Page 22 of The Wraith & Her Killer

Fucker.

I wasn’t about to let my littleWraithtraipse through the woods with no protection for her dainty feet, but he fucking beat me to it. Made my eye twitch when he blushed while handing them to her.

I couldn’t see reason beyond my jealousy and need to claim her all over again, so I pressed her up against the railing on the front deck of the boat and made her come all over my fingers while I swallowed her every moan.

It’s nearly time to move in and expunge the life force from the shit stain that is Santino Ferrero, and I’m practically vibrating with anticipation. Killing people is what I do. It’s my norm. Last night was enough to throw me so off-balance that I’m shocked as fuck I don’t have a trail of bodies haunting me.

Calix followed Rune to find higher ground about fifteen minutes ago to scope out a spot to set up his sniper rifle. Rune isn’t just a master hacker and technology genius, but he’s one of the best marksmen in the Volkov bratva. If there’s anyone I trust implicitly to take out the appetizers before I get to the main course, it’s Rune Volkov.

Odessa and I remain where we are, hunkered down and hiddenwithin the heavy brush, waiting for the “all clear” from the boys. I’m trying to give her a little lesson in how to shoot a gun, handle a knife, and the best angle to stab a man with my arrows, but I can tell she’s distracted. Anxious. I’d originally thought that cutting her non-dominant hand was a stroke of luck, but she barely has the strength to pull back the slide and hammer on the pistol with her right hand, so we’re flying by the seat of our fucking pants when I get it ready for her. Before she can fire off a rogue shot, I switch the safety on so she doesn’t accidentally shoot me or herself. “Keep the fucking safety on until you’re ready to shoot,Wraith.”

She simply nods and inhales a shaky breath. The arrows are self-explanatory but I drove the point home that she’s not to use them unless she’s up close and personal with an incapacitated or de-weaponized victim. She’s entirely too small to be charging in like a raging bull with nothing but an arrow.

So we’re moving on to knives. I keep a grip over her hand as I show her the basic workings of the OTF knife I gave her. She’s right-handed, so it’s a bit awkward to maneuver with her left, but the mechanics should be simple enough.

“This one’s easy,” I tell her. “Just press this mechanism here and—” The knife emerges from the front of the blade in the blink of an eye with asnick. “To retract it…” I demonstrate and she nods.

I let go of her hand and watch her practice a few times before she tucks several of them into the belt around her waist.

She starts to pace as she pulls the gun out and just stares at it in her hand. My dead heart stutters when I think she’s going to turn the fucking thing on herself, but I force my muscles to relax when I see that she’s only familiarizing herself with her weapon. I feel an odd mix of uncertainty and pride because she’s not only taken all the instructions without missing a beat, but not even twenty-four hours ago, she was ready to die.

“You good?” I ask, feeling like that’s the right question to ask here. Her eyes snap to mine and understanding softens her gaze.

“I’m…” She takes a deep breath. “I’m okay.”

Good. I can’t be on babysitter duty to keep her from turning any one of the weapons on herself. If she even thinks about trying, I’ll bend her over my fucking knee for daring to challenge who it is that owns her heart, body, and soul.

Gunfire sounds off in the distance and she starts to pace, her face growing pale in the fading light of day. It’s almost nightfall and based on the slowing increments between shots, I’d say Rune should be done any minute now.

I approach Odessa and press my front to her back, halting the ditch she’s pacing into the earth. I wrap my arms around her and hold her against me, just feeling the heat of her body intertwine with mine. I’m not afraid of this fucker, and I’m honestly not thrilled about the prospect of bringing Odessa into the fucking thick of it, but I will not deny her revenge.

My earpiece crackles before Rune’s voice sounds, causing Odessa to jump. “Exterior all clear. There are some men scrambling inside, but Calix and I haven’t seen anyone exit the premises. I took down as many as I could through the windows, but I’d bet my left nut that the rest are hunkering down with Ferrero.”

“Don’t say that,” Calix whines in our ears. “I like your left nut as much as I like the right one. Especially when?—”

“Calix—”Rune and I hiss at the same time.

“What, we all like balls here, don’t we?”

“I’ll have your ass for that,” Rune grumbles. I watch the backs of my littleWraith’sears turn fire red, clueing me in to the flush taking over her at what she’s hearing.

“You promise?” Calix chuckles. I swear under my breath.

Grabbing Odessa’s chin, I tip her head back until she’s staring at me upside down. My stern expression is unrelenting and has her swallowing nervously.

“You are to stay behind me at all times. I can’t protect you if you let your emotions get the better of you and go charging ahead of me full steam. You let me take out whatever fuckers are in there until we find Ferrero. His kill is yours, but you have to letme take him down first. We work together. Do you understand,Wraith?”

Her eyes bore into me with a sense of understanding before she nods in my grip. “I’ll stay behind you,” she promises. “But what if you get hurt?”

She’s worried about me?

Why the fuck does that make a strange heat spread throughout my body?

I shove it away and allow an unhinged grin to pull at my lips and bend down until my lips brush hers.

“You worried about me, littleWraith?”

“Yes.” Her whispered answer is immediate.

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