Page 36 of When He Hunts

“No one is slicing you up.” A guttural, savage promise. Just the thought had Ronan wanting to kill Kurt all over again.

“Because of you. Because you’re protecting me.” Quiet. Thoughtful. Then, “Because you killed to keep me safe today.”

Yeah, he had.And I’d do it again in a heartbeat.“It’s the job.” He forced his grip to ease on the steering wheel.

“You mean I’m the job. That it isn’t anything personal. You’d do the same for anyone, wouldn’t you?”

No, he sure as shit wouldn’t do the same for anyone.

“We didn’t call the cops.” A little sigh escaped her.

“Are you kidding me right now?”

“Will your friend Kane call the cops? Like, notify Grayson, I mean. Because I will tell Grayson that it was self-defense. You did exactly what you had to do. And you?—”

A ringing cut through her words. He’d already found the new phone in the console between their seats, and the device was connected to the Bluetooth in their ride. He glanced toward the screen near the radio. No caller name was listed, but he knew exactly who was reaching out. His finger pressed the button on the side of the steering wheel as he took the call. “Figured I’d be hearing from you sooner or later.”

“You left me a bloody crime scene,” Gray said, sounding more than a little disgruntled. “Do you know what a pain in the ass that is?”

“He was saving me,” Luna instantly declared. “That man realized we’d faked my death. He burst into the cabin, shooting! He hit Kane with a bullet. He would have killed me and Ronan. There was no choice. Ronan had to fire back!”

Ronan glanced at her. Her delicate jaw had locked.

“You can’t consider locking Ronan up for this. It was clear self-defense,” she added, voice breaking at the edges. “It is nothing like what I saw Marcus do. Nothing. Marcus enjoyed the kill. The man he shot was unarmed. And Marcus just—he was smiling while he stared down at the blood. He had the gun in his hand. One with a long muzzle on the end that had to be a silencer because I hadn’t heard the shots when I approached his office. I walked in and I saw all the blood. Noah was sprawled on the floor, and Marcus grinned, and I couldn’t breathe. Istood there.”

So much painful emotion filled her words that Ronan had to dart a glance her way again.

“Then the balloons popped, and I thought I’d been shot and—” Tears slid down her cheek. Two long teardrops. “Ronan isn’t the same. Itwasn’tthe same. He saved me. You can’t charge Ronan with any crime. You can’t lock him up. You can’t take him away from me. You can’t.Ronan saved my life.”

Chapter Eight

Ronan pulledonto the exit ramp. As soon as he could, he cut into the service station right off the interstate. He picked a deserted spot—easy to do since the whole building looked shuttered—and then he reached for Luna.

She should not be crying.

His fingers brushed over her cheek. “No one is taking me away from you.”

Her eyes locked on him.

“Gray isn’t gonna lock me up.”

Another tear trickled down.I didn’t realize how close to the edge she was.He should have realized it. She was a civilian. Life and death—mostly death—tended to be his bread and butter. But she wasn’t made for the world of darkness that surrounded him.

“No, not planning to lock him up,” Gray’s careful voice. “But I do appreciate the eye-witness testimony. It’s the same story Kane gave me. Though in his version of events, the only reason Ronan is still breathing is because he was about a half second faster on the trigger than Kurt Vail.”

She flinched.

His hand lingered against her cheek.

“I want to know how the hell Kurt found you. And the very fact that hewassent after you, Ronan? That tells me that we have a problem.”

“Marcus called me.” He’d parked on the side of the gas station. “Twisted freak wanted proof of her death. Jerk was telling me to send him one of her fingers.” His fingers slid down her cheek. Glided carefully over the curve of her lips. “Told him it wasn’t happening.”I will kill anyone who ever tries to slice a finger from her hand. No one will hurt Luna on my watch.

The brutality of his own thoughts had him tensing and yanking his own hand back.Way to not keep some professional distance between you and the target.

“You think that set off his suspicions? When you wouldn’t send him her finger?” A humming sound then, “Maybe he doesn’t buy that she’s dead.” Worry threaded through Gray’s voice. Gray had recently been promoted at the Bureau. From what Ronan could determine, all the guy did these days was worry.

Well, Gray worried when he wasn’t busy slipping into the darkness as he remembered his time being tortured. Ronan knew his friend was trying to keep his growing darkness a secret from everyone. But you couldn’t hide darkness from someone who understood it so well, and Ronan was well acquainted with the dark.

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