Page 102 of Tempest

I didn’t realize I said it out loud. Inwardly cursing, I add, “I can scare her into staying silent.”

“For how long?” Rio comes to a stop on the other side of Ardyn’s supine form. “She witnessed us kill two people. Our covers are blown. If Miguel gets even a whiff that we’re compromised—”

“He won’t.”

“How can you ensure that? This is my life, too. Fuck, even Hunter’s. Years of our training, of Miguel’s planning, have gone out the window.”

When all I do is work my jaw while staring at Ardyn, Rio keeps going. “We were promised freedom in return for our cooperation, remember? Freedom, T. We haven’t had that kind of life since we were fucking fourteen. We can’t throw it all away for a girl. You were able to get rid of the other chick, Mila, and your sister recovered okay. We can do the same with Ardyn—”

The roar fires into my throat and coats my teeth before Rio can blink in shock. I vault over Ardyn and slam Rio—my friend, my supporter, the man who’d do anything for me—against the far wall, my hand on his throat and the gun I tore from his grip digging into his temple.

“I will not kill another girl again,” I seethe into his face.

Through forceful breaths, he responds, “Then let me do it.”

“No.”

“You can’t expect me to bet my life on your word that you’ll keep her quiet.”

My finger strokes the trigger. “I expect you to trust me like you always have.”

“T…”

I press harder into his neck. Rio grimaces.

“Ardyn’s impressionable. Unstable. I can make her believe the worst in herself and the best in us. Give me time.”

Rio thinks this over, the skin around his eyes reddening and veins protruding from his forehead. “A day.”

“Fine.” I bend low until we’re nose-to-nose, then release my hold on him.

His top half crumbles, his hands on his thighs as he coughs.

“Go upstairs,” I tell him. “Make sure Hunter’s nowhere near. I’m carrying her home.”

Rio straightens, wiping the back of his hand on his mouth. “Whatever, man. This is on you.”

But like the good comrade he is, Rio does as I ask and clomps up the stairs.

I spin on my heel, returning to Ardyn and lowering into a crouch.

“Princess, what the fuck am I going to do with you?” I murmur, then take her in my arms and carry her upstairs.

Rio gives the all clear, and I quietly maneuver through the room without turning on any lights and out the front door. Thankfully, the worst of the rain has passed, and I take the trail to campus with careful but sure steps. Ardyn’s hair trails down my arm, her strands tickling my exposed skin. She shifts, then moans, burying her face in the crook of my neck and awakening her sweet vanilla scent.

My nostrils twitch. Her smell is a welcome reprieve from spilled blood, sweat, and gun powder. It’s also a terrible reminder of what I am compared to her.

The forest accepts our entrance with its similar black heart, blanketing our forms in colorless, inky grays. A howl unleashes somewhere above us, the hoot of an owl soon after. The nocturnal creatures are awakening after a bucketing storm, and I prowl with them, my prey firmly clamped between my teeth.

What am I going to do? I ask myself again and again. I’m always so sure of my next move. We were successful in our task that I was in charge of tonight. So much so that Miguel will be in a rare, agreeable form.

We all but confirmed Bianchi is acquiring a personal stash on top of the money going into to the Outfit. He’s securing enough secret funds to pay for a large-scale maneuver. My monitoring of his bank accounts proves as much.

Marnie and Steven Charles were brought here for a double confirmation. Miguel will be satisfied with the evidence we’ve obtained but frustrated at Bianchi’s accurate prediction that he needs to start protecting his assets. Because he’s suspicious.

Dammit all. There goes Miguel’s agreeable state.

“You’ve truly fucked me over, princess,” I mutter, deftly avoiding a fallen tree branch.

Ardyn stirs. I shush her by rubbing my nose on top of her head, inhaling deep and capturing more of that angelic scent.

I make the mistake of closing my eyes and fully immersing myself in Ardyn’s captivating freshness, perhaps not realizing just how much I needed it. It’s almost enough to make me less pissed off at her foolishness.

Ardyn bucks in my arms.

It’s so sudden, she tears from my hold the moment I register she’s awake. She stumbles a few steps, rights herself, then disappears into the trees without a single glance over her shoulder.

I come to a stop, staring at the canopy above and massaging the back of my neck.

“Oh, fuck me,” I snarl, then crash into the woods behind her.

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