Wicked Sinner (Dangerous Love 2)

Right then, the door opened, and another well-dressed, well-muscled man entered. He didn’t even acknowledge her and moved to Joaquin and said something in his ear. Joaquin rose. “You’ve got three days to return my money, Ms. Brennan.” Everything about Joaquin screamed deadly, but most of all the cold iciness in his eyes was what kept her pinned to her seat. “You seem like a smart woman,” he added, slipping into his blazer. “Do not disappoint me. I’ll be in touch.”

His men followed him out, along with Lars, who glared at her on his way out the door.

Right as that door closed, another door flew open and Asher charged into the room, his weapon aimed out in front of him. Everything that had been wrong a second ago was suddenly all better with those green eyes on her. There was a flurry of chaos as Boone and Rhett followed him inside, quickly scanning the room, weapons drawn.

Asher’s gaze stayed trained on Remy. He lowered his gun and rushed forward, taking her in his arms, giving her a good look over. “Are you all right?” he asked.

She nodded, her adrenaline making her shake all over. “Yes, I’m all right.”

Rhett kept his weapon aimed down the hallway. Boone entered the room farther and glanced out the window. “Are you alone?”

“Now, yes.” She gestured at the other door. “They went out that way.”

Tires against gravel cut through the air and Boone turned away from the window. “They’re gone.”

Asher took Remy’s hand and tugged her in front of him and behind Boone. “Let’s get you out of here.”

“I’ve never been happier to hear those words in all my life,” she breathed.

All together, they backed up out of the room and then Rhett carefully led them down the hallway. They hurried into Asher’s car, Remy and Asher in the back, and Boone in the passenger seat. Rhett jumped in the driver’s seat and with a squeal of his tires, he sped away.

Silence thickened the air in the car as Asher yanked her to him, holding her tight. He kissed the top of her head and said, “Jesus Christ, Remy. I have never been so fucking scared.” He leaned away and looked over her again, scanning her from head to toe. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “They didn’t hurt me, they just wanted to talk.”

Emotion flared in his eyes. He cupped her face and pressed his lips against hers. His kiss was fierce and everything she needed to ease the chill in her bones. She’d landed herself in quite the mess, and she considered how to explain all this. Just spending Damon’s money was bad. This?

A total clusterfuck.

When Asher broke away, he said, “You must have been so scared. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I should have fucking been there.” He pressed his forehead against hers.

She leaned into his strength and warmth. “I knew you’d come.”

He moved away then, brushing his hand across her cheek. “Always, Remy. I’ll always come for you.” Then he sealed his mouth against hers again for a long, sweet moment. He gathered her in his arms even closer and held her tight like nothing would ever touch her again.

They drove for a good twenty minutes, and only when she stopped shaking did she break the silence. “How did you find me?” she asked, realizing she was gripping his T-shirt. She released her hands.

Asher’s arms only tightened. “We were looking at known King-associated places, but Fitz got the license plate number. A trucker saw the SUV and called it in. We were only ten minutes away and came.” A pause, then his voice tightened. “Was it Lars in that SUV?”

Remy nodded against his warm chest. “He was there, yes.”

Asher slid out of his coat, then wrapped it around her like a blanket as Boone turned around in the passenger seat and said, “You need to talk to us, Remy, explain what happened there. What did Lars want?”

Remy knew the reaction she was going to get, but there was no denying that she was way in over her head. She looked at Asher, and he cupped her face as she said, “It wasn’t Lars who wanted to talk to me.”

Surprised flickered across his face. “Then who was it?”

“Joaquin King.”

Rhett slammed on the brakes and pulled the car off the road. He turned back to her. “Joaquin King was there?”

She nodded, inching her way closer to Asher to get his warmth, and her eyelids suddenly felt heavy. “He was the one who wanted to talk to me.”

Rhett frowned. “Damn, Remy, what the hell have you gotten yourself involved in?”

Asher tucked a firm finger tucked under her chin. His gaze was firm but tender. “You’re not alone in this. Explain what happened so we can help you.”

Remy could run and hope that she could hide from this, but she could feel the concern running through the air like electricity. She feared all the good steps she and Asher had taken forward would be erased when she told them the truth. That’s what made this all so hard. She’d brought her friends into a dangerous situation, a situation none of them deserved. She let her droopy eyes shut with tears behind her eyelids. “Take me home and I’ll tell you everything.”