Chapter 7 #2
But before I take a step inside, a male voice reaches me. “Come out, come out, wherever you are, Shadow. I know you’re here somewhere. I can feel you. You’re safe with me.”
The Jackal’s statement strikes me as funny. Safe? With him? That’s a pretty good joke, considering how we met.
How did he get inside before me?
No one followed us. No one entered this place. Unless he got in the same way I did, through that damn window. Or before us...
Anger boils inside me. Once again, he’s crossing my plans, and I don’t like it at all. Quite the contrary.
By what fucking chance does this guy always end up in the same place as me? Why the hell is he getting in my way again? Didn’t he learn anything the first time?
It’s true I messed with him recently, but that was just payback.
Did he feel provoked? Did he feel challenged?
“Come on, Shadow. Don’t be a coward.” The low chuckle that follows increases my irritation, and I clench my jaw.
I emerge from the corridor and slip like a ghost along the hall until I see him.
He’s standing in the open space of the warehouse, dressed as before, with a mask on his face.
His back to me. In front of him, on the ground, lies the motionless body of the man who led me here.
The body of the security guard I was going to question.
The pool of blood before him resembles tar in this light, but I’m certain it’s blood.
The safe house list can go to hell!
“I can sense you,” Jackal continues. “Isn’t it strange? It’s as if I sense, deep down, when you enter the range of this magnetic pull.”
God, this guy’s out of his mind. I hope someone helps him soon, or he’ll end up six feet under.
And that will be one less problem for me.
Quietly, I draw the knife strapped to my leg. Holding the weapon in my hand and looking at his back, the urge to hit him right in the middle burns inside me. My fingers are itching to do just that. And I’m perfect at throwing at a target, though not as fast as he is.
However, I can’t do that. The guy’s a challenge for me and I want to beat him, but not like this. Not like a coward and someone unworthy of first place.
Inhale... Exhale... With a swift movement, I release the knife from my fingers. It pierces the air and sticks a step away from the Jackal’s foot.
“You missed, my love.” It’s all a joke to him.
“You know very well that I wouldn’t miss unless I wanted to.”
He slowly turns to face me, remaining where he is. Only then do I take a step forward and emerge from the shadows.
A hand rests on his chest. “Aw, baby. You’ve got me by the heart. You don’t want to hurt me.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Jackal. Just because I haven’t killed you yet doesn’t mean I won’t. What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to return the favor and tell you that you’re late.”
Under that fucking mask, there’s a smug smile on his face, I’m sure of it. And I want to scratch it off with my own claws.
And damn him... The words he spoke open something inside me. I can feel it. That damn attraction. His presence makes every cell in my body stand at attention. For what? I have no idea.
This isn’t the time for that.
My gaze falls once again at the security guard lying on his back.
“Why did you kill him?”
“He was useless.”
“To whom? To you? What’s your goal, Jackal?”
“What’s yours?” He tilts his head back, sizing me up. “I have a hunch we’re heading for the same place.”
“Impossible,” I say, shaking my head.
“And yet, it’s not by chance that we’ve run into each other. For so long, our paths never crossed, and now, suddenly, here we are.”
“Stop getting in my way, Jackal, or it will end badly for you. Whatever you’re doing now, back off,” I hiss.
A mischievous fire burns in his eyes. With one step, then another, he closes the distance between us.
“I can’t do that, and you know it. Maybe you should back off?”
“No way. I have a job to do, and I’m going to do it. Stop getting in my way.”
“You’re fucking hot when you’re angry, you know that?” His voice is seductive and affects me like nothing else in the world. Of course, I won’t admit that. Lately, there’s a lot of things I don’t want to admit, even to myself.
Fuck.
“Don’t say shit like that.”
“Why? We’re more alike than anyone will ever say. I know more than you’d like.” With that, he pulls a knife from his pocket and throws it at me.
I don’t dodge; I don’t move. The blade cuts through the sleeve of my sweatshirt and sticks into the wall behind me. A trickle of blood runs down my arm and lower.
Strangely, it doesn’t make me feel disgusted or upset. I feel... calm.
The Jackal’s fucking fast, and for a split second, I think he’s too fast for me. But he doesn’t want to hurt me right now, just scratch me. If it were any other way, I would have a knife stuck in my heart.
“You’re just like me,” he repeats. “We think alike. You enjoy playing with knives. Blood excites you. Am I right?”
He’s out of his mind. I’m not going to confess my darkest desires. Or that we’re alike.
“You couldn’t control yourself, could you?” I nod toward the security guard. I need to change the subject. Fast.
“Like I said, he was useless. If it makes you feel any better, I was bored waiting here for you. You know I like to play with my food.”
“You’re a psycho,” I say, but a smile plays at the corners of my mouth. In that, we’re alike.
“I am, and I’m right behind you, my love.”
He chuckles and then attacks, prompting me to react in kind. Jumping on him like a tree, I wrap my legs around his waist and hit his shoulders with my elbows. I want to wring his stupid neck.
The Jackal catches me around the waist with one hand, spins us around, and throws us to the ground. His arms protect me a little from the impact, but I still feel it in every bone. But that’s not the worst part.
The worst thing is that the damn bastard doesn’t stop laughing. The sound is so warm and happy that I know I’ve made a mistake.
Almost his entire weight lands on me.
Before he can make his next move, I punch his masked face until he turns it to the side.
I wonder if he’ll be so happy now.
He pins the hand I hit him with to the ground, then does the same with my other.
For a moment, the world stands still. Our breaths mingle. All I see are his eyes, dark as a stormy sky, steely. Beautiful. Magnetic. I can’t look away.
All I can feel is his body pressed against mine and my heart pounding like crazy. Mine and his. I breathe deeper, more greedily, and yet I still feel like I’m not getting enough oxygen.
And then my thoughts turn to that place in my lower abdomen, waking up from its lethargy and vibrating with all its might. I want to move closer to him, to feel him more intensely.
Maybe this is what I should use against him?
So, I move restlessly to test him, and a spark of surprise appears in his eyes. The intensity of his gaze doesn’t waver.
Bingo, baby.
It’s a double-edged sword because I can feel the excitement building between my thighs. Still, I lift my hips again and rub against him once more.
The Jackal’s breathing quickens, his gaze darkens even more.
Another movement of my hips, but this time his hips move in the same rhythm as mine. He rubs against me, and his erection is obvious. He’s hard. Fucking hard.
And I like it. The fluttering in my stomach is getting stronger.
What the fuck am I doing?
This is a mistake. A damn big mistake that I have to fix quickly. I have to distance myself from him.
We’re enemies, not friends!
Taking advantage of his lack of concentration, I gather strength in my hips and roll us both over. Now he’s lying on his back. But I slip out of his arms and before he realizes what’s happening, I’m already standing a few steps away.
“Do you want me to help you clean up here?”
“No need. I’ve already taken care of us. The cleaning crew will be here in thirty minutes.”
“This isn’t a fairy tale, Jackal. It doesn’t end with a happy ending. And it’s not over,” I pant, trying to control myself.
“Of course not. This game ends when one of us stops playing.”
“Don’t get in my way again.” I throw this out and walk in the direction I came from. His laughter echoes behind me.
Before I disappear from his sight, he adds, “One day, I’ll marry you. Consider yourself warned.”
Shaking my head, I refuse to take part in his insane games any longer. This guy’s more fucked up than I could ever imagine.
How he even came up with such an absurd idea is beyond me.
“We’ll see about that, Jackal. I’ll mention it when I’m laughing and dancing at your funeral. My love.”
And then I hide in the arms of the shadows.