Page 1 of Don't Hate Me

Prologue

The cold barrel of the gun pushed against the back of my head, causing me to freeze.

I hadn’t heard her move.

The fact that she snuck up on me caused a powerful heat to run through me.

Looks like the little agent still has some surprises to show me.

I took a deep, steadying breath, trying to calm down the excitement that was bubbling up inside of me.

A normal human would have been scared to find themselves with a gun pointed at their head, but I had been dreaming about this day. Dreaming about when she would finally shed that innocent mask of hers and show me the bloodthirsty, violent person she was below the surface.

I paused my rummaging through the nightstand to turn around and look at her.

Her face was hard. Lips smooshed into a thin line, eyebrows pushed together. She was angry. So angry that the hand that had once been so steady when pointing a gun to someone’s face now shook.

Those brilliant green eyes showed the betrayal she didn’t allow to be shown on her face.

I shouldn’t have felt the thrill go through me like it did. Or allow myself to take her in like I did. But I couldn’t help myself. From the moment I saw her on stage, I had been sucked so deep into the pools that there was no way possible to pull myself out.

Even now.

My training told me to disarm her and turn the gun on her instead.

Grab.

Twist.

Turn.

Shoot.

It was a motion I had done hundreds of times before. I could do it right then and end the entire job. But the anger in Blake’s eyes,god,I needed to feel it.

She cocked the gun, though her finger was not resting on the trigger like it should have been when she found someone riffling through her stuff. Stuff that was obviously very incriminating. Stuff that she shouldn’t want anyone to find.

She didn’t want to kill me, but she would if I gave her no choice.It was clear in her face.

It caused me to shiver.

“You manipulated me,” she whispered. Her voice did not betray the hurt I knew was lingering under her skin. A part of me felt bad that I was the cause of her hurt, but my excitement far outweighed it.

“What are you talking about, Blake?” I asked, feigning innocence. “Why are you pointing a gun at me?”

Her jaw clenched.

“Is this why you followed me?” she asked. “How much do you know? Didhesend you? Tell you to fuck with my emotions like this?”

“I don’t know—”

She pushed the gun straight into my forehead. The cool metal sent a violent bolt of electricity up my spine.

“Cut the bullshit, Quinn,” she growled. “Tell me, or I swear to God I’ll blow—”

I grabbed the gun and forced it upward to allow me to lunge at her. Blake was quick in her movements because of her training, but not quick enough.

I tangled a hand in her short locks while the other gripped her throat. I squeezed the sides letting her know exactly who was in charge. Her eyes widened, and for the first time, I saw fear flash across them.

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