Page 17 of To Keep

He shifted in his seat to face her, no humor in his expression. “If I can find something to appease Viko, make all the puzzle pieces fit together, then maybe … maybe he won’t make me kill you.”

Tears welled up in her eyes but she refused to let them fall. “But I’ve seen him.”

“I’m trying here, Skye. This isn’t something I’ve ever done before, not for anyone.”

“What if you can’t figure things out?”

He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Then maybe I have to kill Petrov, kill anyone in my way.”

She swore she could feel the heat of his skin from their proximity. The leather of his jacket creaked as he inched closer. He moved slowly, cautiously, and reached out to run the backs of his fingers over her cheek. She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, a couple tears tracing down her face.

“I’m scared,” she whispered.

“I want to protect you, Skye.”

His voice was so deep and sincere. The words were healing, made all the nightmares fade away in an instant. How far would he go? Would he kill the boss of the Circle of Monsters? Or would he have to follow orders if he couldn’t prove she wasn’t a liability?

“Last week you tried to kill me.”

“I killed a lot of people last week,” he said. “But you remind me of someone. A girl from another lifetime.”

“An old girlfriend?”

He shook his head. “No, she was just a kid. I wasn’t much older. I set her free but I should have stepped in sooner. I was a fucking coward back then.”

“No, you weren’t. You were a kid yourself,” she said. Skye touched his neck, wrapping her fingers around the collar of his jacket. “You’re brave and I know there’s so much good in you.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t, but I trust you. I trust you not to hurt me. Right now, you’re all I have.”

He looked so damn sad. So empty.

Galen scoffed, a dimple appearing on his cheek. “Part of me wants to keep driving, you know. Leave it all behind, fuck the consequences.”

“I like this romantic side of you.”

She didn’t realize she was still holding his collar when his hand came up and shackled her wrist. Skye gasped right before he kissed her.

He tasted like mint and all man. She savored the way he dominated her mouth, his body pushing toward her. Her heart raced, her pussy throbbing. She instinctively wrapped an arm around his neck, holding him close. He groaned a few times and she swore she’d spontaneously combust.

But as quickly as it started, it ended. He sat back in his seat, facing the front of the car.

“I shouldn’t have done that,” he finally said.

“I’m glad you did. It was nice,” she said. “Do we ride off into the sunset now, forget our pasts and start over?” She was playing with him but she wouldn’t be against the idea.

“Viko would never stop hunting us. We’ll meet with Victoria and see if she has any useful information.”

She exhaled her disappointment.

Skye must have fallen asleep because the next thing she remembered was waking to the sound of muffled voices. She rubbed her eyes and tried to pull herself together. The car was in some kind of covered garage and she was alone. She sat straighter and scanned the dimly lit area. There were some other parked cars and heavy-duty construction equipment. Where was Galen?

Then a bit of movement caught her attention. There were two people in the distance—Galen and a woman. It must be Victoria. She was stunning, even from a distance. A twinge of jealousy soured her mood.

Should she get out of the car and investigate? Make a break for it? Wait until Galen returned?

Her decision was made for her when Galen turned and made eye contact with her. As soon as he realized she was awake, he came directly toward her. The woman followed at a slower pace.

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