Page 57 of Beautiful Devil

Of course the determined woman would walk. The path would enable her to pass several of my facilities, including a warehouse where I kept most of my collection of weapons. Emily was determined to find out everything she could. That gave me a strange sense of pride.

Eve reminded me of Emily in several ways, her kind and gentle nature a direct mirror to Emily’s character. She was also terrified of my reaction for the smallest possible infraction. Perhaps for the first time I was seeing my behavior through someone else’s eyes because Emily required nothing less.

“Of course not, Eve. You did just fine, and I appreciate you letting me know. Please take your rest now.”

“Thank you,señor. Thank you.”

She seemed relieved, backing away and bowing her head as if I was some fucking God. Sighing, I rubbed my tired eyes before returning to the truck. The moon seemed brighter than normal, highlighting the ominous look of the area just past the immediate grounds. At least the path was well it, providing clear access.

Noticing the lights were off forced a panic into my system. I ripped the weapon from behind my back, jumping out of the truck almost before the engine had quieted. I didn’t hesitate like I normally would, throwing open the door and storming inside, both hands on the Ruger.

I noticed the warm glow of a nightlight first, then heard the soft thumping of Kiki’s tail as I rounded the examination table. Exhaling, I returned the safety, returning the gun to its temporary location as I gazed down at the beautiful sleeping princess, Kiki nuzzled tightly against Emily’s back.

“Did you keep her company, baby girl?” I whispered as I hunkered down. While the pup’s tail wagged more enthusiastically, she remained quiet, very comfortable in her surroundings. I brushed hair from Emily’s face, barely able to take my eyes off her. When I heard a soft growl, I shifted my gaze inside the cage.

The cub was active, his little eyes struggling to stay open. He crawled closer, shifting enough to be able to slide his paw through the steel bars.

“Hi, little fella. How are you feeling?”

“Mmm…” Emily stirred, immediately lifting her head. “What’s wrong? The cub?”

“Sshhh… No. The cub is fine.”

“I just… I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

As I stood, I gathered Emily into my arms, cradling her against my chest. “Come on, Kiki. Let’s get her home.”

Woof!

As I gently eased Emily onto the seat, I realized for the first time how fragile she seemed, not the strong as nails woman she’d always shown. “The cub,” she blurted out.

“He’s fine. I think you managed to save him. Aziza will be happy.”

“I’m glad. I still need to watch him,” she half whispered, yawning.

“Shh… Just rest.”

As soon as Kiki jumped in beside her, Emily wrapped her arms around the pup’s neck and almost instantly fell asleep. I closed the door, shaking my head as I headed to the driver’s side.

She was everything a man could ever want yet one this man should never have tasted.

CHAPTER12

Kostya

“Ovachov requested a Zoom meeting,” Diego said, the smirk on his face indicating he already knew my answer. Not a fucking chance, which anyone requesting my services should have known without being told.

I moved onto one of the seats in the communications room, the satellite driven office space allowing me to interact with any country at any time, scrambling our location through various areas in the world, preventing anyone from pinging a direct hit. The massive computer system, a duplicate of the one I’d eliminated in Brooklyn, also provided immediate access to anyone on the planet, dead or alive. No one was invisible, although up until recently I’d believed the shield hiding my identity was thick.

Perhaps I’d been too arrogant in my thinking.

As had happened so many times lately, my thoughts drifted to Emily. I’d carried her to bed, leaving Kiki by her side. She’d murmured something about her father that I hadn’t understood. It would be necessary to grill her once again for whatever information she had. They were blood after all. I’d never known a father not to go to extreme measures in order to protect his child.

I almost laughed at the thought. I certainly wasn’t the poster child of knowing anything about families.

“Wait until the asshole makes the connection. Do not bother telling him his request won’t be granted. The fucker will talk,” I barked. Whether he liked it or not. If he ignored my request, Diego would be able to track him down within minutes.

Then I’d handle another elimination if for no other reason than to rid myself of any perceived threat. Whoever was messing with me had finally taxed my patience.

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