Page 27 of Sardonic Burn

My wallet and keys were in the leather jacket she tossed in the trash, but she checked the pockets before and put them on the kitchen counter. I grab them and use her phone to call for a taxi.

The ride back to my home nearly makes me fall asleep. Thanks to the bumps along the road, I jump in my seat a few times, and it makes the sleepiness vanish. It’s five in the morning by the time I reach my door, and I halt.

Someone is inside.

I don’t have any weapons on me, but there’s no point in running. If it’s another assassin, I can probably take them down. But if they’re waiting for me to open the door and then shoot me, I’m dead.

Well, it’s not like I can turn around and leave. Where could I possibly go at this hour? It would take me an hour to reach my father’s manor and I’m not ready to talk to him yet. I love him, but I’m mentally drained from dealing with him so closely for the past two months.

I need a break from my family.

I don’t think about it anymore. I’m too tired to properly assess the situation, and I act purely on the need to plop on my bed and sleep for the next twelve hours straight.

The door opens, and darkness greets me.

A sigh of relief slips my lips at the empty entrance. The door looks straight at the living room area, and there’s no one in my view. On the right is a little dresser. It has a hidden compartment where I keep all of my knives for emergencies.

Shock fills my mind at the sight of them… gone.

Not a single one is there.

Whoever came inside definitely searched through the entire penthouse. If they found this one, then the possibility ofthem finding another five hiding places is high. My ears perk at the faint footstep sound in the kitchen.

The only thing I have at hand is a lamp. But hey, it’s shaped like a dagger. It’s a gift from my father, and it’s definitely sharp. Not ideal, but the best I can do. If my hiding places were discovered, so were the guns and daggers I had laying around.

I clutch the metal lamp in my hands and find my way in the kitchen. Whoever it is, they know I’m inside, but I don’t want to turn on the lights. The element of surprise isn’t on my side, but the territory is.

My heart sinks to my stomach as soon as I step inside of the kitchen.

He’s sitting on a high stool with a glass of a very expensive wine in his hand. All of my weapons are piled on the table across from him, stacked up. He’s staring at me, and I can’t move.

For the second time in less than twenty-four hours, Hudson De Santis makes me freeze. The blood in my veins runs cold, and my throat closes up. The intensity in his eyes hurts me.I want to look away, but I can’t.

He doesn’t allow it.

“Hi, there, Noelle.” He grins like a maniac. “A great collection you have here.”

“Little De Santis,” I grit out. “Which collection? Weapons or alcohol? Both of which you touched without permission.”

“Both are pretty impressive.” The smile falls from his face. “Drop the nickname.”

It takes all the willpower and all the mental strength I have left to force my feet to move toward the table.

“Were you going to attack me with that lamp?”

I put it aside and grab a gun. Upon checking it, I realize the clip is missing. I continue checking every single one of them, but none are full.

“For safety reasons, I threw them out.”

“Why are you here?”

I don’t dare to look at him. I’m afraid of the consequences looking at the monster would bring, and I’m not ready to face them.

Hudson drinks the rest ofmywine and hops off the stool. He’s walking toward me slowly. He’s acting like a predator that is about to swallow his prey whole. His unwavering eyes send chills down my body.

He’s dangerously close to me.

He grabs my wrist and takes the dagger out of it, tossing it aside. I don’t even fight it. I allow him to play around me like a fucking Barbie doll.

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