Chapter 5
I was more convinced than ever that Nike wanted to burn my Marriage to the ground.
As I recalled, the man had absolutely no shame.
(Shade. You’re not going to give me a chance?] Nicholas read the card that he’d fished out of my pocket. “So all those late nights, coming home with gifts. That was just you making room for someone else?”
I didn’t move to comfort him. I just stood there.
He took that as a yes. “Is he better in bed? Bigger? Longer? Does he last longer than Me?”
Heat crawled up my face. “Nick is not what you think.”
The words died in my throat, hard to get them out or swallow them back either.
“So, the guy you’re choosing over me. Is his name Nick?
“You never used to defend anyone. You love him, don’t you?”
Nicholas’s lashes dropped as he waited for my answer.
I let the silence sit for a few seconds and laughed.
“How would I love someone I don’t even know?”
It sounded like I was trying to convince Myself.
“What I want is someone who needs Me. Someone who looks unbothered but cries when they think no one’s watching. Soft. Sensitive.”
“You only want me like that?”
I was still mad, so I kept those words to Myself.
I walked past him to the bathroom. When I came back out, the room was dark, and Nicholas had curled up small on the bed.
I walked over. “Honey?”
Arms locked around me before I finished
the word. “Babe, the whole block’s out of power. I’m scared. I need you. Don’t go.”
I cursed inwardly. Every single time he cried and said he needed Me, I yielded.
Something warm and full settled in my chest. I wrapped myself around him. “I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Our anniversary was two weeks out, but I was swamped with jobs almost every day.
It was like Nike had me bugged or something. He kept showing up, never poached my jobs, but was always there, impossible for me to ignore.
Anna’s voice crackled through the coMMS. “Shade. You are canceling work for a
Man.”
“I took personal days. For my anniversary.”
“I have never been more disgusted.”
“Good thing I love you anyway.”
“Bitch, I’m throwing up.”
“See you soon.” I was still smiling when I cut the feed.
The smile dropped the second the line went dead.
Someone was tailing Me. I turned into the Mall, drifted into a women’s boutique, and Made a show of pulling things off the rack. Then I slipped through the fitting room and out the back, and just like that,
gone.
Nobody was ruining my last job before the holiday.
This target was ruthless and went by the name Damien Blackwood.
To the world, he was a charming, business-savvy romantic, but behind closed doors, he was a blood-soaked
demon.
He’d bought an island off the grid, signal-blocked and airtight, where girls went and didn’t come back. Everyone knew. No one could pin anything on him.
My client found me after she got the call about her daughter. She wanted him dead.
Getting into a place crawling with security, you need a new identity. Tonight I was the Shade family’s youngest daughter, here for the party at Shadowgrove Manor.
Anna’s voice hummed in my earpiece, running the perimeter, but then her tone shifted. “Hold on, you actually came from a rich family? You’ve been hiding this from Me! I genuinely thought you were broke.”
“My sister holds the real power,” I said as I chuckled. “And I genuinely am broke.”
“Sure,” Anna scoffed. “Anyway. Damien’s Custom Suit has a UV Marker on it. He’s supposed to give a speech. Bodyguards step back when he takes the stage. When the lights go out, that’s your window.”
“Copy.”
“One More thing. Shade.”
“Yeah.”
“Word is he’s got serious backup. Be careful.”
‘Please, I’d handled serious backup before.’
“Okay.”
I almost never wore dresses on the job. Almost.
I was in a silk dress, a lacquered pin holding my hair in place. The rest fell loose to my waist. I had to admit, I could pass for an elegant old-Money princess.
Damien found me first. “Ms. Shade, so glad you came. Please tell your father he’s always welcome on the island.”
“Of course,” I said, smiling back.
“I thought the invitation included your fiance. I was hoping to meet him tonight.”
Damien was talking about My sister’s fiance, not mine, but I smiled anyway. “He’s got other engagements tonight.”
Damien’s speech slot during the party Came and went.
My stomach dropped as I soon found my senses. ‘Of course. He hadn’t stayed a
demon this long by being careless. No way he’d ever let his men walk away.’
The Music drifted through the manor as I ghosted into the VIP lounge. My plan was simple: I waited him out, and shot when
the Moment came.
I clicked back to Anna.
“Bad news.” She sounded serious.
“How bad.”
“Nike is in the building.”
I raised an eyebrow and heard footsteps. That was the sound of leather soles on hardwood.
I was behind the curtain before the door opened.
“I’ve had a pest problem lately. Someone’s been digging into my business. Into My wife.” Nike said.
“Find anything useful?”
The person was heading to a cabinet.
“Isn’t she adorable? Say yes, and you’re
dead.”
Nike opened the cabinet and found only a tracker inside.
At the same time, a needle was pressed to his throat.
“Hands up, Nike,” I said.
A flicker of surprise crossed Nike’s face, but he turned around, smiled and raised
both hands.
His voice softened. “Babe, you look different tonight.”
“Are you here to kill my target?”
“I’m here to keep him alive, actually. He’s paying well.”
I laughed despite Myself, and pressed the needle harder against his throat. “Since when do you do bodyguard work?”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me. Don’t flatter yourself.”
Having him here was going to make this a hell of a lot harder.
“So you’re working against me?” I said.
Nike laughed, Moved the needle aside, and pulled me into his arms. “So this is your weapon? Not bad. How’d you get it past security? Wait, don’t tell me, you hid it in your hairpin, didn’t you?”
I kept my face neutral.
“Don’t be like that.” He was insufferably patient. “Let me switch sides. All you have to do is say yes.
I clicked my tongue. “I have a husband. I love him. Back off.’
Nike didn’t even flinch. “That’s three times now that you’ve told me you love him. You know that makes me jealous.”
I was still leaning against his chest and took a breath without meaning to. ‘Damn. He smelled good.’