Page 10 of Wreaking Havoc on my Heart

“I…” her voice trails off and her body sags in defeat. “I’m scared.”

It’s just a whisper, but I hear it louder than a megaphone in my ear. And, shocking myself, I find I would do almost anything so that she didn’t feel afraid.

“Of what?” If I can get to the bottom of it, then maybe I can help. She had the balls to take me on the second she met me, even though I have a solid foot and a half plus a hundred pounds on her. She should have no reason to fear anything if she doesn’t fear me.

Is that bragging? Sure. Do I care? Not a single fucking bit.

Instead of looking at me, she tucks her face into my chest and I let her. Admitting our fears is sometimes just as scary as facing them. All I want is for her to turn to me in this moment instead of away.

“I’m scared I won’t be enough. That whatever we have planned, whatever is about to happen next, I won’t be enough for any of you.” Her hands clutch to my shirt, and I let her tears fall while I hold her close.

“What makes you think you won't be enough?”

I’ve never been the comforting type, never the talk-it-through guy. Not for myself, not for E, and especially not for anyone else. Except, with her it’s different. I find myself wanting to help her find a way through this, and I need more information if I’m going to be able to do that.

“I’m always the weak link. I can’t fight nearly as well as the others. I don’t know how to use a gun, and no one sees me as anything more than the Barbie doll I pretend to be. Heck, I can’t even keep up with Damien on our runs and he’s the slowest one!”

That’s what she’s worried about?

“So all you need to do is train a little harder.” I shrug, perplexed as to why she thinks this is such a big deal. Women's minds are fascinating. “Endurance takes time to build, but you can build it. Fighting can be learned. Hell, I’m sure the great Mafia King has a shooting range you can use over break if you really want to learn to use a gun.”

I’m feeling pretty proud of myself and my ability to give her answers until she looks up at me with her eyes slitted.

“Oh okay, let me just train harder.” She pushes herself out of my hold and takes a step back. “Easy as that, huh? Just throw a few more punches at the bag, just run a little further each day and then maybe something will change. Eventually. Cool, great advice there.”

Wow. Okay, so logic is not the right thing to bring up when she’s upset. Noted.Laney tries to move back to her seat, putting even more distance between us, but I don’t understand. I grab her, needing to see where I went wrong.

“Wait, why are you upset?”

She throws her hands up in the air, breaking our contact and dammit I’m really starting to fucking hate that.

“Who’s going to help me train harder, Havoc? Evie can’t run. I don’t know if you’ve seen Alexi lately, but he’s in full planning mode and also the last person in the world I want to be close to like that. Damien and Lev aren’t going to leave Evie’s side or each other for that matter. I know no one where we are going, and I doubt ‘the great Mafia King’ is going to trust me enough to provide resources.”

Her face has the audacity to actually look confused.Does she not see me, standing here, right in her fucking space? Me. The Shades’ assassin. One of the best in the entire fucking world. Am I not even a thought in her mind?

Well, that’s going to need to change. Now.I crowd her and push her back into the wall of the plane.

“You have other options, boss lady. Look around.” I make sure I’m the only one, the only thing she can see. The moment my words click, her eyes widen at my offer.

“Youwant to train me?” She nearly gasps, as if me wanting to be in her presence would be such a burden to us both.

“Only if you beg nice and pretty for me.”

That gets her laughing. I don’t even care that it’s at my expense.

“Not a chance in the stars.”

“There’s a lot of stars, I’m sure one of them will get you on your knees begging for my help.”

The fear and trepidation from before is gone, replaced with the confident, spunky girl beneath. I can see her turning into the strong woman I know she is right before my eyes.

She stands taller, then presses onto her tiptoes until she’s only an inch from my face. My eyes are drawn to her lips, but not because I want to kiss them. Okay, notonlybecause I want to kiss them. I’m drawn to them because she’s smiling, and it’s like all the colors of the rainbow flash before me.

“Please,” she whispers. My dick stirs, but I don’t move a muscle, not wanting this moment to end. “Please teach me everything you know.”

“I know a lot,” I shoot back with a grin.

She bites her lip and bats her eyelashes at me before dropping back onto her feet. “Somehow, I doubt that.”

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