In For the Kill (McClouds & Friends #11)(100)

Hazlett grunted, his narrowed eyes sliding over Sam. “Remember what I said, Svetlana,” he said. “Anytime. Just call.”

She looked up at Sam, who was glaring at Hazlett. “Would you stop being ridiculous, Sam? You’re embarrassing me. Put me down.”

“No,” he said flatly.

The doctor trotted behind Sam, rapping out instructions. He helped her into the car. She waved at Renato and Hazlett, and dug in her purse for her sunglasses. The blazing sunlight hurt her eyes.

And Sam’s deafening silence hurt her ears.





CHAPTER 20

Sam focused his attention on the hairpin turns on the coastal highway. The slightest provocation and he’d be breaking things.

After about twenty minutes, she gave it a try. “Sam, I’m sorry if—”

“Don’t.” The word slammed like a karate chop on whatever she meant to say. “You have a head injury. Don’t start. We’ll both regret it.”

She subsided, intimidated. He focused on the road. He was ashamed of himself. Had been since the door to the bedroom had closed behind him. Throwing his weight around, using his strength against her. Sex, as a weapon? Those were toxic gray areas, slippery slopes, guilt trips, power trips. Deal breakers. If he were her, he’d tell him to f*ck off and die. If his sister told him a guy had treated her the way he’d treated Sveti, he’d beat the shit out of that Neanderthal f*ckhead and feel justified doing so. He might have already killed whatever they had.

That scared him out of his wits.

“Sam?” she tried again. “I wasn’t in any danger—”

“I found you with your head bandaged!” He pulled out her note and tossed it onto her lap. “You scared the living shit out of me, Sveti!”

She looked down at the crumpled note, smoothing it. “You did the same thing to me this morning.”

He gulped over the rock in his throat. “I know,” he said. “I know.”

A couple minutes of fires-of-hell writhing followed, until Sveti broke the silence again. “Did you get anything from Simone?”

“Yeah, I got myself another Glock 19, and a .357 Taurus snubbie for backup. And a Micro-Glock for you. Spare magazines. Ammo.”

“You got a gun for me?” She sounded startled.

“Of course I did,” he said. “You said you can handle one, right?”

“Ah, yes,” she said.

“I got a waist holster for you, too,” he said. “Smallest size they make. And a thigh strap.” He glanced down at the exposed length of her shapely thigh. “For when you wear the girly stuff.” He glanced at her face. “You thought I was going to treat you like a helpless fawn, right? Blinking big, innocent eyes like Bambi? I know how tough you are, Sveti. I want you armed and dangerous. It makes me feel safer.”

He was heartened by the smile that flashed over her face.

“He had a good selection,” Sam said. “I wanted to get everything he brought. I was in the mood to blow shit up.”

She shot him a wary glance. “Sam,” she said. “About that.”

“Don’t,” he warned.

“We have to talk about it sometime!”

“I’m hanging on by my teeth, Sveti. I don’t want to push you farther away from me. If you give a shit about me, if you care about whatever we have together, then please, help me do that.”

She gave him the big-eyed look. “Okay. But for the record?”

He braced himself. “What?”

“I really do give a shit,” she said.

That opened up a little space in his chest. Enough to actually breathe. After a few minutes, he was the one to break the silence.

“Learn anything about your mom?” he asked.

“Yes, in fact,” she said. “Renato showed me her tomb.”

“Any astonishing revelations?”

“Don’t be sarcastic. And yes, in fact. There were.”

He waited, intrigued. “So? Spill it. What?”

“Well, the maze was a dead end. I followed the directions and slammed nose-first into a hedge. But I found the tree of life.”

“No shit,” he said. “Found it how?”

“It was on the tiles, in the atrium. The tree, with images of the Genesis creation story. And there was a tile with a depiction of Cain murdering Abel. He’s holding a bloody sword.”

“The Sword of Cain,” he said quietly. “Son of a bitch.”

“Exactly,” she said. “That tile’s loose in the floor, with a cavity beneath, but Hazlett barged in as I was about to peek inside.”

“And you didn’t want to tell Renato?”

“I was too flustered to think clearly,” she admitted. “Hazlett interrupted me as I was lifting the tile. I panicked, and shortly after, I passed out. So embarrassing. I’m not the fainting type. I need to figure out how to get back in there. I have to look under that tile.”

“You’re kidding, right? By stealth? Without telling Renato?”

“I’ll get myself another invitation,” Sveti said. “Preferably overnight. I’ll look while everyone’s asleep. That’s the simplest plan.”

“That’s just f*cking brilliant, sweetheart.” Sam’s jaw tightened. “You love to put me to the test, don’t you?”