Page 61 of Beneath the Starlight and Storms

“Why?”

His eyes blazed with an emotion I couldn’t read. “You seem to be a magnet for trouble. Let’s call it peace of mind and leave it at that.”

“Whose peace of mind?”

“Mine. Now…” he bends closer to my ear. “Try again.”

With Hook’s hands on mine, he guides me to the middle of the figure, the largest red dot of the image, before stepping back.

I aim and shoot. The bullet hits just outside the red circle Hook had me aim at and even though it was close, I still find no enjoyment in it.

I glance down at the gun, preferring a dagger or sword in my hand, the weight of it too heavy and uneven.

“If I was ever in need of a weapon. I think I’d prefer to stab them,” I tell him honestly.

He moves closer so his front is lined up to my back once more and leans down to my ear.

“To stab someone, you’d need to be close enough to do any real damage,” he breathes making me shiver.

“And the only person that shouldeverbe that close… isme.” He says in a demanding, possessive tone that has my body stiffening.

“So you want me to stab you?” I ask, more than willing to test it out his little theory.

I feel his smile at the side of my face. “I’m more than happy to be your sacrifice.”

Twisting around to him, I find his face full of light, instead of his usual smugness.

“Your turn.” I hand him the gun, happy to be rid of it. He takes it as I move to his side to watch him, placing more bullets in the weapon before looking right at me.

But instead of focusing on the target, he raises an arm, his hand steady, his eyes unblinking and he shoots.

There’s no possible way…

I turn to the target when he’s finished to see all six shots have hit every red circle, dead center, before glancing back at Hook with wide eyes as he places the gun down.

“How did you learn how to do that?”

“Give me a gun and I’ll destroy each of your enemies, one by one. But give me a sword and I’ll decimate them in seconds.” He looks at me and smirks. “Just like you, I prefer to be up close and personal when I destroy my enemies.”

“But apparently, I’m only allowed to stabyou.” Something I’m more than happy to do right now with that cocky look he’s wearing.

“Yes, my vicious, Tink.Onlyme,” he winks at me, and my irritation kicks up a notch.

After Hook stows the gun away and cleans up, we head back out to the car. He makes it to my door before I do and opens it for me. I ignore his attempt at being chivalrous and quickly get in, more than ready to go back to his island after a wasted morning.

But after a few minutes of driving, I start to realize we’re not heading in the right direction, and we should have nearly been back at the bridge by now. Glancing out the windows, I look around us, not recognizing anything about the scenery or the way we’re going.

“This isn’t the way back.” I give Hook a questioning look.

His only reply is a small smile as he stares forward.

“Where are we going?” I ask, hoping it’s not another one of his ideas offun.

“You’ll see.” Hook finally glances over at me, his eyes sparkling with excitement. He reaches out and presses some buttons and warm air starts to blow around us while the seat beneath me heats, seeping into my bones and warming me up immediately.

I look down at the seat, wondering how that’s possible before glancing over at Hook with a question on the tip of my lips. But he’s already focused on driving, so I turn and look out the window, watching the sky darken and the buildings blur past us. It isn’t long before trees rise up in place of the city and then fade away to reveal wide open land.

By the time we reach our destination, dusk has already fallen with the dark night not too long behind, making me feel instantly at ease.

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