Page 59 of The Devil's Pair

“Yes?” he said. “Speak.”

“Did I –” She hesitated, trying to find the right words. “Did I do well by coming here?”

“You did, Violet.” He caressed her hair lazily, moved his fingers to the nape of her neck, slid his hands to both sides of her throat to feel her fluttering pulse. She leaned into his touch, her face adoring and worshipful, and that was when he smiled gently at her. “But not nearly well enough.”

He tightened his grip on her throat, squeezing and shaking her, his hands brutal and unforgiving now. Violet writhed on the floor, her nails cutting into his hands, trying desperately to get her feet under her somehow, but it was no use. He was above her, leaning forward with all his weight, his feet firmly planted on either side of her twisting, suffocating body.

“Why?” she managed to gasp with one of her last agonizing breaths. “I – I cameback.”

“Dear, sweet Violet,” Michael said to her. “You should never have left.”

Then he snapped her neck.

Chapter Sixteen

Denver, Colorado

Satan’s Bar

The next day

Elle filled the bucket to the brim, then started to lift it out of the extra kitchen sink, the one used for her cleaning stuff.

“Hey.” Rebel strode over to her, those amazing gold eyes narrowed. “What did Isayabout trying to move a full bucket of water and chemicals by yourself? Or have you already forgotten about dropping one on your damn foot just last week, and causing a minor flood?”

Elle set it back down in the deep sink with athunk. “Sorry, Rebel. I thought you were on a break.”

“Iwas, sweetheart, but I saw you come in here with the big bucket, and I was waiting for you to come and ask one of the boys to help you.” He cocked his blond head at her. “But you didn’t, of course. Stubborn little thing.”

“Yeah, I know.” She sighed, stretched her back and watched as he set the huge metal bucket of water and bleach in front of her. “I should have. I can barely see over the edge of the sink myself, I don’t knowwhyI keep thinking I can lift this thing over and onto the floor safely. I’m still not totally used to asking for help, I guess.”

Rebel studied her, then grinned. “Well. You’d better get used to it, huh? Or one day you’ll try to do something stupid in front of Viking, and you can well imagine howthatwould go over.”

“Oh, God.” She shut her eyes. “He’d never shut up about it.”

“Truth. Now – how much more cleaning do you have to do before you can go home and pack for the safe house?

“Just the bar. I should be done by now, but I’m way behind my usual schedule.”

“Those back rooms were a disaster area from that bachelor party last night, huh?”

“I’ve never seen them worse,” Elle said. “It tookhoursto get the shaving cream and baby oil off of everything in sight…whyshaving cream was on the ceiling, and baby oil was between the floorboards, I don’t want to know.Also, did you know that glitter doesn’t come up when you mop it? It just sticks to the damn mop, and swirls around and around on the floor. I had to pick up every single piece of the stuff with my fingers.”

Rebel looked at her again, saw her exhaustion. Elle was a damn hard worker, a woman who cooked and cleaned for hours and hours a day, never complaining or taking much of a break. She looked done in today, though, and he smiled at her.

“I’ll do the bar floor, Elle. You go sit down and wait for Viking to come pick you up, OK?”

“Oh, no,” she protested. “I can do it.”

“I know youcan, sweetheart,but I’m telling you to go sit that cute little ass down. Go on, now. I got this.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. Make yourself a sweet coffee and go put your feet up. You’re officially clocked out now.”

“Thanks, Rebel,” she said. “I guess Iammore tired than I thought.”

“I know.” He put the mop into the scalding hot water and started to roll the bucket out of the kitchen. “Now scoot, girl. Coffee. Feet up. Sitting on cute ass.”

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