Page 140 of Rugger: The Huntress

“Okay. Don’t stay away too long. I won’t be able to sleep until you’re back.”

“Then I’ll be back before you’re in bed.”

He kissed my lips and cupped my ass with his left hand.

“I love you, Gazelle.”

“I love you back, Sonnie.”

With the wind, he was gone, leaving me with my thoughts and my reflection in the mirror. Not much of me had changed physically, but I was a much different woman that I was five months ago. As I stared at my reflection, I hardly recognized who was staring back at me.

Good dick will do that, I quoted Roulette as I sauntered away from the mirror.

I grew more queasy with every step I took. My shattered nerve endings were throwing my equilibrium off completely. Asa precaution, I headed for the bathroom where I locked the door behind me and rested my knees on the floor in front of the toilet.

I waited patiently beside the bowl, waiting for something to happen. My stomach was in knots. With every passing second, it flipped. Nothing about the day felt right. From the time I opened my eyes, there was a sinking feeling in my chest that was present when I laid down for bed last night.

Get it together, Rugger.

Six weeks. That’s how long it had been since I’d accepted an assignment from the database. I took some time off to spend with my family in St. Catana. When we arrived state-side, Psalms and I decided to tune out the world and tap into each other over a two week period. I didn’t regret a day away from my obligations, but my return had come with symptoms I wasn’t accustomed to.

Just nervous, I concluded as I made my way to my feet.

I pumped soap into my palm and washed my hands. Upon my exit, I headed for the kitchen. I opened the cabinet and slid onto the counter. When I retrieved my pills, I was comforted by the nearly empty sheet. I hadn’t missed a single dose of my birth control. I never did.

Yeah, just my nerves.

I pushed a pill out of the pocket it was trapped inside of and tossed it back. The bottled water that Sonnie had opened earlier was still on the counter. I sipped from it until I felt the pill slide down my throat.

Why they were shattered, I didn’t have the slightest idea, but I pushed forward regardless. Getting back in the field would be as easy as riding a bike. Six weeks was insignificant compared to the years I’d taken off as my family settled in Catana.

I zipped the leather Prada jacket and slid into the leather boots that matched them. I wrapped a black scarf around my neck and slid the leather gloves onto my hands. My helmet sliddown over my low bun with ease. Finally, I was on my way out of the door.

The wind whipped the leather of my jacket as I powered down the engine of my motorcycle. I’d reached my destination and the gaping hole in my chest remained. Still, I pushed forward with my backpack snug against my body and my nose in the air.

I sealed my lips almost completely as a familiar tune escaped them through a very small opening.

My lover’s got humor.

She’s the giggle at a funeral.

To everybody’s disapproval.

Should’ve worshiped her sooner.

I took the steps up to the twelfth floor where I entered the deserted floor of the office building. It was full of boxes, crates, old files, and the stale smell of abandonment. I removed my backpack and slammed it onto the old conference table that had been left upstairs to rot away.

Dust flew in every direction. I turned my head, trying to stop it from entering my nose, mouth, or eyes. When it settled, I unzipped my bag and removed the soft leather case from Sonnie. With little influence, it unrolled on the table, revealing the pieces of a flesh-eating machine that would guarantee a closed casket as the payee had requested.

I located the new iPhone Royce had given me before leaving the island. She promised it was the latest, but it didn’t feel or look much different from the last one she’d given me. However, this time she did include listening devices.

I placed the AirPods in my ear and pressed play on my phone. I was growing to love the block of distractions. Being a techie, Sonnie was teaching me how functional the device truly was.

I had a seat in front of the table and began piecing my weapon together like lego blocks. Two minutes later and it was aimed out of the window on the heavy duty stand that was designed for high-powered sniper rifles.

Sza’s Love Language forced my eyes closed. From side to side, I bobbed my head as I loosened my nerves and tried ignoring the summersaults my stomach was performing at an impressive, very alarming rate.

Her voice soothed parts of me that were uneasy. Unsettled. And experiencing instability. I rolled my neck and twisted my body from one side to the other. My bones popped and I felt much better as a result.

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