Page 58 of Wolf

“Didn’t think he’d miss out on the chance to see me. He so kindly kidnapped me, after all,” Iretorted.

“Like I said,” the guy replied, moving over to the window, “hewasbusy.”

“Right,” I huffed. “By the way, I wouldn’t stand so closetothe—”

His head surged forward, his skull splitting the glass before his limp body dropped to the floor. Maybe his strength wasn’t thatremarkable.

I looked up to his assailant and barely managed the annoyedgrumble, “Ash.”

“You don’t look happy to see me.” Ash’s soft, crisp English accent filled my ears as she turned tofaceme.

Her long brown hair caught in the bitter breeze coming through the broken window as she turned to me. Light glinted from her glasses, not displaced even the slightest bit from her assault as she stepped over the limp body of my capturer, her boots crunching against theglass.

I made note of the darkened color of her skin. I had always been the paler one of the two of us, but she hadn’t been darker than me by much back then. Now she was a light brown, several shades darker than my near-ivory color. Her hair was also lightened by the sun, and her wardrobe had taken to the shorter side; shorts and tanks now compared to her old long jumpers and jeans. I frowned at the sunglasses, though. That was one thing that hadn’t changed. It neverwould.

She gave me a gentle smile in answer to my frown, reaching down for my boots. She slid her hand down the side of the red leather and pulled out my concealedknife.

“I’m pissed,” I admitted, waiting as she cut through the bindings and helped me up from thechair.

“Well, you can take it out on me later.” Her rough hand wrapped around my wrist, pulling me forward as we moved toward the back door. “For now, let’s get out of here before the othermencome.”

“Ash.” I reached forward, pulling backwards. She halted, the smooth skin under my fingers flinching slightly as she turned toward me, eyes wide. “Why areyouhere?”

Sunglasses or not, I knew her face, and as the hard line of her lips softened, so would her eyes as she said to me, “I’ll always be there for you, Anna.” She smiled gently. “So long as you need me.” Ash looked back to the limp body on the floor, her hand wrapping back around mine. “Come on, we’vegotto—”

We barely made it a step before the roar tore through the house. “Anna!” The front door shattered as it hit the wall on the other side oftheroom.

I spun, my eyes going to the huge, raging Russian standing, heaving and panting, in the doorway, his amber eyes wild and his long hair falling around his snarling face. “Oh shit,” Ibreathed.

“Oh shit?” Wolf growled, his voice barely contained as he stormed toward me. “You asked the Grim Reapers to kidnap you, didn’t tell me about it, leaving Charon—of all fucking people—to be the one to tell me, and all you have to say is ‘Ohshit’?”

I had planned originally to have the Black Angels fake my kidnapping in order to lure out Ash, who was no doubt in town already, but I had to make sure it was believable. Ash was difficult to fool; there was no way I could tell him I did it so his reaction would begenuine.

My wrist jerked me backward, suddenly pushed behind Ash’s slim but taller figure. “Back off, arsehole,” she hissed, keeping me pressed againstherback.

Wolf’s march stuttered, his eyes moving from me slowly until they hit Ash’s. She didn’t even flinch under his gaze, and instead hit him with her own sharpglare.

“Move,” Wolfgrowled.

“Piss off,” she hissed, standing herground.

“You have two seconds to get your hands off my woman.” Wolf took a step forward just as the back door splintered open and in rushed the rest of the boys, their eyes going wild as they took in the situation. They had their guns drawn in seconds, each one trainedonAsh.

“No,” Ashgrowled.

“Ash, wait, you don’t understand.” I tugged on her barearm. “He’s—”

“I know who he is,” Ash interrupted me. “I also know you did this on purpose to draw me out. Do you honestly think so little of me, Anna, to fall for something like this? How many years have we beendoingthis?”

I growled at her. “If you know, then let me go.” I jerked my arm backward, trying to break free of her grip, but she tightened it instead, holding me inplace.

“No.” Ash reached into the back of her shorts, and for the first time, I noticed what she had tucked downthere.

She moved fast, the gun placed at Wolf’s temple before anyone could think to react. My heart rate hit the roof as I heard the resounding shutter of the safety being switched off throughouttheroom.

“Don’t!” I screamed, looking at the brothers. They ignored me, not making a single attempt to move their guns from the direction of Ash’s head. “Ash! Stop this!” I reached with my free hand for my boot and realized in a pitiful attempt that my knife was on the other side of the room where Ash left it after breaking myrestraints.

“Fuck!” Ihissed.

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