the vast, echoing space. Malcolm was tied to a chair, his eyes wheeling around in his head, a bloody welt above his eye. Max just shrugged when Theo looked at himquestioningly.
Malcolm focused on Theo. ‘Well, look who it is. Mr. Billionaire. How’s the fiancé? Can she still fuck as well after her littleaccident?’
Theo’s response was purely physical. His fist connected with Malcolm’s jaw so fast the other man’s head snapped back. Spitting blood, Malcolm cursed at him. Theo bent down and got in hisface.
‘Where is JulienGachet?’
Malcolm merely smirked. Theo repeated the question, calmly but with enough menace that the bound man’s eyes becamewary.
‘How should I know? I’m not hiskeeper.’
Theo and Max just looked at each other and Malcolm found his smileagain.
‘Wherever he is, he’s probably just working out how he’s going to finish what hestarted.’
Max’s head dipped just a little then Alan, unseen behind Malcolm, wrapped a chain around Malcolm’s neck and began to squeeze. Shocked, Malcolm choked. ‘Fuck you, fuck you all. That little whore’s not worth jailtime.’
Theo stepped towards him. ‘You don’t speak about her again. Do you understandme?’
Malcolm smirked. ‘My pleasure. I don’t waste my time on trashy little cunts like JessicaWood.’
Theo launched himself at him, raining blows, wild, uncontrolled, frenzied blows. Max and Alan dragged him away. Malcolm’s face was a bloody pulp, his nose, gushing blood, was bent at an impossibleangle.
‘You fucker, I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you…’ he raged at Theo, held back now by his friends. Theo spat in the man’sface.
‘Tell me where he is!’ Theo’s voice was a roar, his whole body tensed to spring again. Max narrowed his eyes atMalcolm.
‘Tell us or we’ll let him haveyou.’
Malcolm started to laugh, his mouth a tangled mess of broken teeth and blood. ‘He’s going to kill her, you know. You can’t stophim.’
Theo suddenly went very still. His friends, taken aback, let him go. Malcolm grinned at him. ‘Don’t blame him. If I had a chance to gut that fucking beautiful bitch, I’d do hermyself.’
In one fluid movement, before anyone could stop him, Theo stepped towards the laughing man, and with a violent jerk of his hands, broke hisneck.
Run With Me PartEight
Jess stirredas Theo slipped back in the bed and snuggled into his arms, her eyes stillclosed.
‘Cold,’ she complained at the touch of his cool skin. Theo wrapped his arms around her, needing her warmth, her hot blood to try to help the frozen heart ofhim.
He was a murderer. Akiller.
The way Max had stared at him after he’d snapped Malcolm’s neck was something he’d never forget. He knew it reflected his own emotions. When Malcolm had threatened Jess – again – he’d exploded, all the pain, the loss, the terror of losing her overwhelmed him. Only one course of action had seemed possible in thatmoment.
Afterward, he’d tried to calm himself, dragging lungfuls of air into his body. Alan stayed back, letting the two friends adjust. Max had put a tentative a hand on hisshoulder.
‘Theo…’ The love in his friend’s voice had broken the final wall and Theo bent over andsobbed.
