Page 9 of Deadly Holiday Kiss

There is the little rat.

I tilt my head to look back at Ethan, his eyes still hazy from his orgasm. His breathing is heavy as he gasps for air. It's nowor never. Seizing the opportunity, I run my hands from his back to his sides and snatch the gun from its holster, raising my arm and slamming it into his head, sending him reeling back with a painful groan.

I land on my feet, my dress falling, and I use the moment to run past him, pulling my dress back up and covering my tits as I run toward the stairs where the little rat disappeared.

At the bottom of the stairs I run into a man, my body slamming into his as he catches me, followed by the unmistakable sound of glass shattering at our feet. A waiter holds me close, his eyes wide with confusion as he looks down at me.

"Sorry," I mutter hastily, grabbing his arm before he can fully recover. My nails digging into his sleeve. "Did you see where he went? The man in the black tuxedo with the green bow tie?" I ask.

The waiter blinks, startled, but doesn't hesitate. He jerks his head in the direction of the main hall. "There. He went back inside."

"Thank you," I say, rushing past him towards the main hall. But I stop dead in my tracks as I push through the doors. The lights are dimmed, there is no music playing, just a low hum of quiet conversation filling the room as the moderator on stage goes over the schedule for the next hour.

The crowd is dense, my eyes scanning the room, darting over rows of well-dressed guests, all men looking too similar, until... there. Richmond cuts through the edge of the crowd, his shoulders hunched as he tries to make himself small, heading for the exit.

Got you.

I follow him, weaving through the chairs and tables and the people who are still standing, lingering as they engage in hushed conversations.

Chapter 7

Ethan

"For fuck's sake," I curse under my breath as my vision clears and the throbbing pain drumming in my skull eases to a faint buzz. I'm going to need a bottle of painkillers when I'm done with my target and Harlee. I never thought this woman would drive me crazy, not in a good way. But here we are.

With quivering hands, I tuck myself back into my pants, completely ignoring the stains of our mixed arousal that stand in stark contrast to my black suit pants, turn and chase them down the stairs.

As I step back into the great hall, my eyes sweep over the crowd gathered around the room, all eyes focused on the stage where the Bratva are holding their fundraising auctions. They sell a wide variety of services, from escorts to even assassination offers, all the way to the simplicity of artwork and more.

Eventually, I spot a blonde woman maneuvering through the masses, a red mask adorning her beautiful face. Gotcha, sweetheart.

Ignoring the complaints, I push through the crowd, shoving people out of the way to catch up with her. With only an arm's length between us, I throw one arm around her waist, the other flying to her face, covering her mouth and nose with my hand as I pull her close to my chest, pushing her to the edge of the crowd.

I lean down and put my mouth right up to her ear. "Going somewhere?" I whisper roughly, and her whole body stiffens against me. She turns just enough to give me a dirty look over her shoulder, her eyes sparkling under heavy lashes. I lower my hand from her mouth to her jaw, just so I can shut her up faster if she decides to act out.

"Get your filthy hands off me," she hisses, her voice honey-sweet but laced with venom. She struggles in my grip, her body arching back against mine, her ass grinding into my crotch. Blood begins to pool between my legs again. But I've just had an orgasm; her little attempt to distract me won't work again.

Instead, I tighten my grip on her, preventing her from moving an inch. "Stop the act. You won't get any closer to him without me."

"You need to quit the act," she shoots back, "You think you're in control here, big guy?" The slightest smirk pulls at her lips, and damn me if I don't have the urge to let her go just so I can grab her by that pretty throat, bring her to her knees and make her choke on my cock.

"Well, baby, right now? With you trapped in my grasp, I'm clearly in control." Her lips part, about to speak, but my hand flies back to her mouth, silencing her. Her breath is hot and wet against my palm. Her eyes widen, and for a second, she's silent, but I can see the spark in her gaze, the fight inside her to keep giving me an attitude or to stay silent for now. But I'm done playing. "You're going to shut up right now," I growl, leaning down so only she can hear, "or I'm going to break your spineright here, right now, and you'll be lying under a tree in a body bag by midnight."

The way she stares up at me— unapologetic, unafraid, with a remaining teasing glint in her eyes— I know my threat doesn't scare her. But the way her muscles relax in my grasp and her lack of resistance tells me she's thinking about it, and for now, that's enough.

I let my hand fall from her mouth again. Her lips curve into a slow, dangerous smile. "Hoho, Merry Christmas to me," she murmurs. "So, what is your brilliant plan?"

"We share him."

"Share him?" She furrows her eyebrows.

"Let's discuss this somewhere else," I say, grabbing her hand and pulling her along with me. Hurried steps follow me, but I don’t slow down until we’re in the underground parking lot right where I have my car parked. I glance around the dimly lit concrete hall, making sure it is empty, before removing my mask and turning to face her. Her eyes are wide as she looks up at me, studying my face. She then removes her mask as well and my heart skips a beat as I see her full face for the first time tonight.

I take a deep breath and calm myself before speaking again. "Okay, you see, I have no requirements as to what the body should look like when it is delivered to my contractor. We get him, drain him in a safe place, you go on your merry way with the blood, and I keep the body," I explain. "I should have thought of this sooner, but thanks to a certain temptress, things were a bit of a mess earlier."

She crosses her arms over her chest and looks up at me. "As long as I'm the one who gets to finish him off, I guess that's the best idea."

"Why?"

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