Page 11 of Vengeful Lies

“I’ll have you know, my mother shot my father in the leg on their wedding day, and they’re still happily married. So a knife wound is nothing but foreplay to me, Kitten.”

“Why don’t you hand me the knife and let me tie you up, and then we’ll see how much foreplay you can handle.” The imagery her words conjure shoots straight to my cock.

Fuck me.

Where has this woman been all my life?

“Tell me your name,” I demand.

Most sane people would do anything to survive, but this woman seems to be built as stubborn as they come.

Finally, however, she exhales, defeated. “Jewel. My name is Jewel.”

I stand, pushing through the pain in my leg that is most certainly stirring a reaction in my cock. I have every belief it has nothing to do with the wound itself but with the woman tied up in front of me. With a clean slice, I cut away the ropes. I almost expect her to come out swinging, instead, she remains still, warily watching me.

“If I were you, Jewel, I’d make sure not to leave town. No matter where you run to, I will find you. You stay in town until I flush out your client.” I turn my back to her and head for the door, satisfied with the way she looks dumbfounded and furious at the same time. I make a point to flip her knife in my hand as I walk out, deciding to add it to my collection.

“I’ll have one of my men drive you home. Full disclosure: if you try anything on them, they will brutally murder you,” I say as I look over my shoulder with a cruel smirk.

CHAPTER 6

Jewel

The smart thing would be to pack all of my shit and leave the country. But the undeniable truth is, I’ve never stepped away from a challenge, especially from a man. Especially one who I’m being paid a large amount of money to fuck with. Tonight was a failure. I contemplate the events as I stare up at the ceiling of the hotel room.

Of course, I wasn’t going to let his thugs drive me straight to my apartment, so I booked a hotel in a different neighborhood. It should only be for a few days until I think of something. But does it really matter if he figures out where I live? I do believe Eli about one thing he said. If he wants to find me, he will.

I should’ve killed him. The moment I had the opening, I should’ve embedded that blade in his chest; then, there would have been no way he could’ve followed me. Sure, his men would most likely haunt me for the rest of my days, but at least I’d have finished the job.

I stare at my phone screen, furious at my situation. My client hasn’t sent me another message. The longer they have me stretch this out, the more my life is in danger. And besides, isn’t it pointless now that he knows my identity? Well, he sort of knows; he only has a first name.

I sigh, ridiculously pissed, and hit one of the two numbers I have saved in my phone. Craig answers on the second ring. “It’s late. Everything okay?”

“Hypothetically, what would you do if your identity was compromised on a hit?” I ask.

“I’d get the fuck out of there. I’ve never had it happen, though,” he says cautiously.

Fuck. That means I’ve majorly fucked up.

Craig has been like a father figure to me since my dad died, and he’s been a source of information to help me navigate strange situations in the business. But even I know this is a doozy. “Has your identity been compromised, Jewel?”

I consider his question.

I mean, technically, no.

Just a first name, right?

“No. I just had a close call, that’s all.”

“I don’t like the sound of that,” he growls.

“Yeah, well, it’s high on my shit list too. Don’t worry, I’ve got it sorted.”

“Who’s the target, Jewel? If there’s even a slight chance you’ve been compromised, it could be a matter of life and death.”

“Yeah, I know. Hey, I’ve got another call coming through, so I’ve got to go,” I lie.

“Jewe—”

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