Page 9 of When He Hunts

But back to her question. A good question. “You get to be the most feared by always getting the job done.” Which he did. “I’m not big into blood and gore scenes. Too dramatic.” A little FYI for her.

Luna seemed to pale. “Right. Way too dramatic. Don’t want that.”

“So I execute with a minimum amount of fuss. A quick push of a needle can give vics a sweet, painless death.”

Her eyes squeezed shut. “You kill people for a living.”

No, technically, he did not. Technically, he worked undercover as a hitman. The people hekilled?They got shiny, new lives someplace far, far away. But he wasn’t ready to share all with Luna just yet. Mostly because he never sharedallwith anyone. Besides, if she feared him, she was less likely to be problematic.

Problems tended to annoy the hell out of him. He liked order. Regimen. Was that too much to ask?

Her eyes cracked open. The green sparkled at him.

Oh, right. He should respond. “Killing pays well.”

“That is a terrifying thing to say.”

“It’s a truthful thing.”

She rose onto her knees. Her arm pulled a bit where her wrist hooked to the cuff. “But you arenotgoing to kill me?” Hopeful.

“Told you, I’m being paid more to keep you alive.” Were the drugs making it hard for her to follow along?

“Do the Feds often make partnerships with hitmen?”

“That’s something you’d have to ask them.”More often than you would suspect, dear Luna.

“How do I know you aren’t lying to me? That this isn’t some terrible trick?” Her gaze darted around the room. “Maybe you’re into torture and this is the way you start. You give your victims hope. Make them think they’re going to survive, and then the knives come out.”

The knives? Really? “Just told you I wasn’t into blood.” But he rose to his feet.

She stiffened.

“Relax.” He pointed down to his body. “Do you see a knife strapped to me?”

Her stare raked over him. Seemed to really search. “Could be on an ankle strap. I’ve heard people do that. Keep knives strapped to their ankles and hidden beneath the legs of their pants.”

He showed her both ankles.

“Could be under your vest.”

Without taking his eyes off hers, he slowly unbuttoned the vest. He was aware of a sudden, hard tension as he opened the vest and let it fall. The tension seemed to stretch in the air between them.

She swallowed. “You don’t have one tucked under your shirt, do you?”

“Luna.” Her name came out almost as a caress. “Are you trying to get me to strip for you?”

“No.” But she nodded.

And damn if he didn’t almost smile at her. “I am not planning to use a knife on you.” To mar that perfect skin? That would be a crying shame.

“Good to know. The last attacker did.”

Anger burned through him, lightning fast. “What?”

“He got my shoulder. Better the shoulder than the heart, though, am I right? But it still bled like crazy. Couldn’t risk going to a hospital, so I paid this shady vet to patch me up. And—wait! What are you doing?” Luna backed up against the headboard.

He’d just stalked toward her. Blazing anger had pushed him closer to her. “Show me.”

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