Page 51 of Cruel Master

“Oh my god!” I screamed.

The ginger’s hand came down and covered my mouth as his eyes jerked up and looked past me. “Now, now, sweetheart,” he said. “You must be new to this line of business if you don’t know how to mind your own business.”

I sniffed hard and squeezed my eyes shut, forcing tears to the surface. When he removed his hand, I sobbed hard. “Please,” I said as the two others disappeared into the room. “That bag’s all I have. I need it!”

His eyes panned down to where my breasts were shoved into his chest. “You need it, eh?” He licked his lips and I found myself fighting the urge to recoil as his fingers grasped my arm and held me in place. “Did you already fuck your client, sweetheart? I don’t like to share, but if you’re still free, I can see about getting that bag back to you … for a price.”

I shook my head and sniffed again for good measure. “N-no, sir,” I said, fluttering my wet lashes. “I-I just—”

Curses sounded from inside the room and another scream sounded behind me—a female scream. Fuck. The cleaner must have heard the commotion. As the man’s gaze lifted up over my shoulder, I took my chance and reared back, grabbing hold of his shoulders as I swung my knee right into his groin.

With a shocked look, the man wheezed and crumpled onto the sidewalk just as the two men from before came out, hauling a bruised and crying Ron with them. “Eve!” he screamed.

Frustration rolled through me and I dove for the man on the ground, lifting up the back of his shirt and retrieving his gun. I flicked the safety off and lifted it. I didn’t give a warning or make any demands. It was clear these men were here for a reason and I would not be letting them see it through.

I aimed and pulled the trigger, putting a bullet in the shoulder of the man who held his gun in hand. He slammed back against the wall, his gun falling from his grip. I switched my attention and aimed at the second man—shooting both of his legs and at this distance, there was no chance of missing.

“Grab my bag!” I screamed to Ron. He dove away from his captors and for the first time since I met him, he actually managed to follow my orders without question or breaking down.

The first man growled and even with a bullet in his shoulder, he leveraged away from the wall and I stepped out of the way—watching him stumble over the ginger who’d been trying to get back to his feet. Both of them went down in a heap as the third man reached for his own weapon.

I didn’t hesitate. Turning on him, I lifted the gun in my grasp and pulled the trigger—once, twice, three times until his chest was riddled with holes. This was survival. Pure and simple.

Ron came back out of the room, holding my satchel. “Keys,” I snapped to him. “Let's go.”

The two of us took off running. I reached back and felt him slap a pair of car keys into my grasp and I hit the unlock button, flashing the lights of the sedan.

“Hey!”

Shit! I cursed internally. The two others were back from the office, but that didn’t stop me.

I leapt into the driver's seat as Ron dove for the passenger seat and as the two unharmed men raced across the parking lot, I turned on the car and pressed down on the gas.

“Eve?” Ron’s panicked voice rose above the sound of my pounding heart.

“Take this!” I snapped, shoving the firearm into his hand as I gunned the engine and steered towards the two men.

They’re eyes widened and while one managed to dive out of the way just in time, the second wasn’t as lucky. His body hit the front of the sedan and then the windshield—leaving a large crack as his body rolled over the top of the hood and then down the back, dropping to the pavement.

I glanced in my rearview as I sped out of the lot. He didn’t get back up.

24

ANGEL

“You shot someone!” The smell of Ron’s sweaty body odor filled the car, along with his high-pitched, panicked voice.

I winced and hit the button on my window to lower it and allow more airflow than what the air conditioning unit in the car provided. Casting a glance his way, I sighed. “Put on your seat belt,” I advised him.

“Are we just going to pretend like you didn’t kill a man?” he asked, his horrified gaze lingering on me.

It was actually probably two men, but I wasn’t going to say that to him now. Not when he was gaping at me like a fish out of water. Irritation bubbled up within me. “Put your seat belt on,now,” I snapped. “And you're welcome—I don’t know if you forgot to notice, but my shooting someone just saved your fucking life.”

“This can’t be happening.” Instead of putting his seat belt on like I told him to, Ron turns away from me and hunches over until his head is between his knees. “I should have gone to the police. I should have done something else. Something other than hiringyou!”

It really was just like a man to pitch a whole hissy fit and then blame the woman who rescued him. I rolled my eyes and refocused on the road ahead. Somewhere in the back of my mind, though, a small voice reminded me that if it’d been Gaven in the same situation—he wouldn’t have needed rescuing. In fact, Gaven would have easily killed each of those men. He wouldn’t have hesitated.

Stop it,I ordered myself.Gaven’s not here, and that’s a good thing. You want to get away from him, not run back into his arms.

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