Page 14 of Lady Death

The wonder of that froze her for a moment because she never thought she’d feel that again. At least not with another human. He must have recognized it shining in her eyes, or perhaps in her body language. His sharp intake of air echoed through the room, and he cupped her face with his large hands. For a long moment, neither moved a muscle. Tension electrified between them as he rubbed his thumb over her lower lip, and he seemed to focus on the movement. Slowly, he leaned forward, giving her enough time to either pull away or tell him to stop, neither of which she did.

Then he placed a feather-like kiss on her mouth. A touch so fleeting she wondered if he had kissed her at all. His warm breath met her own, and before she could overthink anything, she leaned forward and pressed her lips on his.

Emotion bubbled upward, filling her chest and making her heart race. She welcomed the sensation because it thawed the frozen part of her that she feared had been forever broken. Still, that didn’t mean the kiss didn’t terrify her.

Ronin pulled back, and they stared at one another for a long moment, neither saying a word. Wondering if he had felt just as raw and conflicted as she. Then he took a step back, cleared his throat, and let his arms fall to his side.

“I’m sorry I got into your space,” he murmured.

“It’s, uh, okay.”

“Why did you put yourself in danger tonight?”

The question snapped her out of the delicate haze of the kiss. She blinked, like she was coming out of a fog, and moved away from him.

“It’s dangerous just walking down the street,” she said dryly. “Dealing Davorin a blow sent a message that he’s not all powerful. He can be vulnerable, and I plan to do everything I can to make sure his kingdom falls.”

“He’ll kill you.”

She shrugged. “We all die. Some quicker than others.”

Ronin frowned. “That’s cynical.”

“You’re a hitman. You know these things.”

“There’s a purpose to my work.”

She cocked her head. “Are you saying if Davorin offered you a million dollars to kill me, you wouldn’t?”

“I feel if I say no, you won’t believe me.”

“You’d be right. Listen, I need to go. Darby is going to be freaking outagain, and it’s been too soon since my last disappearing trick.”

He shook his head in exasperation. “You don’t care if you die?”

She shouldn’t say anything else. He had no business being in her business, but she had a feeling he was a stubborn son of a bitch.

“I died some time ago,” she replied honestly. “Just another statistic that the cops won’t do a damn thing about. They’re worthless. Davorin has them dancing to his tune, so I took justice into my own hands. Three scums of the Earth are dead, and I’ll take as many with me to hell as I can.”

“One day you’ll tell me what that means.”

“There’s no need to ever see one another again. Thank you for helping me, Ronin. And goodbye.”

She waited by the door, raising her eyebrows until he relented and lowered the perimeter alerts. Right before she slipped past him, he grabbed her hand and halted her retreat. Keres looked at him, and something shifted inside her. A fraction of the pain in her destroyed heart didn’t hurt quite somuch, and part of her hated that he made her feel something once more.

****

Acutely aware that he may be following her, Keres hid in the shadows of Ronin’s home, waiting. Sure enough, he came out a few minutes after her, but instead of trying to tail her, he got on his motorcycle and roared away. The monstrous growl of the bike bounced between the buildings like a Ping-Pong ball. Breathing a sigh of relief, she headed home.

The gym was dark as she let herself in through the back staircase. As soon as she opened the door to the loft, Darby yanked her into his arms and squeezed tight.

“Can’t … breathe…” she gasped.

Darby instantly released, and the abrupt gesture had her nearly falling to her knees. She threw out a hand to the wall to help steady herself.

“What the fuck, Keres!” he snapped. He held up his first two fingers. “Two times you’ve disappeared, leaving me wondering if you were dead somewhere. What if I had blown you up tonight?”

“I texted you that I was clear.”

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