Page 8 of Tabitha

The black card equals unlimited funds.

The color of the card usually indicates the importance of the mission.

It means failure is not an option.

No matter what happens, the targets are not to get out alive. The thrill of the hunt lifts my spirits for the first time in weeks. “Understood, sir. I’ll leave within the hour.”

* * *

PIERCE

Icheck over the bikes as I wait patiently for Tabitha to return. The machines are in pristine condition, so there’s really nothing for me to do. I have my bike packed, knowing Tabitha will leave without me if I give her the slightest opportunity.

I’m well aware of Tabitha’s suspicions of me, the woman anything but subtle with her dislike, but I refuse to give up my pursuit of her. Hell, I don’t even think she’s aware of my obsession, but I’m a patient man.

My head is so fucked up from what I saw as a police officer that I know I’m in no condition to date, much less offer a woman anything more. I bury myself in this job, using it to keep my focus on things other than my past.

And my plan might have succeeded, I might have left Tabitha alone, if she hadn’t tried to kill me.

While the brakes on my carcouldhave failed naturally, it was doubtful—I’d installed them myself just a few months prior. They couldn’t have deteriorated that quickly. The truth became pretty obvious when I returned home and saw the outrage in her gorgeous silvery blue eyes.

Outraged, not that she’d been caught in the act, but because her assassination attempt failed.

I could’ve confronted her, but the proof was all circumstantial, nothing but conjecture and supposition. Nothing that would hold up in a court of law. So I waited and watched and found myself completely obsessed the more I learned.

I discovered her cameras just a week after the incident, but I left them in place. I love that I have her attention so completely, and I only chuckle when I spot her spying on me every morning. I make sure to give her a show.

Just knowing she’s watching me gets me hard.

I’m a sick fucker.

I am well aware of the truth behind the Belladonnas. Back in the day, I would’ve shut them down in a heartbeat and hauled them to the station. After a decade on the force, I now understand the need for such an organization.

Some people are just so evil, they don’t deserve to live.

In all honesty, Tabitha has a reason to be suspicious. Ihadbeen sent to investigate the Belladonnas. I told Man the truth during the interview—who had sent me and why. Man was a wily old goat, well aware of the setup.

Telling him everything probably saved my life.

Instead of killing me, he offered me a job to protect the girls.

I could have said no, but since I had no other place to go after my betrayal, I accepted.

Man has deep connections. The investigation wasn’t just buried, it disappeared completely. No doubt whoever wanted the Belladonnas gone was no longer in the land of the living.

I tighten the belt on my saddlebag, then rub the ache in my shoulder from an old bullet wound as I straighten, a reminder that human beings can’t be trusted. It’s why I find Tabitha so fascinating.

There is no artifice in her.

No lies.

No subterfuge.

She is too blunt to be anything but honest.

When I turn, I come face-to-face with the object of my obsession—Tabitha.

Her gorgeous dark hair is pulled back, the silky silver streaks tucked away in a ponytail, and I miss the curly, wild strands that are so much like her personality. With her hair no longer hiding her beautiful face, her expression is sharper and even more untouchable.

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