Reign (Sin City Outlaws #1)(69)

I look over my shoulder at Zeek, and as if he read my mind he lowers his lips and kisses me, hard and demanding. His tongue pushes through my lips and swipes at the Hershey Kiss dissolving on my tongue. I mimic the dance with my own, massaging the same piece. He licks at it one last time before kissing me then tugging on my bottom lip with his teeth.

“Excuse me!” I stiffen, and Zeek looks over his shoulder. “You can’t be here. This is private property.”

That’s when I hear a familiar static coming from a radio. It’s law enforcement.

“You, eh, got someone up there with you?” the voice questions from the ground.

Zeek doesn’t respond; his face is tight and jaw ticking. He’s angry.

“Now, I can be reasonable, but you and your friend better be gone by the time I get done making my rounds.” Hearing the voice more, it sounds like Chewie. Turning my head, I lift my hood to hide my face.

“We better go,” I mutter.

“What? Fuck him. He won’t be back.”

I shake my head, looking over the boulder to see if the car has left.

“I can’t take that chance. We can’t. If we get arrested, people will ask questions.”

Zeek scuffs. “He won’t take me in.”

I frown. “Maybe not you, but he will me.”

He swipes his hand through his hair. “That’d be stupid on his part.”

“And why’s that?”

“‘Cause I’d break his f*cking arms for touching you.”

Grabbing me by the elbow, he stares at me with such intensity it makes me suck in a breath.

“Something you need to understand is you might have thought I was insane before, but now that you’re in my life, I’m ten times worse. You give me a purpose, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone disrespect you.”

Glancing down for a second, he looks back up at me through hooded eyes. “You’re the first light in my life after living a lifetime in the darkness.”

His words are so powerful, but so sad at the same time.

“Yeah, well, I never knew how alone I was until I met you. I lived so safely for so long that I never knew I wasn’t living. You tore down my wall of security, made me bleed love and curiosity.”

His lips curl at the end, and he cups my hand.

“Let’s go.”

He helps me climb down the rocks then puts the helmet on my head.

The ride back to my place is much more enjoyable knowing I’m not going to fall off. I’m actually saddened when he stops at the corner. I don’t want it to end.

Going inside, he heads toward the bathroom.

“I’ll make some popcorn,” I announce, Jinx hot on my tail when he sees where I’m headed.

“Bring it to bed. Naked.”

Chills run up my back, and excitement has my breasts aching.

“Watch it, Jinx.” I shoo him away with my foot as I grab a bowl from the cabinet.

“Don’t scream, or I will slit your f*cking throat,” a voice whispers harshly in my ear before a hand clasps around my mouth.

Something cold and sharp presses against my throat.





SEVENTEEN





JILLIAN


Panicked, my fingers stiffen and the bowl slips from my hands and crashes to the floor.

Jinx hisses and runs out of the room.

My heart slams against my chest in slow motion, that mere act of breathing painful.

“Jillian?” Zeek questions, concerned.

“Don’t answer.” The cold steel presses into my jugular, every swallow stinging. I close my eyes, a tear slipping from my left eye. I lift myself on my tiptoes to keep the sharp edge from pushing into my skin, but it’s doing no good with the way the man is breathing so harshly. Every pant causes the cold blade to press into my skin.

The man starts shuffling backward, heading toward my back door.

“Please, no,” I whimper.

Applying pressure to the knife, my neck floods with pain, making me regret my decision to speak.

“Shut the f*ck up,” he grunts.

“Babe?” Zeek steps into the kitchen, and relief floods my limbs, an uncontrollable sob leaving my mouth.

In one quick move, Zeek draws a gun from his back, pointing it at the guy. The man behind me suddenly points a nine millimeter at Zeek, a tattoo of a crow or something on top of his hand.

My eyes widen. That tattoo.

“Jacob Gentry. Brown hair, green eyes. Six foot, three inches. Has a tattoo of a crow on the back of his right hand.” Alessandra’s description of the guy with the warrant out floods my memory. He’s the man she was looking for today.

“You’re dead,” Zeek rasps, his eyes dark, that animalistic look taking over his whole body. “You were stupid to try and kill me, but now, you’re just committing suicide by touching my girl.”

“I think you tried to kill me once already,” the man sneers, stepping in front of the back door.

“You’re mistaken. I didn’t put that bullet in your chest, ‘cause I don’t miss. But I’m going to enjoy being the one to rip that last pathetic breath from your lungs.”

The man laughs and throws his head back.

A shot rings out, and Jacob falls to the ground behind me. I jump forward, falling into Zeek’s arms, tears springing to my eyes. My ears ring, and my head pounds. My vision is so blurry, I squeeze my eyes shut to make it stop.