Page 94 of Lovely Venom
I pin her to the wall, keeping her still. Our bodies are one as our chests heave in sync and our breaths mingle.
Her pupils are blown wide, more tears brimming at the edges. She’s breaking. Falling apart.
My voice softens. “Thank you for saving my life.”
She swallows hard. “No, don’t.”
For the first time, I see real fear in her eyes.
Not of me.
Of what she’s gotten herself into.
Behind me, Rhys groans.
I keep her hands pinned behind her back as I glance at my beat-up cousin. He pushes himself up, wincing as he touches the gash on his temple. Blood smears across his fingers.
He looks up and sees Raina in my arms. “What the fuck?”
“She killed the rat,” I tell him immediately. “I was looking down the barrel of your gun, mate. She saved mylife.”
Rhys’s gaze flicks to Raina, assessing, wondering if I’m so far gone for this woman that I’ll say anything.
Swallowing, he mutters, “Is that what happened, lass?”
Gulping for air, she says, “Yeah.”
When Rhys nods, I ignore how he doesn’t believe me, but he seems to believe her.
I stare at him. “You need a doctor? I can call Cormac.”
Rhys strokes his already swollen jaw and shakes his head. “Not likely. Just some ice. Maybe over whiskey.”
“Maybe your neighbor can come pick you up,” I say wryly.
Rhys’s expression darkens. “Don’t you dare.”
He bends down and pries his gun from the rat’s quickening, dead hand.
I cringe at the idea he’ll call his brother Trace. My enforcer might have a completely different spin on this situation and go over my head to Griffin. They’ll take Raina as some kind of hostage to use for leverage with the Albanians.
Not. Happening.
“Rhys, look at me. Are you stable enough to call your men to get rid of this body?”
“Aye.” Nodding, his back straightens. Rhys is ex-military and a tough bastard.
“My gun...” Raina mutters. “The bullet.”
It can be traced to her.
“Rhys, give me that Sig on the floor. It’s hers. I want this guy cut up and buried somewhere, but that bullet in his head stays with us. I want it back.”
Rhys saunters to the gun and picks it up. His eyes on Raina, he hands it to me. “Don’t try anything, lass.”
I take the gun. “Rhys, you okay?”
“I got it, Connor,” he grouses, wiping away moreblood before he gets on his phone.
