Page 47 of Falcon's Prey

My holster was on,two weapons on each side. I had a knife strapped to my leg and a small scalpel in my pocket. Going to my bed, I grabbed my tuxedo jacket, and I caught my reflection in the mirror. I didn’t even look like myself, in a black designer suit that fit me like it was made for me with shiny fucking shoes on. My hair was left messy—no way was I going to style it for this fucking event. Opening the door, I fixed my bow tie as I made my way to the living room.

“That’s it, bitch. Work it, baby. You look so fucking hot!” I heard the makeup artist’s voice sing praises.

The fall of great men wasn’t because they were weak. It was because they didn’t understand their limits. Fortunately for me, I’d danced with my demons for a long time, and I knew what they wanted. Ever since I had stepped foot in this place, mine had been begging for Ember, but I’d been too stubborn to hear their call.

Right now, she looked beautiful, like a dark angel. Slightly frightening, ethereal, capable of bringing a man to his knees, but not me. If anyone were kneeling by the end of the night, it would be her. She wore a black ball gown that looked like the top of a heart over her tits and made her waist look tiny, and then it flared out. She looked like a princess; all she was missing was a tiara. Her face lifted, and she turned to look at me. Her eyes were dark and smoky with her lashes fanned out, her lips dark red. On her neck, as always, was her choker.

“Come on, boyfriend, take a picture,” the makeup artist said.

“Not my boyfriend.” Ember walked toward the elevator.

As I followed her and the boy, my cell phone rang.

“Hello?” I answered, noticing it was Sam.

“Falcon, I need you to stop by headquarters.”

“Why?”

“Marcus and Gio will come with you. In honor of Ember’s twenty-fifth birthday, she’s wearing the Ember.”

“You can’t spring something like this before arriving at the fucking event.” I gripped the cell phone, knowing full well I shouldn’t have lost my cool.

“She will be perfectly fine,” Sam said before he hung up on me.

Once the elevator door was open, I looked at the makeup artist. “Leave.”

“What the fuck!” Ember spouted. “You don’t feed, fuck, or finance me, so you get no right to treat my guest like that.”

“We can take care of one of those. Right here, right now,” I said, looking down at her.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “I’m tired of this shit. I want to go, show my face, come home, and forget it ever happened.”

“When’s your birthday?” I held on to her elbow as I started to drag her to the car.

“I don’t see how that’s relevant to keeping me alive.”

“Ember,” I warned.

“Next week.” She finally shook her head. “I’m turning twenty-five.”

And she wouldn’t be getting her inheritance, but her family was still going to parade her around wearing a thirty-million-dollar diamond while there was a fucking price on her head.

“Get in the car.” I opened the door for her, then made my way to headquarters, but on the way, I made a stop.

At the nearest drugstore, I parked illegally, but right now I didn’t give a fuck about that. I got out of the car and opened one of Ember’s doors. She was confused, looking at me with wide eyes. Before she could speak, I pulled out one of my Glocks and showed it to her.

“Anyone who isn’t me tries to come in here, shoot them.” My voice was lethal; she didn’t argue.

I slammed the door and went into the drugstore. Making my way to the chicks’ section, I grabbed one of those thick elastic headbands and then some grabbed some double-sided tape just in case. Once that was bought, I went back to the car.

Ember handed me the gun wordlessly. I put it back in the holster before I put the bag in her lap.

“We’re going to stop by headquarters, where Marcus and Gio will join us. With them will be the Ember.”

At that, her mouth parted.

“You will be wearing it.”

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