Page 39 of White Wings of Desire

"And now?" I ask, my voice shaky.

"I want to kill him and reunite him with his bastard son."

My jaw drops in shock. "You want to kill the man who pays you?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," he says with a low chuckle. "I've killed several men who tried to screw me over."

"But he didn't screw you over, so why do you want to do this?"

"Because I have my reasons."

"And those reasons are?" My arms start to tremble with how hard I'm clutching the edge of the table.

"I don't have a lot of morals, but I draw the line at rape."

"Why?"

"Because of personal reasons."

"Personal reasons? Is that all?" I point at my pistol on the table. "Then what does all this have to do with it? Why are you involving me?"

"Because I want to do it. With you. I know you don't want to kill anymore, and I respect your decision. But I want you to watch me kill the pig that wants to hurt you. That wants you dead. That wants to take you away from me." A fluttering sensation fills my stomach like a swarm of happy butterflies.

"You want to kill him because of me?"

"Yes. Nobody on this planet is allowed to wish you harm. Not while I’m around. And whoever does will have to live with the consequences, at least for a bit. I will find them and kill them. Slowly and brutally." My heart skips a beat at his confession.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. As long as that man is alive, we can’t be together in peace."

He has a point. As long as Mr. Williams is breathing, someone will always be looking for me. Knowing that…Noah has a reason to keep me locked up in his house to keep me safe. So it doesn't make sense, because once the threat is gone...

"What makes you think I will stay with you after you kill him?" I ask. As heroic as his act may be, once he is dead, the job is done, and there is nothing keeping me from running away. "You wouldn't have to protect me anymore, and the only reason for you to keep me locked up would be for your own selfish gain."

"You're right, and I can't be sure you'll stay; once he's out of the picture, you're off my hit list, and I won't be coming to kill you." He grabs my chin and forces me to look at him. His pupils are dilated, and he stares at me with that familiar predatory expression. "But that doesn't mean I won't come looking for you. There is no place on earth where you can hide from me. I will find you, and I will bring you back here. No matter how long it takes, Evelyn Black. I will make you fall in love with me. Right now, you may not think it’s possible, but I will show you that you and I are meant to be."

I sigh, let go of the table, and move closer to him, wrapping my arms around his stomach and leaning my forehead against his chest. Any sane person would try to run away from a confession like this. But I'm not sane, never have been. I enjoy his possessiveness, and even though I would never admit it out loud, I find it charming. Closing my eyes, I listen to his steady heartbeat.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

"Give me some time to think about it, will you?" I say, breaking the otherwise cold silence of the basement.

"Of course, take all the time you need," he says, placing a soft kiss on the top of my head.

Chapter 30

Evelyn

My stomach is in knots as I stand in front of our bed, looking down at my gun case with all my old stuff, now squeaky clean and perfectly organized. It has been well over a year since I killed Mr. Williams' son, and I feel like I'm eighteen again at my first lousy job, given to me by a patron of the bar where I worked. I didn't even know how to hold a pistol properly back then.

I look up to where Noah is sitting in one of the armchairs by the fireplace. His focus is on the coffee table in front of him, where he is occupied working on one of his own pistols. With a few clicks, he reassembles the firearm, and the pieces snap into place. Then, he lifts the pistol and aims it at the window behind me.

It's an unfamiliar sight, him dressed in casual clothes and holding a firearm. He is dressed more comfortably tonight; his usual suit swapped for a simple pair of gray sweatpants and a black t-shirt. His hair, usually somewhat styled, is now a mess of tangled strands that frame his face. He is finally starting to let his guard down, allowing me to look past the facade and see him in a different light…a welcomed one. It is as if he has two completely opposite personalities. Dressed in his trademark suits, he is a professional, serious, and deadly force, and the man I know can guide me. But like this, the danger seems to ease from his body, revealing a softer, more approachable side of him that makes my heart flutter. The stark difference is so unexpected, yet oddly endearing, and I find myself captivated by the raw, unguarded version of him.

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