Page 2 of Reclaim (Deadly Hearts 3)

Vinnie chuckles. “I’d take her at her word, Frank. She isn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.”

If that isn’t admiration in his tone. Aww, making me blush.

I dig the blade in a little further when I get no response and Frank nods, pissed off but tamed.

For now.

“I’ll need a change of clothes,” I say to Vinnie, stashing my knife. “I go in looking like this, it’ll blow my plan out of the water.”

“Done,” he says. “You are about the same size as Tiff. You can use whatever it is in her cupboard upstairs.”

That pleases me. At least I’m not expected to stay down here until morning. Love me a secret bunker and all, but fuck if I want to sleep in one tonight.

Vinnie gestures with his head and we make our way through, would the gods believe it, an actual secret tunnel and up to the surface, where we appear in a modern mansion, which I suspect is gated off like Buckingham Palace.

Vinnie leads me to a guest room and turns to leave.

“Don’t you want to know what happened to the D.I.?” I ask carefully.

“Not my business.”

“Let me tell you anyway, so you get a clear picture of what else I’m about to say. He was complicit in my abduction and sexual assault. When my men found me, I had already stabbed my abductor more times than I can count. D.I. Smith though, was still at large. When he was found, one of my men shot him three times and then burned his body. That is the lengths he will go to protect me.”

“Your point?” Vinnie growls.

“Any harm comes to me, and that will be you going up like a bonfire on November fifth. And you had better pray that I get this done quickly because he will be looking for me and I can assure you, he will find me before you’re ready for him to.”

“Let him come,” he says, unconcerned.

I laugh, brief and hollow. “Oh no. You won’t see him coming. He can shoot you between your eyes from a thousand yards out.”

“There aren’t many men who can do that,” Vinnie says, but wariness has dropped into his eyes.

“So I hear. But you happened to take away Declan Gannon’s favorite toy and he will be coming for you. Watch your back. And your front,” I say nonchalantly and turn around to show no fear.

I don’t need to see his expression to know he is shitting himself. Well, okay, maybe just a bit of poop, but it’s enough. He will think twice now about trying anything shitty and I may not be quite as alone in this ‘task’ as I was previously led to believe.

“Get some sleep,” he snarls. “We ride early.”

I nod and sit on the bed, making a show of taking off my boots but not my weapons.

Badly burned twice, I’m not leaving myself open for anything other than a brutal fight to the death if someone comes at me.

When he closes the door, and as expected, locks it from the outside, I turn on my side and let the tears that were ready to fall, tumble silently down my cheeks.

“Wherever you are Tiff, whatever Adam wants with you, I hope you’re ready to come home because I won’t be taking any prisoners once I find you.”

I close my eyes and with a soft sigh, I try to will myself to sleep, knowing that I need my wits about me in a few hours’ time to pull this off.

---