Hook (A Hitman's Bait 2)

I dashed past him onto the balcony while Sully walked back into the bedroom. I peered over the edge and gulped. That was a long-ass gap between the balcony and the ground. But maybe we’d make it, considering we would land right into the Olympic-size pool.

“Kit.”

“Yes?”

“I want you to listen to me.” He returned with two sheets tied together in a makeshift rope. “I don’t know how much of our weight these can hold, so you’ll have to go first. Climb down as far as you can, then jump into the pool. Can you do that?”

Eh, no. This wasn’t some action flick, and I wasn’t Spider-Man. When sailing through the air, I could yell “Go web, go,” but I doubt it would get me a safety net to cushion my fall.

“Yes.” I would do it because Sully believed I could.

“That’s my brave kitty.” He grabbed the back of my neck and pressed his lips to mine hard. He stooped and knotted the sheet to the balustrade. “Now climb over and grab the sheet. I’ll help you.”

My heart was pounding in my chest, but I scrambled over the railing and stood on the ledge. Sully kept a hand on me, helping me down until I could grab the cloth.

“I got it.”

“Now go. When you land in the pool, don’t hesitate. Get out and find Liam.”

The banging on the door got louder as if something hard was ramming into it.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the bottom.”

“Dammit, Kit, we talked about this.”

No, he’d talked, and I’d listened, knowing nothing had changed. I loved him even more now. I would never run away without him next to me.

I climbed down as quickly as I could. I needed to give Liam a kiss later for those exercises he’d pushed me to do since I got shot. I was sure my arms hurt just a little less than they would have without the core and upper body exercises.

A barrage of gunshots pierced the air. Sully. I released the sheet, even though I was only halfway down, and braced myself.

Holy fuck. I hit the water hard, which stung like a bitch. I sank to the bottom of the pool, my lungs already too tight. Idiot. I should have taken a deep breath before letting go.

I shot up as fast as I could, pushing my arms through the water. Once I cleared the surface, I gasped for air. Splash. I spun around. Another figure had hit the water. I raised my arm to swim toward him, but a bullet whizzed by my ear, and I shrunk back.

Several more bullets peppered the water.

A hand latched around my ankle and pulled me back under. I screeched and lashed out a foot to kick the person away. Oh, my god. Oh, my god. This asshole trying to drown me couldn’t be Sully, which meant he was still somewhere inside that bedroom.

My heart squeezed painfully as I sank.