Page 64 of Lose Me In The Shadows

After sneaking Trust out of the mansion and popping him in the trunk of their rental—a super sexy BMW that Luke knew Marcus was paying for, damn the man—they arrived at a warehouse in Boyle Heights and carried him inside. Earlier that day, Luke had gone on ahead to set the space up, laying down plastic and setting up torture implements.

“Nice work,” Micah commented as he set their target down on top of the plastic sheet. “Once a boy scout, I guess.”

“Yeah.” He glanced over at Kara, who was staring around at the set up with big, freaked out eyes.

“You don’t have to watch this part,” he told her.

“No, I —”

Conor lay into Vincent with a punch straight to the throat. He screamed. Kara winced.

“Yeah, I thought so,” Luke said. “Kara, sweetheart, turn around and close your eyes.”

“No, no. If this is what you all do, I need to see.” She looked at him. “If you want to join in…”

“I do,” he admitted. “I don’t usually—torture isn’t my thing, that’s more for Conor’s anger and Micah’s mind fuckery, but after he touched you, after he spoke to you…” his face went dark. “I want to rip his dick off and feed it to him.”

“Oh.” Kara was quiet for a moment, gazing into the distance.

Luke deeply, desperately, wished he had mind reading abilities. Was she judging him for his violence? Or for not helping out right now? More importantly, did she realize her own violent tendencies? He knew she might be squeamish—the first torture experience would do that to anyone, no matter how violent—but there was a murderous femme fatale in her, just waiting to come out. Hell, she was practically there; the way she’d sauntered and swayed around that party, so this billionaire creep was eating out of her hand…

Billionaire creep.

Minus the huge difference in tax brackets, was Luke really so different? He’d taken advantage of Kara multiple times. Yeah, she’d wanted it, and he’d given her a choice, but…

He heard blubbering and cries. Orders from Conor to talk.

“How does this work?” Kara asked. “You carry out this hit for Marcus, and then what?”

Luke focused, trying to get a read on her. She seemed genuinely curious, not concerned at all for Trust.

“There’s a witness who can prove that Chris Johnathan and his brothers set us up. Billy found him, but Marcus won’t set up a meet for us without us doing something for him first.”

Kara rolled her eyes. “Some friend he is.”

Luke shrugged, even though he agreed. “There’s always a price to dealing with Marcus. That’s just how it works with men like him.”

“And what happens after that? After you get evidence from the witness. He exonerates you, right? Then what, you get the dishonorable discharge appealed? Go back to the military? Pick up being SEALs again?” She sounded genuinely curious, although maybe a little…disappointed.

And so was Luke, when he thought about it. The idea of going back to the military, after everything he’d learned, even if the dishonorable discharge was appealed and reversed or upgraded? Not just about how Uncle Sam actually operated, farming out its “heroes” to do favors for the men who funded political campaigns. Luke had learned who he was. He’d been hiding from it, lying to himself. But when Kara shot him, he realized the truth.

He had been willing to do anything to keep her. Even betray her.

And if he could do that to the woman he loved, then he wasn’t the man he thought he was.

And if Luke was entirely honest with himself, he’d do it again. He regretted hurting her, yes, and making her think for a moment they didn’t want her for all she was and all she could be. But if Micah and Conor hadn’t kidnapped her, and Luke hadn’t helped keep her…well, they wouldn’t be here now, with Kara’s hand in his as they watched Conor go at a target’s knees with a sledgehammer while Micah taunted him into talking.

“Why are you doing this?” Vincent cried out in pain.

“Well,” Micah said, “because we were paid a lot of money to—”

“I’ll pay you double whatever Marcus paid you,” Vincent interrupted desperately. “Triple.”

“—At first,” Micah finished. “But then you had to go and touch our woman, hurt her, threaten her with vile actions, and that, my friend, just cannot stand.”

“Which is why I’m taking your hand next,” Conor added. Luke glanced at him. His lover was splattered in blood. Luke thought he looked magnificent that way, but he glanced at Kara, worried she’d feel differently.

Her pupils had widened and her breath sped up. A flush covered her chest. Her thighs squeezed together. And when Conor picked up a hacksaw, she leaned forward, squeezing Luke’s hand in hers.

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