Total pages in book: 160
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 149137 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 746(@200wpm)___ 597(@250wpm)___ 497(@300wpm)
“Get out of here, Kayla. That’s an order.” He wasn’t lucky enough for that to be anyone but the one person he’d been trying to avoid.
“You want me to leave you with the snake?”
“Yes.” He meant it.
A ping sounded through the air and that fucking snake’s head exploded. It was a phenomenal shot, one in a million. Maybe less if you had as much training as she’d had.
Now a different panic threatened to take over. Someone would be out there watching him. Having Kayla even close by meant he was breaking the rules, and his blackmailer didn’t like it when he broke the rules.
“I mean it, Kay. Go away. You’re fired. Get the fuck out of here.”
She knelt down beside him, the scent of her citrusy soap hitting his nose and reminding him of how good she smelled. He would likely never get that scent out of his head. Citrus and sex. Soft and tangy with a bite. “I think I need to get you the fuck out of here. You can fire me later, but I’m doing my job now.”
“Kayla, I don’t think we’re alone out here. We need to move. We’ve got no cover,” a deep voice said from behind him.
“Who the fuck is that?” Had the whole damn club come out to witness his humiliation?
She started to put an arm under his. “It’s Riley. I would have taken Dec or Shane with me, but you gave them the night off. I wonder why. You thought I would be easier to get away from? I saw you sneaking out and Riley was the only one close. He wouldn’t let me take his Jeep alone and you took the keys to the car. Though I noted you didn’t take the car. I suspect Jared’s in on this. Whatever this is.”
This was about to become a clusterfuck of a situation. Not only was she out here in the middle of the fucking night, but she’d brought Riley Blade with her?
“Leave right now,” he commanded. “Go back the way you came and maybe I’ll think about not firing you and everyone from your firm. I’ll think about not calling your boss and telling him he’ll never get another job in this town again.”
“You do that. I would love to see you take on Big Tag,” she insisted as she managed to get him to his feet. “And he would fire me for letting my client get killed by a rattlesnake. Want to explain why we’re hiking this super-scary canyon at night?”
“If you want a little night hike, might I suggest the trail that leads to Griffith Observatory,” Riley supplied helpfully. “How’s that ankle? You took that fall hard.”
He hated the fact the other man had watched him go down. Hated even more that he’d been the one to bring Kay out. “I’d like to know what you’re doing with my sub.”
“If I hadn’t given her a ride, she would have found another way,” Riley explained. “Did you want her up here alone?”
He got a good look at the other Dom. Riley Blade looked long and lean against the moonlight. Dangerous, and he looked mighty comfy with that big.40 in his hand. “I didn’t want her to come at all. Now get her out of here.”
Kayla stood at his side. “I’m not going anywhere, Josh. You’re hurt. You can barely walk.”
“I’ll manage. Now get the fuck out of here and take your boyfriend with you.”
A low groan split the silence. “Don’t go sulky child on me now, Josh. I told you why he’s with me. If anyone should be pissed it’s me. You have a girlfriend out here? You meeting her for a quickie?”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t…” Fuck. This was not the time for a goddamn relationship discussion. It was certainly not the time to realize he was an asshole for being jealous when she’d never once given him a reason to be. Maybe he was handling this wrong. He was being aggressive and Kay responded to something else. He put his hands on her shoulders. “Baby, I need you to let me do this. Please. Let Riley take you back to the parking lot and I’ll meet you there. It’s important to me.”
She looked up and was about to speak when another sound split the air.
Gunfire. His time had just run out.
* * * *
Kayla heard the sound and pushed Josh down, rolling his big body to her left where the trail slid down. God, she hoped they weren’t rolling into the canyon to their deaths, but she had to take the chance. Her back bumped into the trunk of a tree after they’d rolled through some truly thorny bushes. Pain flashed through her as Josh’s full weight landed against her.
“Are you okay?” Josh’s voice was a whisper.
They were in the wrong position. “Yeah, but I need to get in front of you.”