Page 40 of Delicious Prey

She sucks in an angry gasp at my comparison, and I can’t help but smile.

“Go inside, zaika.”

“What are you going to do?”

“You know what I’m going to do.”

She steps back and looks at me. “Can’t you just let him go?”

“No.” I don’t give her any more of an explanation, and she’s not pleased about it.

“I’m not leaving.” She crosses her arms over her chest and juts her chin out at me.

I let out a heavy sigh and take a step closer to Jay while I tell Boris in Russian to go and stand by her. When the dog is sitting by her side, she reaches down to pet him just like I knew she would. I tighten my grip on the knife I took from Jay and give the command for Boris to grab her arm and pull her towards the house. It’s a gentle bite, nothing that will hurt her. I just need her to look away, and as soon as she does, I plunge the knife into Jay’s heart. I can’t resist giving it a twist because he would’ve killed Lydia without a second thought, even if she doesn’t realize that right now. Jay’s eyes widen in pain and shock while Lydia lets out a horrified gasp. I watch Jay die, only looking away when I’m sure his heart has stopped.

Not wanting to see the look on Lydia’s face, but also knowing I can’t avoid it, I stand and turn around to face her. One of her hands is covering her mouth, the other still held gently between Boris’s jaws. I tell him to let her go, and he quickly does. He drops her arm and goes to stand by his brothers. Lydia’s eyes are wide with fright and horror, and when I take a step closer, she takes a step back.

Fuck me.

“He came here to kill us,” I gently remind her. I point back at Jay’s dead body. “He would have killed you.”

“Maybe he wouldn’t have,” she whispers. “Maybe if you’d let him go, we would’ve never seen him again.”

I sigh and swipe a hand over my face. “He would have killed us if given the chance, and if I’d let him go, he would’ve seen that as a sign of weakness and tried again.”

“How do you know that? You’re just guessing, trying to make his death seem justifiable.”

“I know this, because he and I are the same. This is what we do. We have a target, and we don’t stop until they’re dead. I’m sorry you had to see this, but you wouldn’t have if you’d listened to me and kept your ass inside.”

“I was afraid you might get hurt.” Her voice is nothing but a shaky whisper, and the sound of it has me closing the distance and pulling her into my arms.

“You thought I might get hurt, so you decided to run outside after me without a weapon?”

She gives a small shrug. “I didn’t have a plan. I was just worried about you. I left Peanut inside.”

“Well, I’m glad you did, baby, but next time keep your perfect little ass in there with him. Do not ever put yourself at risk for me.” I tilt her face up to mine. “Ever. Do you understand?”

“I understand what you’re saying.”

“That’s an evasive answer, zaika.” I run a finger down her cheek, knowing I’d never survive it if something happened to her. “Any man who would come after me is not a nice man, baby. They would kill you, some of them would make a point of doing it slowly, and some would do other things to you before finally putting you out of your misery.”

I see the fear in her eyes, and I’m glad she’s finally taking this seriously, but then I see her mind working, and I don’t like where it’s going. The suspicion in her blue eyes has me slowly shaking my head.

“Don’t insult me, sweetheart. I may be a cold-blooded killer, but I’m not a fucking rapist or a torturer. I kill people quickly, and I’ve never forced myself on a woman.”

Guilt washes over her face before she drops her head, resting her forehead against my chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispers. “I know you’d never do that. I don’t know why I questioned it.”

I cup the back of her head. “I understand why you’d wonder about it, baby. I’m not upset because you did. I just need you to know that I’m not that kind of monster.”

“I know you aren’t.”

She grips me in a tight hug, and I try not to think about how close a deadly killer got to her tonight. I kiss her head and squeeze her again before letting her go.

“Please go inside, baby, and let me take care of this.”

She avoids looking at Jay’s body and keeps her eyes on mine. “Need some help?”

I let out a soft laugh at the idea of asking her to help me dig a grave. “No, baby, I’ve got this. Go take care of Peanut. He’s probably worried about you.”

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