Page 55 of Ride with the Devil

She snorts, and while it seemed like she was trying to keep me calm a moment ago, now her brown eyes seem to darken in sudden annoyance. “ You spout that shit at Devil? ‘Cause, last time I checked, he murdered people. A lot of people. In fact, your boss offing a guy is the reason we got together, ace.”

Wait—

I stumble back on my heel. I know it shouldn’t matter at this moment, but… “We’re together?”

Kylie glares up at me. “You think I let just anyone fuck my ass? You were only the second?—”

No, no.

No.

I surge forward, cupping her face in my hands. “You’re pissed. I’m pissed, too. I never… I never expected this. But if you care about me at all, don’t talk about other guys. Not in front of me. Please.” I’m pleading. How did this happen? One second, I was furious that she lied to me. And now… “Please.”

She jerks her head out of my hold, loose curls snagging on my fingers. “Why do you care anyway?”

Why do I care?

“Because you’re mine, Kylie.”

And I’m tired of pretending otherwise.

Huh. Maybe I am a better liar than I thought, too, if she didn’t know that…

“Kylie? I’m the Hummingbird, remember? Just another killer you look down your nose on. Don’t pretend like that’s not a dealbreaker for you, Luca.”

It should be. “Kylie… I just. Look. I’m all fucked-up right now. Devil called and told me that one of our contacts learned about the hit on his head. They knew it was the Hummingbird’s contract. Of course Reed’s gonna do what he can to figure out who you are. We have a good relationship with Shadowvale. He doesn’t want to see Devil dead. None of us do. But you… you’re a killer?”

That’s what I’m stuck on. More than the lies and the deception, it’s how easily I was fooled because she’s, well,Kylie.

And I should know better. Savannah Libellula is a tiny thing with almost more leaves decorating her bicep than any other Dragonfly enforcer. I got a front-row seat to what she’s capable of when she pretended to be Falco’s girlfriend in order to end up in Winter’s cells.

She’s a killer and I never judged her for that. So why am I being a hypocrite and judging this woman?

Because I love her, I realize. And if I fell for who she was pretending to be instead of the real Kylie Ferguson, I don’t really love her at all, do I?

I lost Emily once. I thought my life was over. Losing Kylie now?

I—

“I am. I am a killer,” Kylie tells me flatly. “You want to know how I got into the job? Because I killed Jason Villa, my sister’s first husband. She was twenty-one when she got married, just like you wanted to do. I was sixteen when I realized that wedding vows don’t mean shit. To honor and obey? In sickness and in health? That fucker put my sister in the hospital three times in the six weeks they were married. He was the hazard to her health. So I shot him.”

Is that it? “You were defending someone you love?—”

She scoffs. “Don’t make me seem like a hero. I killed that prick. I liked it, too. It wasfun. So I did it again. And again. Eventually, I realized I could get paid for it. And you’re right. About a month ago, I accepted a hit on Lincoln Crewes. I heard he would be at the Blockbuster that night, and that was why I was there. To kill him. And now I’m here. And I thought we hit it off and now… I don’t know what’s going to happen next, but?—”

I don’t care.

Maybe I’m not as big a hypocrite as I thought. Because while I understand why she chose the life she did—becoming a murderess as a teen—that also influenced the woman she became. The woman I’ve gotten to know.

The woman I need.

And it hits me. I… I don’t care that she’s the Hummingbird. That she lied. Wouldn’t I have done the same thing?

Didn’t I do the same thing when I returned to Hamilton to work for Johnny Winter, knowing I was doing it all to rescue Cross and Genevieve on Devil’s order?

All along, I’ve been following the Devil of Springfield. I measured my morals by the archaic commandments that I’ve clung to like a lifeline. As long as I don’t break all ten, I’m a good guy.

Fuck that. I’m a Sinner.

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