CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Raina
I tear out of Connor’s apartment with my arousal still dripping down my thighs.
Getting my bearings while waiting for some enforcer or assassin to jump out at me from all these trees and bushes, I follow the lights until I reach the main road.
There, I fast walk to the next block and duck into an all-night diner.
With shaking hands, I order an Uber, then delete it, thinking it places me at the scene if Connor ends up dead.
“Can I help you?” a server asks me.
I stare at her.
Trust no one.
Having no choice, I clear my throat. “Can you call a taxi for me?”
“My cousin has a livery service. I’ll text him for you.” She points to a booth. “Have a seat. Coffee?”
“Have anything stronger?”
She smiles. “Whiskey?”
“Bless you.” I relax. “I’ll also take a burger and fries to go.”
My head spinning, I start working on my story. I have to explain why Connor is still breathing. These next few minutes tick by as I watch the door to the diner. If Noel’s people were following me, surely, they’d have tackled me outside or come storming in here by now.
They’ll have to accept that I failed. Reaching into my brain, I sip the short glass of Maker's Mark over ice that the server brought me. Maybe my failure will force them to come up with another plan to deal with Connor. Maybe offer some kind of truce.
But the same question hits my brain again. Why does Connor not know the Albanians sent me if he killed their kyre ?
My father.
I wait again for something to stir inside me.
Rage. Fury. Destruction.
Nothing. I feel nothing for the man. I’m stuck, alone, and out of options. But this family that found me out of nowhere is offering me a place to stay. Ugh, even if I have to marry Noel.
Disgust. Revulsion. Terror.
There! My emotions are kicking in. Whew, I thought I was numb.
“Your order is ready.” The server brings a bag to the register.
Relieved that my cash is still in my purse, I pay for the food. When the server tells me a minute later that my ride is waiting outside, I thank her and get into the Town Car.
The driver asks me where to go, and I give him my address.
Praying no one blows us up.
THE NEXT MORNING, I turn over and wince at how sore I am. Just as Connor predicted. Mr. All Heat and Muscle made love to me in his bed and then came in my mouth to claim me as his.
The clattering of my phone knocks me from my thoughts. Recognizing Valdrin’s phone number, I consider not answering, but that’s just delaying the inevitable.
“Yeah,” I answer.
“You were supposed to text me last night. ”
“What time is it?” I play dumb and sit up.
“Six-thirty in the morning. Did you do it? Is he dead?”
No, he most certainly is not dead.
I might be, though. Heat pools between my thighs, a reminder of just how badly I failed at killing Connor Quinlan.
“No.” I keep my voice flat and unapologetic.
Silence rings out on the other end of the line, so loud I worry.
Stay strong, Raina.
“I waited until dawn for him. He never showed up.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Valdrin says with steely annoyance. “A man like Connor Quinlan doesn’t just disappear for the night.”
I force out a humorless chuckle. “You think I’m lying?”
“Why didn’t you text me when you finally gave up and left?” he shrills with a warning tone. “I stayed up all night expecting a message from you.”
“I got home an hour ago.” I squeeze my eyes closed, waiting to hear laughter for lying or scolding for messing up. “I meant to text you when I came home. But I dropped from exhaustion.”
“I don’t think you understand the man you’re dealing with.”
“Of course, I don’t. I don’t know Connor.”
“I mean, Noel!” Valdrin barks.
I let him vent his frustration. It’s best to let a huge wave crash to the shore, get all its energy out, and then try to ride it after it’s lost some steam.
“What was I supposed to do?” I cringe at how whiny I sound. “He was probably trolling the streets all night. Spilling blood.”
“No one has seen him,” Valdrin grinds out.
I drag myself from the bed and amble into the kitchen. “ Find someone else to kill him. Find someone else to marry Noel, while you’re at it. I’ll take my chances being doxed.”
But as I say that, I swallow thickly, worried that a professional will easily end Connor’s life.
Valdrin is quiet for a moment, then his tone shifts. “Maybe we should rethink our approach.”
I exhale slowly. “What do you mean?”
“You hit him in public. I’ll be there to make sure the job gets done.”
My heart pounds as I lean into my kitchen window and press my forehead against the cool glass before everything warms up again. I choose my next words carefully.
“That’s not a good idea, like you said. Too many cameras. I’ll make it happen. I just need another opportunity. This was my first attempt. Do your professional assassins always hit a target on the first try?”
Valdrin sighs, and for the first time, I don’t hear anger, I hear disappointment. And for some reason, that bothers me more. “I can only stand by you for so long, Raina.”
A lump forms in my throat. I want to ask him why, but I also want to get off this phone and pretend this part of my life isn’t real. “Am I in danger?”
“Not yet,” he notes, unsure. “Noel won’t wait forever for that man’s blood to run in the streets.”
A chill skates down my spine. “Did he call you?”
“He called for an update,” Valdrin grumbles. “I told him you checked in earlier, but then I got called away for something else.”
He lied for me. Why?
I close my eyes. Valdrin is giving me a lifeline. But maybe just this once. “What will you tell him now?”
After a bitter scoff, he says, “That you waited for him to leave The Sterling, but he spent the night there with some whore. Noel will believe that.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“Don’t thank me.” His voice hardens. “Just don’t make me regret covering for you.”
The call ends.
I stand there for a long moment, staring out at the city, my pulse pounding in my ears.
Noel is watching me.
Valdrin covered for me.
And Connor Quinlan, the man I’m supposed to kill, is asleep in his bed with my scent on his skin and the taste of my release lingering on his tongue.
I’m so screwed.