Page 9 of Bad Guys Need Love Too

Ren sighed and rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. This wasnotgoing to be easy.

CHAPTER 6

Lark watched a lot of crime dramas. Listened to several true crime podcasts. She’d always thought that if she was ever kidnapped, she’d know what to do.

Oh, how wrong she’d been.

She’d like to think her discombobulation was because of being shot at. And at seeingSherryshoot someone. But she wasn’t sure that was it.

She’d trusted Bill. Let him into her house. Looked up his tattoo. Lusted after him in abigway. Now, here she was, being driven to parts unknown, for God knows what purpose.

This was surely further proof that her taste in men sucked ass. Like,hugeamounts of ass.

The first man she’d been attracted to since Neal turned out to be a psycho. Made sense. She should just become a nun at this point.

If she survived this whole fiasco, of course.

Her kidnapper (shehadbeen kidnapped, right?) let out a deep breath. “I know you have questions. You can ask them.”

Well, that was very kind of him. Maybe fate was taking pity on her by giving her a polite kidnapper. That didn’t usually happen to victims onCriminal Minds. She swallowed hard. “Where are you taking me?”

“My house is about an hour from here. It’s the only place I know I can keep you safe until we…get all this sorted.”

She twisted in her seat a little to face him. “Get all ofwhatsorted, exactly? What the hell is going on?”

He side-eyed her. “The man with the gun? He accepted a hit. On you.”

He’d said that back at the shop. But everything Lark knew about assassins came from theJohn Wickfranchise. So, she felt the need to clarify. “You’re saying someone hired an assassin to kill me?”

He looked relieved that she seemed to understand. “That’s exactly what I’m saying.”

She had no idea how he had the nerve to say that so calmly, as if it wasn’t the dumbest thing in the world. “I’m a florist.”

His dark brows drew together. “Yes. I’m aware.”

“Well, obviously youaren’taware, because no one hires an assassin to take out aflorist.”

“The assassin your boss just shot, the one who clearly said he was there foryou, begs to differ.”

Lark rolled her eyes. Great. A sarcastic psycho. Just what she needed. “This is clearly some kind of mistake. Like a case of mistaken identity. That happens sometimes, right?”

He shrugged one giant shoulder. “Maybe. But not in this case. He was after you. He knew where you work, when you work, and who you work for. He did his research.”

Which brought her to her next question. “And how doyouknow all this?”

His wince wasnotvery comforting. “That one’s more difficult to explain. It’ll be easier to show you once we get to my house.”

She cringed at the thought of being at this stranger’s house after everything she’d been through that day. “What are you going to do to me?”

This time he glanced over at her, shocked. “I’m going to protect you. Nothing else. I swear, Lark.”

“You’ll have to forgive me if I’m having trouble trusting you,” she said carefully, so as not to anger the huge, strange, possibly deranged man. “All I know about you is that you’re clearlynotBill from the power company.”

“No. My name is Ren. Ren Solace.”

Well, that was a start, she supposed. “What if I asked you to take me to the police instead of your house?”

“I wish I could trust them,” he said. “But I can’t. They can’t keep you safe. Not like I can.”

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