Hook (A Hitman's Bait 2)

“What the fuck is this?” Palmer cried and pushed me in front of him.

What a fucking lousy bastard.

“Let him go, and I just might spare your life,” Sully said, his quiet voice sending a chill down my spine.

“You’ll never get away with this,” Palmer said. “You think you’ll have time to leave the premises before my men find you?”

“Your men are all indisposed at the moment. And let’s say they find me. I’ll take pleasure blowing them to pieces like I’m about to you if you don’t take your hands off what’s mine in three seconds.”

“Yours?” Palmer asked, eyes wide.

“Yes, mine. Now remove your hands from his hair and let him go. I’m the only one who gets to hold him like that.”

Oh shit, why did I find Sully so hot right now?

Palmer snorted a laugh but released my hair. “Is this what this is all about? Look, man, I didn’t know he wasn’t single. Didn’t mean to step on anybody’s toes. Are we good here?”

“Come over here to me, Kit.”

I walked away from Palmer and shoved my dress down my thighs. Sully held his gun trained on Palmer, but he slung his other arm around my waist and held me against him.

“You all right, baby?”

The Handbook for Being an Assassin’s Lover should have a rule that one shouldn’t turn to mush simply because he called you “baby” while holding a gun he had every intention of using at the perp who’d been assaulting you a second ago. Oddly specific, yeah, but that should definitely be a rule.

“I’m fine,” I reassured him.

“He struck you?”

“We were just playing,” Palmer said with a nervous laugh. “Your boy likes it rough.”

Pop. Palmer cried out, clutching his thigh, which was now bleeding from the bullet Sully had pumped into it.

“I wasn’t addressing you.”

“Where did he strike you?” Sully asked.

“My face.”

“Good. I’ll know where to put the next bullet.” He lowered his voice. “Go to the car. I’ll meet you there once I’m finished here. You were great.”

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheek, then fled the room. The first time I’d stayed while he killed someone, I’d been in shock.

Once outside the room, I sighed and hurried down the stairs. Halfway down, I froze. Chattering floated toward me.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

Hadn’t Sully taken care of Palmer’s bodyguards? That was usually the first order of business.

Laughter came closer, and two men dressed in black suits came into view. They must have been at the party too.

“Hey!” the bald one shouted at me. “What are you doing?”

I plastered a smile on my face and continued downstairs. “I’ve finished with Mr. Palmer for the night, and he’s asked me to leave.”

Both men glanced at each other. Mr. Bald grinned at me. “That so? How much?”

I blinked at him like I didn’t understand. “Excuse me?”