Then—
Slam.
I hit the brakes, and the car skids to a crooked stop, nose tilted toward a bush.
Five seconds, that’s all I have.
I throw the door open, grabbing the gun from the passenger’s seat, and duck low behind the open door, trying to follow what the other car is doing.
The forest swallows every source of light but I can hear everything.
The second car appears and stops less than ten yards from me. I raise the gun, finger on the trigger.Breathe. This will be a one-shot deal, clean and done. The headlights that blink straight in my eyes don’t help, but at least I have some visibility.
They step closer, and I’m ready for the moment, but…
In the pinch of a second before firing, I see him. The soft glow of the moon illuminates his face as he leaves the car. The same face I’d watched from afar too many times and from up close not enough. He’s not a threat—or at least so I hope.
Azrael.
What in the actual fuck? I lower the gun an inch—just an inch, what if he means funny business?—and that’s when he says it.
“I thought I told you never to run from me again.”
CHAPTER 28
AZRAEL
From the moment she entered my life, Victoria was the bane of my existence. Like all my sins were finally ready to send me to hell.
Did I tell her I would fuck her two days ago? No, but she must have seen it in the way I looked at her the entire night. I’d also had to push myself to stop in the car, because one more second with my fingers inside her and I would have lost it.
Why does everything need to be moving on fast-forward with her? She just didn’t understand that the date was not a test for her, it was for me. The torture, the manipulation, those are as easy as breathing for me. All I’d wanted to do was to take my girl on a date. One nice fucking thing. One. And she just blew me off.
Not to mention that half of my brain was preoccupied by the little fuckers that are still roaming around the world somewhere, trying to make me waste my time on them.
As much as I hate to agree with Zachary, he is right. They could get to my little ember, and I cannot let that happen. It’s not like I have any doubt in her abilities; she has proven to meone too many times she can kill. But protecting her is somethingIwill do from now on.
I had to give myself a few hours—just a few damn hours—to think properly. By the time morning came, I was already craving her again. Not sexually. Well, notjustsexually. Fuck, she’s the type of woman who’d kill you, kiss you, then sleep like a baby beside the body. How could I not crave her?
I called, trying to set up something and maybe find a way to apologize for yesterday—because yes: I, Azrael, would beg on my knees for her forgiveness. But what does she say? She’s busy with a job. Fine.
Saturday dragged, and I was barely restraining myself. I kept walking to the door every two minutes, talking myself out of running to her place. The entire day, I fully expected her to somehow appear in front of me. However, it didn’t happen. She answered my calls, texted back, but was very uncharacteristically detached compared to the borderline obsessed texts she used to send. Was she that mad I didn’t fuck her? I wanted to, but it’s not like my Victoria would ever win a prize for understanding someone else’s side. She was definitely mad at me.
I told myself I was giving her space, that she needed the time and I needed it as well, so we could process what is happening with us.
Lie.
By Monday morning, pride isn’t even in the room anymore. Just me, my keys, and one last stupid idea.
Her apartment building isn’t hard to get into, and the doorman has seen me enough times to not need explanations for why I’m there. I go straight to her apartment, armed with one thought: this is the last time she is pushing me away.Or I’m pushing her away.Yes, both versions.
Her apartment is empty. The entire place is right now populated by Cat, who doesn’t seem too excited to see me.Still a work in progress.
I pick up my phone and, right at this moment, I’m so fucking grateful I hacked her phone. Alex. He picks up on the second ring.
“I mi?—”
“Where is she?”