“Bless—blessings? You want him to count his blessings?” Tom complains, jerking his head in the direction of his partner. “You fuckin’ stabbed him. John’s probably dead.”
“He’s being a bit dramatic if he is,” I say, brushing the concern off…though I had hit the other one’s leg pretty deep. “In fairness, hedidtry to stab me first.”
“You ambushed us,” he stammers, trying to blame me again as if this is all some misunderstanding for us to clear up. “People got a right to defend themselves.”
“I could not agree more,” I tell him, and for a brief moment, he looks relieved. “Peopledohave a right to defend themselves. But if they don’t possess the disposition or the means…I’m glad to step in.”
No doubt sensing his impending peril, Tom tries to scramble back, but instead loses his balance and falls forward, the wooden boards and the sickening crunch of his nose conveniently muffling the sound he makes. Unfortunately, the floor’s interference appears to have been useless based on the way the bedroom door promptly flies open behind me…then closes again with a few quiet and familiar murmurs of blasphemy.
“Now you’ve done it,” I tell Tom, standing and giving him a light kick with my boot. “Better roll onto your side. I’ll be upset if you suffocate before I can kill you.”
He does as I say, likely more due to the pain in his face than my request. Or simply because he also wants to look at the figure I can feel hovering right inside the doorway. Given how much I like to do the same, I honestly can’t blame him.
“You have to help me,” Tom starts, appealing around me to Aiden. “He’s a madman. He’s crazy. He—”
“Shut it,” Aiden barks, and I hear the distinct click of his gun’s hammer as he steps farther into the room. “Cypress.”Reluctantly for once, I turn to face him, watching as he aims his gun at the man tied up at my feet, then looks to the one in the corner and then to me. “What the hell are you doing?”
“Well…” My eyes take the same path through the scene he just had, and given the evidence, I decide, as usual, honesty remains the best option. “Currently, I’m either at the beginning or”—I glance at John’s unmoving form—“halfway through a double murder. How about you? What have you been doing?”
When Aiden only stares at me rather than respond, his brows knit together in concern, I really begin to worry. “Youdidsay you understood some men need killing.”
Aiden blinks. “What?”
“Earlier. You said—”
“Iknowwhat I said,” he snaps, voice coming out rough. “I also said it didn’t have to be you, didn’t I?”
“You did,” I hastily agree, despite the cold rage still simmering beneath my skin. “Feel like maybe we have a differing opinion there, but then, no one sees eye to eye all the time.”
“Christ,” Aiden mutters, apparently not ready to agree to disagree as he switches to his deity’s full name. “JesusChrist. At this point I’d settle for half the time.”
“Please, you have to—” Tom starts again, believing now to be his potential opening, until both Aiden and I respond with a sharp, “Quiet.”
“You see that?” I say to Aiden when the man immediately falls silent. “We agreed there just fine. All hope isn’t lost.”
I could swear that the corner of Aiden’s mouth twitches before he reflexively adjusts his hat, uncocks his pistol, and places it back in its holster. “What’s the plan here, Cypress? Besides ruining Dolly’s rug?”
He nods at John, and I note how the blood has now unfortunately spread to the edges of her Persian rug. “Well, she’s not going to be happy about that.”
“She will not,” Aiden confirms. “Even told me to remind you.”
“I’ll replace it again.”
“Again? How many times—never mind. Don’t tell me.”
“This particular rug? Only—”
“I saiddon’ttell me. Not tonight.” Aiden sighs, sounding worn out, before he nods his head toward Tom now, whoisstill breathing but who appears to have passed out, too. “You really were just going to kill them both here?”
I shrug. “That was my plan.”
“Then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“Then what would you do withtwobodies on the second floor, Cypress?” he says, and not even the blatant irritation in his voice is enough to overshadow how good it sounds when he says my name. “You kill them and then what? You walk back out the front door?”
“Not exactly.”