Isobel clears her voice. “My son is right. And I’m sure Miss MacAllister is nervous enough without you performing an inquisition, Abram. Leave her be.”
Sin looks at his mother as though he has no idea who she is.
I wait until Thane and Abram aren’t looking to mouth “thank you” at Isobel. She gives me a kind smile followed by a single nod.
I don’t think she’s the woman Sin claims her to be. I believe I could find an ally in her. It’s definitely worth a try since she may very well hate Thane as much as I do.
* * *
It’s after two in the morning when Sin’s phone comes to life on the nightstand. “Aye … okay … I’ll be there in twenty.”
The bed moves when he rolls toward me. “Bonny Bleu.” He spoons me from behind and kisses my neck. “I have to go out for a while.”
“Mmm … hmm.”
He nuzzles my neck with his facial hair. It tickles. “Did you hear me, Bonny? I have to leave.”
“I heard you.” My voice is slow and lazy.
“I probably won’t be back before morning.”
“’Kay.”
The mattress shifts. I hear rustling in his closet, followed by water running. I don’t think he’s even trying to keep the noise to a minimum. But I’ll forgive him. He isn’t accustomed to having a woman in his bed.
I get up and slip my robe on over its matching gown. I stand in the doorway with squinted eyes watching Sin slip into his shoulder harness.
Some women love a man in a uniform. I have a fondness for ones who pack heat—especially in gun harnesses. It’s even hotter when he’s exacting justice for a crime that would otherwise go unpunished. I can’t help it. It’s my thing.
“What’s happened?”
“The daughter of a Fellowship member was taken from her bedroom tonight. The lass was beaten and raped. She’s in surgery right now to fix what they did to her.”
That’s sickening. “Oh God. Who would do such a thing?”
“One of our rivals has claimed responsibility. It was an act of retaliation.” For what?
“What are you going to do about it?”
He stands straight and tightens his harness. “They harmed one of mine. It’s worse because she’s a child. The doctors can fix her physical injuries but she’s probably emotionally ruined forever. It’s my place to avenge the wrong.”
His words strike a chord with me as my heart goes out to a child I don’t know. “A revenge kill is over too quickly and yields far too little satisfaction. They need to suffer before they die.”
“I strongly suspect you may have a vengeful side that rivals my own. You’re host to a very dark companion inside your head.” He comes to me and pushes my hair from my face. He cups my cheeks in his palms and stares at me. “You’ve never said so but I know something bad has happened to you. I’d like it very much if one day you’d lift the veil and allow me to know what has made you the way you are.”
What kind of person does he believe I am?
He passes his thumb over my bottom lip. “What do you find a suitable torture for men who would do this?”
He’s putting me on the spot. “I’m not sure the means, but it would involve the loss of a highly valued appendage.”
“And you could do this?”
“For child rapists, yes.”
“Aye. I believe you would.” He smiles and kisses my forehead. “This isn’t the right time but there’s potential for you joining me another night.”
He pulls me close and squeezes.
“Come back to me safely.” I sound like a wife sending her husband off to war. At least I think I sound pretty damn convincing.
“I shall.” He slaps my ass cheek. “Back to bed with you, bonny one. Sleep in if I haven’t returned by morning. I want you ready and waiting for me when I get home.”
“I’m still not back to normal.”
A mischievous grin spreads. “You don’t have to be for what I have in mind.”
He kisses me one last time as he’s leaving. I lock the door behind him before returning to an empty bed. I turn onto my side and grab his pillow, hugging it. Sleep doesn’t find me because I’m worried about his safety.
I shouldn’t care if he lives or dies? But I do.
I lie in bed tossing and turning for at least two hours before I hear Sin return. That was much faster than I anticipated. I didn’t think he’d be back until the sun was up.
I don’t want him to know I’ve been lying in his bed worrying about him, so I pretend to be asleep. I listen to his footsteps coming nearer as he approaches me from behind. Perhaps he means to slip into bed without waking me since it’s still the middle of the night. But something isn’t right. I’ve come to know his gait. He’s nearly mastered a perfect one without a limp—almost. The stride I’m hearing now doesn’t belong to him.
So I wait. This predator is unaware he’s about to become the prey.
His footsteps stop. My gut tells me this is my one and only chance to strike before my brain gets bedazzled with a shiny lead slug. I spin around and sweep my arm through the air, knocking what I assume is a handgun from his grasp.
The shadow in the dark pushes me to the bed and grabs at my throat. He’s going for my air supply but he’s unaware no one will ever suffocate me again.
I’m calm and collected when I place my soles against his chest and shove. I get to my feet and stand on the bed, waiting for him to advance again. I listen carefully and deliver a straight foot thrust into his throat, causing a temporary spasm in his trachea. The convulsion will clench his throat closed and he won’t be able to breathe. He’ll feel as though he’s suffocating and I’ll have less than thirty seconds before it functions normally again.
I tuck his head beneath my armpit. I clamp my arm around his neck so my forearm is pressed against his spasming throat and I squeeze. I wrap my leg around his midsection with body scissors and arch backward, pulling his head forward, stretching his torso and neck. “Who sent you?”
No answer. But of course, I do have him in a chokehold while his throat is contracted. “Can’t answer, huh?”
I let up lightly. “The good news is that your throat is going to open again in about ten seconds. The bad news is that I’m cutting off your air supply and you won’t be able to breathe even when your trachea stops spasming.”