Chapter Nine #2
“That stupid fuck.” He mashed a button on his phone. “Get me my son.” A deep breath. “Now!”
A scuffle outside the door before a thump against the thick, oak door had her turning in her chair just in time to watch Lance come through the door. Beaten. Bloody. Still sexy. And pissed-off as hell.
Instant rage on his behalf pulsed like a live being through her body. Someone is fucking going to pay. Jasmine understood how some people said they would burn the world down for another. Right then, she completely got that.
Lance’s angry gaze found her and she was up out of her seat and moving before he had to say a word. Eyes searching his face, she touched near his bleeding head injury but not actually on it.
“Who do I kill?” She turned back to Dusan as she asked the question, her hand staying on Lance’s chest.
“I’ve done nothing but be loyal to you,” Lance said, words slightly slurred.
Jasmine moved beside him, angling her body to see both Dusan and the door, where his men had regathered. Once they pulled themselves up off the floor.
“Did the shit work you asked. Helped you. And this is the thanks I get. Keep the fucking position, I’m done.
Your fucking son did this to me. Because he was all butthurt that my girl isn’t falling over for him and she refused him.
” He brushed his lips over her forehead.
“You okay?” The question was a whispered caress.
“Uh-huh.” She matched his low tone.
“Let’s go,” he said more loudly.
She moved him to the door and Dusan got to his feet. “Wait.”
“Fuck you. If this is how you treat people who follow you, nope, find someone else.” He stumbled, and she used more of her strength to hold him up, to ensure they didn’t give away exactly how weak he was at the moment.
“I said wait!” Dusan’s thick Slavic accent made the word difficult to understand, however his tone ensured the command was crystal clear.
Two of his men blocked their way.
“Hold on a minute, baby,” Jasmine said. The moment she released Lance, she was on them, taking them down with feral accuracy, her body in destroy and protect mode.
And Lance was the one she was protecting.
She would burn everything down to ensure success.
She secured their weapons and a set of keys.
“Arm around me.” She positioned herself by Lance again, in a manner where she still had clean lines of shot.
“You will let me talk.” Dusan moved around his desk, face angry.
She narrowed her gaze and pinned him with an unflinching look overflowing with rage.
“I don’t care to hear a single fucking thing you say.
I’m taking my man to get looked at. You’d better fucking hope he comes out of this without any damage, because if he doesn’t, what I did to that bunch of men your son sent to kill me will look like child’s play.
” Her words were cold, bitter, and full of lethality.
He paused, a perverse smile turning up his lips. “I believe you.”
“My life is fucking complete now, hearing that. I’m also taking one of your cars and the cops won’t be called.”
Sick admiration flitted over his expression. “Never.” He crossed his arms and rested his ass against his desk. “I’ll be seeing you soon.”
There was no point in hiding their destination, as the men knew where both of them lived. So she took the SUV she’d confiscated to get to Dusan’s and loaded a nearly unconscious Lance into the backseat. Once she had him situated, she dove behind the wheel and got moving.
At his place, she peered at him over the seats and frowned. He really didn’t look good. A moment had her thinking of reaching out to his handler but that was squashed.
No doubt we’ve been followed. And most likely there are more bugs in this place.
Joining him in the back, she straddled Lance on the seat and put her face in his.
“Wake up, Lance.”
It took a few tries before those blue-green eyes, hazy with pain, opened to somewhat focus on her.
“My woman on top of me. A dream come true but I’m sorry, baby, I don’t think I can do the work this time. If you need to use me, I’ll happily lay here and let you get off on my dick.”
“Not right now, thanks. I need to get you inside.”
His lips pursed. “Isn’t that what I just said?”
A small chuckle of relief slipped free. “I meant inside your apartment. Think you can make it to the elevator?”
“Do I get a naked massage?”
She slid off him and reached out a hand to help him up so they could get out of the vehicle. He took it, hand clammy, and more anger surged at what they’d done to him. Michel was going to die.
“Baby, you get inside, I’ll give you whatever you want. Right now, I need you to slide forward and join me on the ground outside the vehicle.”
“Fuck.” He groaned. “Thought I’d already gotten out.” Lance pushed up, shaky and definitely fading fast.
Taking most of his weight, she walked them inside to the elevator. He sagged against the silver wall as it moved up to his floor. When the car opened and they stepped out, she checked to make sure none of his blood had been left on the wall. Seeing a bit, she wiped it off with the hem of her shirt.
Wasn’t perfect, but she could get it later. Not like a lot of people would notice.
Twenty minutes later, she’d given him some ibuprofen, cleaned up the worst of his external injuries and had him sleeping naked in bed.
She wiped up the elevator wall as well then returned to the apartment.
He hadn’t moved, and she checked the bandage job once more before clearing the bugs from the apartment.
Peeking in the bedroom, she made sure Lance was still hanging on to the mortal realm.
She finally allowed herself a deep breath.
He was okay, she was alive. While she longed for a shower, she wasn’t about to leave him alone, so she settled into the oversized chair in the corner, placing her sidearm on the armrest. On the compact table beside her was a small unopened bottle of water.
The room was almost completely dark, she could see the door but was hidden unless someone was definitely searching for her specifically.
There were pre-emptive notifications set if… when…someone broke in.