Unmasking Her Shadowed Lover

Prologue

Kioni

A dark chuckle rumbles in my throat as I finish tying the fishing string around the last severed finger.

Each one has a large sinker attached to the end.

“Here fishy, fishy,” I whisper, tossing them one by one into the large pond.

There’s a tiny splash and ripple, then they disappear beneath the dark, glassy surface.

There wasn’t enough evidence to keep the man in jail…

more like he had enough money to make it all go away.

So my partner and I took it upon ourselves to make sure he would have a much harder time should he ever attempt to lay hands on a minor again.

See…if you commit murder it triggers a massive investigation.

Removing a few body parts, however, likely means authorities will prioritize more significant crimes, diminishing the importance of a case of missing fingers.

Is this something I do all the time? No.

Only with cases that really tug on the heartstrings and the bastards get away with it.

And only if I know we can also get away with it.

Sometimes, it’s not about bloodshed and more about fucking up their day…

like stealing their hidden money they can’t report because it shouldn’t exist in the first place or destroying something that means a lot to them.

Anything to make it hurt. At least for a little while.

When you are a shitty human, payback is a bitch.

A scream in the distance has me freezing in my tracks.

What the fuck? I pull my balaclava over my nose and tug my hood over my head before making my way in that direction with my gun in hand.

The sounds of a struggle has me picking up my pace, but doing my best to remain silent.

A woman is struggling beneath the man on top of her, trying her best to get away.

I raise my gun, but before I can pull the trigger, a smile graces the woman’s face, stopping me from blowing his brains out and painting her crimson.

The moon highlights her features, and my knees threaten to buckle.

She is the most devastatingly beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The fire behind her blue eyes burns me from within the shadows.

Strands of her red hair fall from her hair tie when he wraps her ponytail around his fist. Despite her ongoing struggles, it’s obvious she’s not making any genuine effort to escape, and she’s enjoying it.

Well, she was enjoying it until he pushes inside of her.

A look of annoyance crosses her face, and I chuckle inwardly.

I need to get closer to her. A twig snaps beneath my boot, and her head jerks in my direction.

Shit. The spark that was there moments ago is back again.

Smirking, I step on the next one on purpose this time.

She squirms again, fighting the man thrusting inside her.

She couldn’t care less about his dick, though.

Her focus is on me. I stroll past a space between the trees where the moon is shining through.

I’m nothing but a shadow to her, a movement in the dark.

She comes, looking right at me, without even knowing it.

She’s fucking astonishing. And deserves someone that will play with her a hell of a lot better than that dickhead.

Such lazy thrusts and strokes on her clit.

Don’t worry, little wolf, I’ll run with you under the stars.

But when I catch you, there’s no getting away.

She pulls up her pants and tells the man she thinks someone is out here.

He dismisses it as a raccoon or deer, then proceeds to walk out of the woods without her.

Without her! I should have just shot the motherfucker.

You should be carrying her, or holding her hand at least. She’s a fucking goddess for crying out loud.

She keeps glancing over her shoulder on the way out. I’m still here, pup. I’m not going anywhere. We’re just going to need to work through some obstacles before I can call you mine.

Once I get the license plate number off their car, I walk back in the other direction to my bike and call my partner. “Run this license plate for me,” I say in greeting, reading it to him. He provides me with an address, and I’m off.

“Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” he asks.

“I found her.”

“Found who?”

“My future fucking wife.”