Page 64 of Falcon's Prey

The problem? He did. When I was in his arms, I opened my eyes. He looked beautiful in all his anger. Beautiful things didn’t just come out in the light; they thrived in the dark, full of wicked promises and lies. A violent fantasy—that was what Ren was. His arm was outstretched, pointing a gun with a silencer toward Gio.

“Have fun crawling after me,” Ren smirked.

I flinched when he pulled the trigger, my heart palpitating with adrenaline. Gio’s hand was bleeding, a nasty gash on his arm, and I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him. As another firework thundered in the sky, one of Gio’s kneecaps exploded.

“Time to go,” Ren stated as he started to drag me behind him. He pulled my arm, forcing me to keep pace with him. I was weak and couldn’t go as fast as he wanted. We rounded the corner, where there was a black car parked.

Ren took me to the door behind the passenger side. He pressed me against the door, his body right behind me, and then his hand came to my hips.

“Nice try,” he whispered as he fished out my cell phone.

I closed my eyes as I heard the snap of my phone breaking next to me.

He opened the door for me, and I took a moment before I sat.

“Sorry about this,” he said, sounding anything but sorry.

A sharp pain shot up my neck before I lost consciousness.

ClockingEmber on the head wasn’t what I had in mind when I went to meet her today. This was why I didn’t bother with plans in the first place—shit hit the fan with wild variables. And Ember was very much a wild variable, despite her coming willingly.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter. It gave me something else to do, other than to step on the gas. The last thing I needed was to get pulled over. I checked my rearview mirrors, making sure that no more of Silas’s men had followed me, because I didn’t have the manpower to deal with all of them, and there was no way I was leaving Ember behind. We had unfinished business.

Just as I had unfinished business with Gio a year ago; I barely made it out alive. My mind was clouded by fury, rage, and betrayal, all directed at one person who couldn’t even meet my eyes. Reading people was something I was good at. Analyzing them, knowing their patterns, or what choices they would make once I was familiar with their habits was something I’d never had trouble doing. So the moment Ember slipped a weapon into my pocket, I learned all I needed to about the spoiled little bitch.

So I let the men escort me out of the maze, and just like I had a feel for Ember, I also had a feel for Silas. Something wasn’t right with him, almost like he was coming unhinged at the seams, but I couldn’t figure out why. When he looked at me, his eyes went past mine and at that moment, and I knew Silas had no intention of letting the cops have me, which gave me a small window of opportunity.

The moment Gio led me away from the grounds where the partygoers were starting to come out, and toward a more secluded area, I threw my head back, hitting Gio and allowing myself enough time to grab the scalpel. I swiped it fast against Gio’s cheek with enough pressure I knew it would scar. While he was down, I started to run when another of the men tried to shoot me. I neutralized him and brought him to the ground and snapped his neck. I figured his death and Gio’s injury were more than enough to hold them back and try to contain the damage done before the media found out.

Gio’s pride was something I forgot to take into account. The bastard shot at me three times, the second one hitting my shoulder.

I’d been in pain before, practically raised in it, so continuing to run was a bitch, but I did it. As I managed to get away, I dialed Pam.

Revenge with Gio wasn’t as personal as I was going to have it with Ember. I was more than happy to let his pride be his downfall once again. Not only did he lose Ember, but he was now useless to Silas. The loyal dog was about to be tossed on its ass, and that gave me pleasure.

I turned back quickly to where Ember was still unconscious, and now that the adrenaline had died down, I could see changes in her. I turned back to the road and took the exit to drive away from the city.

When plan A didn’t work, it was time for plan B.

* * *

Now I satin a chair in the corner of the dark room, waiting for Ember to come awake. I gritted my jaw at the irrational anger I was experiencing. It had nothing to do with my hate for her. She was always a petite girl, but now she was too thin. Frail. Weak. Her hair had grown, but it lacked shine. Her face looked pale, no sign of a tan anywhere.

The moment she whimpered, my head snapped her way.

“Fuck,” she moaned.

I continued to watch from the shadows as she came to. She tried to move but only got so far.

“Hey, princess,” I chastised her. “Have a nice nap?”

Her head swung toward the dark corner where I hid, and she glared. I bit my lip to stop myself from smiling. God, she looked magnificent. My pants grew tighter, and I was glad the darkness and the angle she found herself in didn’t allow for her to see how hard I was.

The haze seemed to wear off the more alert she became. She tried to sit up, only to be held back down by the collar around her throat.

I felt her glare, but she wisely kept her mouth shut.

“I have to go out, but that way, you can stay put,” I told her as I got up and left the room without turning back.

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