Two For The Show (Gun Runner Princess #2)

1. Apollo

T he metal of the gun felt warm on my forehead having been hidden between her perfect breasts. I suppose I should have been prepared for this reaction. My treasure wouldn’t care if she was in the middle of a packed dance floor, not when hunting. Thank fuck the room was dark and full of smoke so the patrons around us didn’t notice what was going on. However, there were two men who I knew were laser-focused on everything Von did. If I was lucky I had about two minutes before Bear would make an appearance, drawing everyone’s attention to our lover’s spat.

“Treasure,” I said in a low, soothing voice. “There’s no need to be so hasty.”

“I’m not,” Von stated and pulled back the hammer cocking the gun. “You knew this was how things would end. Why else pull me out here when you spilled the beans?”

I let out a sigh. How could I argue when she spoke the truth?

“Watch it, asshole,” a man yelled from the sea of dancing people.

That’s my cue .

Lifting my hands as if I were about to pray for my life I spoke quickly. “Please know this is going to hurt me much more than it hurts you, my treasure.”

Before she could react, a man behind her crashed to the floor, clearly too drunk to avoid the person Bear threw in our direction. While she was distracted, I darted forward and chopped swiftly at Von’s throat using the edge of my hand. This move, when done correctly, would cause her esophagus to spasm and cut off her air, rendering her far more compliant. Upon reflex, she grabbed her throat, removing the gun from my head, which gave me the opening I needed.

I snatched the gun, tossed her over my shoulder, and bolted off the dance floor.

Now I’m not typically a man who runs from a fight, but this was different. Bear meant everything to Von, so I was forbidden from ever truly fighting the man. You see if I was forced into a position where I had to fight for my life, I'd do whatever needed to be done to walk away alive. Since I knew I couldn’t kill Bear it was better to avoid ever getting into such a situation. Besides, I’m not entirely sure who would win, but I know two things—I don’t play fair, and I’d lose Von forever if I killed Bear.

Weaving skillfully through the crowd, I burst out near the back of the club. I pulled my swipe card from my front pocket and unlocked the storage room door. I’d had it replaced with a door made out of thick metal, much like you’d use in a panic room or bank vault. I knew when I heard it thud closed behind me that Von’s men couldn’t get in easily. All I wanted was the chance to talk to my treasure in peace. It was going to take all the skill I had to prove how valuable I was alive.

Taking two stairs at a time, I carried her up to my safe room and placed my hand on the sensor which unlocked the door. I’d had this built as a backup hideout should I ever find myself unable to use the other five locations I have scattered around the continent. If need be, I could last locked in this room for at least a month, but I hoped it wouldn’t take me that long to convince Von to keep me.

I gently laid her out on the sofa and began to massage her neck to get the muscles I’d hit to relax. The stubborn woman fought against my touch, leaving me no choice but to give her CPR or risk oxygen deprivation. With two fingers I pinched her nose, tilted her chin, and gifted her my breath.

“Treasure, I need you to let me help you. These hands of mine were never created to hurt you, only to bring you pleasure,” I murmured, working on her neck again. “Now envision your throat relaxing and what it feels like to take a deep breath of sweet air.”

Her hand wrapped around my wrist which caused me to meet her gaze. Those honey-brown eyes with flecks of bronze were filled with fury and the promise of a slow, painful death. God, it was wrong for me to feel so turned on by the knowledge that having her this close was like playing Russian Roulette with my life. There’s no telling what she’d do next and fuck if that didn’t make me want to push her buttons simply to discover everything I didn’t know about her.

“That’s it, my beloved treasure,” I murmured as I traced the tip of my finger down the bridge of her regal nose. “Use your anger and command your body to give you back your breath. I crave to hear what venom you have to spit at me.”

She bared her teeth as her eyes flashed with rage.

“Are you the Wolf or not?” I goaded. “Maybe you’ve turned into a good little lapdog for your new gal pal. What was her name? Oh yes, Astin Caprioni, queen of the mafia.”

While her anger grew tenfold her throat still wasn’t relaxing. This left me with only one last option, and it would be like sticking my head in the lion’s mouth. Without warning I slapped her across the cheek, and the sting of my hand was like a knife to my heart. Von roared and slugged me in the face so hard I was knocked back on my ass. Von pounced as another fist landed on my temple dazing me a bit, but it didn’t matter because I could hear her ragged breathing. My treasure would be just fine, which had me smiling.

I dodged the incoming blow and blocked the next. “You can’t kill me, my treasure. Not if you ever plan to get out of this room.”

My words didn’t slow her assault in the slightest. Left with little choice, I grabbed her wrist and jerked her close enough that our noses almost touched.

“Listen to me,” I snapped. "The only way out of here opens with my handprint, but it will only work if I’m alive when I touch the sensor. There’s also a twenty-digit code which needs to be entered for the door to unlock if it’s been less than twenty-four hours since I entered.”

Von narrowed her stunning eyes at me, searching my expression. “Why should I believe a fucking con artist? All you do is lie?” she spat, shoving herself away from me.

“That’s a valid question. However, I’d hoped handing over the judge might have earned me even the slightest sliver of trust,” I said, motioning with two fingers just how small that sliver was. “All I want is for you to hear me out. Once I’ve said what I need to say, then you can kill me if you think I’m full of shit.”

Von scoffed. “A snake like you will do or say anything to stay alive.” Proving just how much faith she had in my words, Von sucker-punched me right in the mouth.

I knew this wasn’t going to be easy. In fact—this interaction with Von was the most important moment of my life. Either I’d be able to pull this off and stay alive a little longer, or I’d die. At least I’d die knowing it was by the hands of the one and only person in this life or the next I’d willingly give up my last breath to. Everyone has to die one day but they don’t often get the chance to pick who will do the final deed. Who was better to take out the god Apollo than the goddess of violent deaths, Ker?

While that dream might come true sooner than later, I wasn’t quite ready for it to be today. Not until I’d had my chance to prove my place was beside Von, helping her as she ruled the underbelly of this criminal world. Yet for that to happen I had to make Von listen to me.

So how do you get a wolf to respect you?

First, you’d have to prove you’re worthy of their respect. Second, show them you're either equal or more dominant than they are. In simple terms—I had to get my woman to submit in the smallest way possible for her to hear me out. However, getting her to the point where she’d submit would torture me in a way nothing else could.

Prepared this time, I blocked another blow directed toward my head, then used my elbow and slammed into her side where she was still healing. Von grunted, yet it didn’t seem to slow down her next attack aimed at my throat.

I think it's time to switch positions.

While I loved to see her on top, I think having her under me might be even better. Using my legs, I wrapped them around her body, then with all the strength I had, I shoved my legs back to the floor. This had Von bending backward, and the only way to get out of my hold was to get off my chest–or break my leg lock. At least that’s the two options ‘ normal ’ people would think of.

Pain sliced up my leg as she mother fucking bit me. I felt her sharpened canines as they pierced my skin through my damn pants. My eyes rolled back in my head as I almost came thinking of how my treasure was marking me, placing her claim on my body. Then her fist pounded into my thigh trying to cause the muscle to spasm and force me to let her go.

Too bad for you, my precious love, I’ll never let you go, not now that you’ve marked me .

Abruptly, I rolled onto my stomach and released Von at the same time so as not to smash her face into the floor. I swiftly got to my knees, spun around, and lunged for Von before she could get to her feet. We crashed to the floor while I slipped my arm around her throat and squeezed. I placed both my knees on the back of hers and sank all my body weight into those pressure points, ensuring her legs were immovable. Yet this didn’t stop Von from thrashing and clawing at me with her nails, trying to find my face, but I hid it in her hair. I wasn’t overly vain, but I felt no one would hold it against me if I avoided having my eyes clawed out.

“Please, my treasure, just hear me out,” I pleaded, my lips brushing the shell of her ear. “Von, I have no problem choking you out if I must. Push me that far, and I’ll be forced to tie you up which is the last thing I want to do. I know the damage it will cause for you to wake up bound, unable to move, and feel the bite of metal on your wrists. The choice is yours, what will it be?”

Von slowly stopped struggling, proving my threat landed and she was taking me seriously. After a moment, I removed my knees from her legs and carefully stood, hoisting her up at the same time. I kept my arm locked around her neck not trusting she’d stay compliant. Or maybe it was simply because I loved the feel of her body against mine. However, now was not the time to indulge in my addiction to this woman. I had a small window to reason with this feral wolf of mine before she decided to try to bite my head off again.

“I’m going to put on a pair of Zip Tie cuffs for my protection, treasure. Keep in mind, the faster I’m able to explain myself, the sooner you’re free,” I reminded, nuzzling my nose in her hair and breathing in her scent.

A grunt was my only response, which had me chuckling.

“It appears I’m the lucky winner of the silent treatment,” I commented with a smile as I pulled the cuffs from my back pocket.

Putting a little distance between us, I slipped the plastic rings around her hands. Then I glanced at the mirror on the wall and saw her expression.

“Oh, my treasure, you won’t fool me with that pout,” I said, then leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “Even if seeing it makes me want to taste those perfect lips of yours. While I crave to feel them once again, I know when it comes to a predator such as yourself, silence is when people should fear them most.”

“How the fuck do you know so much?” Von demanded, jerking against my hold as I tightened the cuffs.

With a thrust of my hips, I moved Von forward toward a metal chair I’d bolted to the floor. I wasn’t sure she’d sit without being forced, but Von was never known for being predictable. It was part of her charm I loved the most, she’d always keep me guessing. Once seated, I secured her legs to the chair with two more thick ties. Finished, I rested my hands on her bare knees and slowly stroked the sensitive skin of her inner thigh, which sent a shiver of pleasure through my whole body.

Deciding to answer her question, I tilted my head to meet her gaze. I needed her to understand what I was about to say was no joke, so I dropped my mask and revealed the real Apollo.

“Because I had to know everything about the woman who walked into my life and stole my fucking soul,” I admitted bluntly. “You clearly forgot me and moved on with your life. However, it was the opposite for me, my treasure. You have never left my thoughts, not even once. The only way I could survive as I waited for the moment was to learn anything and everything I could about you.”