Page 112 of When He Protects

“You looklike you want to rip me apart.”

Esme didn’t speak to her captor. Her hands were cuffed—his mistake—and her feet were bound with thick rope. They’d been traveling for hours. The jackass had drugged her. He’d stopped their van shortly after leaving the motel—mostly because he had to, she’d jumped out the back—and he’d jabbed her with a needle. The next thing she knew, she’d woken beside him in a completely different ride.

How long had she been out?

Where the hell were they going? She’d been trying to keep an eye out for road signs, but he seemed determined to only travel on snaking back roads with zero signage.

Where is he taking me? And how can I kill him?

“It’s really not personal, you know.” He spoke easily. As if he often chatted with women who were cuffed in the seat next to him. “Just a job.”

“I will…” Her throat felt too dry. Raw. “Cut you into pieces at my first opportunity.Je promets.”I promise.

Helaughed.

She didn’t.

Her control was razor thin. She kept seeing this jerk shoot Tyler. Not just once. Twice.Once when Tyler had already been down. She’d needed to get to him, but the monster currently driving the car had taken her away.

“There was a bounty on his head. My employer wanted your U.S. Marshal dead. He had to get shot.”

She didn’t cry. There was no room for tears when rage fueled her. Esme would allow no grief.

Kane had been in the patrol car at the motel. He must have gotten out.Kane would have gotten free and rushed to help Tyler. Tyler could still be alive. No, no, hehadto be alive. She wouldn’t even consider any other option. Any other option would lead straight to madness for her.

“Sure looked like a whole lot of violence went down in that motel room.” His eyes were on the road again.

Her eyes were on him. Memorizing every feature. Square jaw. Sharp nose. Slight scar cutting just under his lower lip. Frigid blue, soulless eyes. A tattoo of a snake along his left wrist.

Oh, he was a snake, all right.

“Not that I’m complaining,” he added, all conversational-like. “Provided the perfect distraction for me. Doubt I would have been able to sneak up on your boyfriend if he hadn’t been busy with the two bodies in the room.”

“I am going to make your death hurt.” Another promise.

Soft laughter. “You’re kinda cute when you’re plotting murder.”

She’d already plotted his death a dozen times.

“When did you and the marshal hook up? Did you always plan to use him and did he know just how bloodthirsty you are?”

Tyler knew everything about her. Just as she knew somuch about him. Thaddeus hadn’t been making dramatic revelations to her. She’d known already that Tyler’s grandfather had been involved with the mob. But Tyler had no blood on his hands.And I didn’t know his own grandfather had ordered the hit on Tyler’s parents.That part had been news. She’d wanted to rush to Tyler and comfort him. Instead, she’d been dragged away from the man she loved. “Who hired you?”

“Your ex.” An easy answer. “I’m taking you to him now.”

Jorlan.She sucked in a breath.

“He wanted me to kill the marshal. That was step one. Step two is bringing you to him. He wants a personal chat with you. Said you were to be brought in alive.” His hold tightened on the wheel. “Of course, I did promise to kill you as soon as he was done with that fun talk he wanted to have…so, there’s that.”

A lump choked her.

“Want to hear some music?” Her soon-to-be-killer turned on the radio. “I hate silence, don’t you?”

“Yes.”Tyler, be alive.

Be. Alive.

Esme went back to plotting the murder of the man beside her.

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