Page 548 of Rage

No, Nat’s views belong dead and buried, left in those unmarked graves.

A shot has me bounding forward, my mind working furiously to figure out where I’m most needed.

Across the way stands Cece, gun arm steady, Morozov’s kid shaking as she clutches him against her front. Morozov,meanwhile, turns, his gun arm wavering, as a single shout of “Nat!” forces my attention to the last guest at the party.

And there, closer to me than Cece, close enough that little details lodge in my mind, I watch my best friend’s fiancée tumble sideways into a pre-dug grave, her eyes blank, a dribble of blood barely trickling from the bullet wound in her skull before she disappears from view, a soft thud sounding when she hits the bottom.

Turns out that Cece’s not just good at throwing knives. She’s one hell of a shot, as well. Makes me wonder if there’s such a thing as strip shooting. Because I’m suddenly game to give it a go.

Ears ringing, knowing that was Cece’s one and only bullet, I use my surprise attack as best I can—by throwing the knife at Mikhail Morozov’s heart before he can get his gun hand steady again and risk a headshot at Cece around his son.

Only the bullet wound in my arm has my aim wonky, and the knife lands with athunkin his left arm. Whoops. No going back now, though. “Give up, Morozov. You’re outnumbered and outgunned,” I say, stepping toward Cece, wondering if I’m going to have to be a human shield.

I sure hope not. There’s one hell of a woman here that I can’t wait to get to know better, and that’d be impossible if one of us is dead.

He glares at his injured arm, but leaves the knife in like a smart man. “Give me my son and I’ll leave,” he says, more emotion in his voice than I would have expected for the underdog currently scrambling his way to the top of his organization.

Cece pushes the kid forward, and he sprints to his dad like the scared kid he should be. This shit isn’t for kids. I don’t know what the fuck Morozov was thinking, bringing an elementary schooler with him.

Morozov backs away, his kid in hand, his head bowing for a moment as he passes his sister’s grave, but his gun hand never straying from Cece.

And she keeps her empty weapon trained on him as well, her gaze intent to kill. Lack of bullets be damned.

She doesn’t relax until the rumble of an engine descends the mountain. “Well, that was messy,” she says, tucking the empty gun into the sash of her dress.

I inspect the graves, the dirt, the backhoe, and the woman now lining the bottom of one of them. “Why’d you kill Nat?”

“She cheated on Eddie. With Pinky, of all people.”

I spit into the hole. “Good riddance. That woman was an archaic toxin.”

She walks over to the unnamed guard and rolls him toward another unoccupied grave. I rush to help her, not because she can’t do this alone, but because she doesn’t need to.

“So, you’re heir, not Eddie.”

“Yeah. I am. What of it?” The fight in her voice has my cock twitching.

“It’s surprising, but after tonight, I’m all for it. You’re one hell of a woman, Cece Rodriguez. Your family will be lucky to have you as a leader.”

She dips her chin as we push the grunt into the hole, her cheeks pink in the spotlight. “Thanks.”

We drag Pinky to the last grave, tossing his tone-deaf ass in as well. “And Cece?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d be lucky to have you in my life, too.”

Leaving her to sort through my confession, I hop into Nat’s grave, rummaging until I find her phone and unlock it before tossing it up to Cece. “Why don’t you go check on Liam? Give Eddie a call and see if we can hitch a ride out of here. I’ll finish cleaning up.”

A barely audible shout from Liam cuts through the darkness. “There’s another piece dismantled by the weeping angel.”

“On it,” I shout back, before pressing a quick kiss on Cece’s lips, her warmth plastered against me like she needs a release from this adrenaline the same as I do. But business first. Fun, second. “Go. Kiss him better,” I say, pushing her toward my friend.

“We’ll see about that,” she says with a smirk, before sauntering away, muddy, bloodthirsty, and gorgeous.

Just the way I never knew I wanted. But I’ve gotten a taste, and I’m not letting that girl go.

She’ll have to kill me to get rid of me. Which wouldn’t be a problem for her, it seems.

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