4. Keir
Keir
I had her. I fucking had her.
The refrain played through my head as I stalked through the stacks.
This level of the library was quiet, but if she’d thought the solitude would save her, Jynx was in for a surprise.
The old carpet dampened the sound of my footsteps, obscuring my location.
She was hidden here. So close I could practically smell her.
Inhaling slowly, I caught a hint of citrus and…
I breathed in deep.
She smelled of desperation. It perfumed the air, luring me closer.
I’d done my research and knew everything there was to know about Jynx.
What size clothes she wore, her shoe size, how much money was in her bank account. Hell, I even knew the make and model of the last dildo she bought. Though why did thinking about her dildo make me want to show her what a real man could do?
Who was I kidding, she wouldn’t be interested in going for round two.
I shouldn’t want to go for round two, but someone needed to tell that to my fucking dick.
The chase combined with thoughts of the ways I could torture information out of her had my cock feeling like a steel rod behind the zipper of my jeans.
Turning my head, I peered down each of the stacks as I stalked the wide aisle between them, my heart rate settling into a slow, steady rhythm. It had always done that when I was on the hunt, and today was no different.
Pulling out my phone, I sent her another text message, messing with her head.
I can hear you breathing.
Can smell your fear, too.
I waited, my head tilted to the side, as I listened for the buzz of the notification.
She wouldn’t have been stupid enough to have the sound on.
Surely, she would’ve silenced the device as soon as I’d sent the first message.
Or maybe she was the type of woman who always had it on silent because she was that fucking courteous.
Yeah, I bet that was it. Though she wasn’t courteous enough not to leave a fucking declaration of war in my cup holder.
Advancing a few more steps, I continued to sweep the yards of ancient carpet, metal stacks, and books.
There were only three ways out of here. The stairs she ascended at the front, down the emergency stairs at the back, or being dragged out of here by her hair.
My dick twitched at the thought of wrapping my hand around that luscious blue-black hair and tugging until tears sprung into the corners of her cunning eyes.
There. On my right.
A rustle of clothing. A sharp inhale of breath.
Now I knew exactly where she was.
Moving quickly and quietly in her direction, I paused at the head of the stack and smiled wickedly.
She stood with her back to me, her head bowed as if she was looking at something. If I had to guess, she was staring at her phone, waiting for the next message to arrive.
However, I was more than happy to let her sweat it out.
“You bastard,” she whispered. “You fecking bastard.”
I stepped up behind her, her attention so riveted on the phone it let me get closer to her than was safe.
But as I raised my arm, the soft swish of my leather jacket caused her to lift her head.
Wrapping my hand over her mouth, I cut off her words as she turned toward me.
Her mouth may not have been able to talk, but her bright blue eyes were saying more than enough.
The hate burning in them made me smirk.
“Now, now, Jynx,” I taunted. “I caught you fair and square.” Snaking an arm around her middle, I hauled her smaller frame against my chest, biting back a fucking moan when I realized how perfectly she fit.
Her fine ass sat snug against my hips. Her struggle to survive sparked a fire beneath my skin.
Dipping my head to her neck, I inhaled her scent, drawing in those citrus hints. Swallowing down the hint of fear.
She bit the inside of my hand, my palm stinging from the force of her jaw.
With a sardonic grin, I returned the favor—taking the meat of her shoulder where it joins her neck in between my teeth and biting down.
Jynx shrieked behind my hand, bucking in my arms. I tightened my grip, knowing my fingers were digging in. Her body was like a live wire fighting against my hold, writhing as she attempted to slide out of my grip. All of this only made me wish I’d knocked her the fuck out instead.
Her hot breath condensed against my palm, sliding between my fingers. Muffled curses came soon after. All it would take was one unsuspecting student to wander up here, and they’d know shit wasn’t right. I had to get her out of here with the least amount of fuss, which meant the emergency stairs.
“If you don’t cooperate with me, I’ll make you regret everything in your life leading to this moment,” I murmured, maneuvering us toward the end of the row.
Before we cleared the last foot, she used my grip on her as leverage and braced her feet against the shelf. Bending her knees, she shoved, throwing me off-balance.
My backward stumble ended in a grunt when I landed against the shelf behind me, the bite of the thick spines and metal shelves jabbing me in the back. I cursed as she fought against my hold, breaking it enough to slip through my fingers.
Without a backward glance, she bolted.
Biting out a curse, I took after her, tackling her to the ground as she attempted to reach the main stairs. I flipped her onto her back as she glared at me.
She thrashed against me, her hair whipping wildly, as she gritted out, “Let me go.”
I reached for her wrists, trying to pin them to the floor. “Say please, Jynx.”
She paused, her eyes wide, as if she was considering whether I could be serious.
Newsflash—I was not.
“Really?” She blinked.
Cocking my head, I stared at her. There was hope in her eyes. Like I’d thrown her a lifeline. Then, for the second time in the space of a few minutes, she took my distraction and used it to her advantage, slipping one hand free from my grip.
“Fecking hell! Stay still.” Recapturing her wrist, I manhandled her off the ground, securing one arm around her waist, while I grabbed my gun from the small of my back.
Shoving the weapon against the base of her skull, I snarled, “Don’t fucking play with me.
You’re coming with me, and you’ll do it quietly. ”
“Fuck…” she started, panting through bared teeth. “You.”
Annnd my dick twitched to life once more. I was getting hard from this combative little minx. What was it with this woman?
“You already did that, remember?”
“Believe me. I wished I hadn’t,” she gritted out.
“Ouch. You might’ve just hurt my feelings,” I retorted wryly.
“I’m pretty sure you don’t have any.”
She didn’t know how close she was. “Now, now, Jynx. It’s not the time to sling insults. I literally hold your life in my hands.” To prove my point, I shoved the muzzle of the gun in a little closer.
With the risk of her head being blown off now motivating her, she moved forward in shuffling steps. “Where are you taking me?”
I directed her to the emergency stairs, shoving open the door and pushing her through.
“Well?” she demanded, like she didn’t have a gun pressed to the base of her skull.
“To see Finnan.”
Molly’s steps faltered. She turned her head as much as she could to look at me. “Why?” she asked in a whisper.
Why? She had the audacity to ask why?
“You know the fucking answer.” In my jacket pocket, my phone rung. If I didn’t answer and it was Finnan, he would fucking excommunicate me. Peeling my hand off her waist, I shoved the gun deeper while muttering, “You move, you’re dead, Jynx.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” she asked, her shoulders tightening.
Ignoring her question, I reached into my pocket with my free hand and answered the call. “What?”
“Do you have her?” Finnan snapped from the other end of the line.
“I’ve got her.”
“Good. Get back here. We need that information.”
Rolling my eyes, I shoved my phone back just as something silver slashed through the air.
I jumped back, hissing in pain. The sleeve of my jacket was now open from elbow to wrist, and blood already dripped down my skin.
Looking up, I saw Molly’s eyes widen, like she couldn’t believe what she’d done.
Well, that made two of us.
Before she snapped out of her stupor, I slammed her against the wall, pinning her there with my undamaged forearm.
Her small hands—one still clutching a knife—wrapped around my arm as her nails dug into my skin, drawing more blood.
I pressed tighter, disarming her and sending her weapon clattering to the floor.
She watched it skid across the slick concrete, teeter on the edge of the landing, before the weight of the handle tipped it over the edge.
We listened with anticipation to the reverberating clang it made as it landed on the ground floor.
“Got any other weapons I should know about?” I growled in her face, angrier with myself than I was with her. I shouldn’t have assumed she’d be unarmed. If she could deliver a message of war, she was more than capable of packing a few weapons.
“Let me go,” she replied.
“Not until you tell us what you know.”
Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and for a moment, I wanted to know if they were from fear or frustration. “I don’t know anything.”
I shook my head. “That’s where you’re wrong, Jynx. I think you know a lot. You just need a little convincing to share it.”
“Please,” she whimpered. “You have to believe me. I don’t know anything.”
“Bullshit,” I snapped, hearing the distinct tap, tap, tap of blood dripping onto the ground between us. “I might’ve been willing to let you go before.”
“Before?” she asked.
“Before … when you hadn’t fucking ruined my favorite jacket and made me bleed. But you did both of those things, so guess how willing I am to do you any favors.”
Her expression crumpled.
Wedging myself closer, I pressed into her personal space.
I was so close I could see the flecks of pale seafoam green normally hidden in her ocean eyes.
Inhaling deep, I smelled the hint of mint and coffee on her breath, the scent of citrus chasing it.
My dick stirred, pressing against her stomach.
With nearly a foot difference between us, I stared down at her, forcing her to tip her head back to maintain eye contact.
“Where did the bullet come from, Molly?”
“I can’t tell you,” she replied, nibbling her bottom lip like it had cost her something to admit it.
“Yes, you can, or you’ll pay for refusing with your life.”
“There isn’t a thing you could do to make me talk.”
Ghosting my free hand along her cheek, I marked her with my blood.
Red. Wet. A promise of the pain she was going to suffer at Finnan’s hand if she continued to refuse to answer the question.
“I think there could be one thing,” I replied, playing my trump card.
Molly O’Reilly had done everything she could to disappear, but you couldn’t hide every skeleton—especially not from me. “Orla.”
Molly’s eyes fixed on me, a tidal wave of emotions swimming in them. “Wh—What did you say?”
“Orla,” I repeated, smug fucking victory lacing my tone. “Your half-sister.”
Her mouth twisted in anger before she spat in my face.
With a sharp growl, I reared back and slapped her, then wiped away the spittle left on my cheek.
Molly’s face was still turned away, a red mark already forming.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and I briefly wondered whether this would break her.
Her sister was obviously someone she wanted to protect, since she had done everything in her power to erase any connection between them.
“Fuck with me, and your sister gets dragged into this.”
Molly finally turned back to me, her eyes now lifeless as she stared into my face. “Orla’s already been dragged into this,” she replied hollowly. Something dark simmered to life behind her blue irises. “And I would rather die than let her get hurt by you or any other man.”
“You’re really willing to die on this fucking hill?”
She nodded. Once. Resolute. “If I tell you anything, he’ll know , and my sister will be the one to pay the price.”
“Who the fuck is he ?” I demanded, feeling a territorial rush tunnel unbidden through my body.
“Please,” she replied. “I can’t tell you. Now, let me go.”
“You know I can’t do that, Jynx.”
“Then, I’m sorry,” she whispered.
Blinding pain suddenly eclipsed all my thoughts.
Jerking backward, I glanced down, finding another knife had been plunged into my leg.
Another motherfucking knife. The sound of harried footsteps drew my attention as Molly raced down the stairs.
I peered over the railing to the flight below, where she’d paused.
A look of contrition and pain crossed her features, and then…
She ran.