Page 53 of How to Win the Girl
I open the door. Ace stands on the other side.
He leans in and examines Ethan’s lifeless body still tied to the chair. “Shit, this is cleaner than usual.”, he mumbles to himself then heads back out of the doorway.
“Can I trust you to clean this up?” I ask, brushing past him.
“Fuck you, Bane,” he spouts back, smiling as he walks into the room carry two cans of gasoline.
The truth is, I trust Ace Alexander with my life. He’s had my back since childhood, and he’s my only family now. He’s the family I picked. In my line of business, you can’t afford to trust anyone.
“I get no thanks for finding the fucking weasel and bringing him here?” Ace asks while he pours the gas around the room and over Ethan.
“Yeah, thanks, asshole,” I toss back over my shoulder before I head for the stairs. Ace’s barked laugh echoes after me down the hall.
When I reach the car, I find Raven with her head in her hands, her body wracked with sobs. I open her door, and she peers up with her tear-stained face. Now that murder isn’t clouding my mind, my soul hurts for her. I know the loss she’s feeling. The pain that comes from losing someone you love more than anything in the world. A piece of you is lost with them, leaving you empty, hollow. I push my own memories away as I kneel down on one knee to wipe the tears from her face. She reaches out for me and falls into my arms. I hold her tight in my embrace, giving her the comfort she needs. Why she would want it from me after what she saw, I’ll never understand. Nor can I grasp this tightness in my chest at knowing she gets me for some damn reason, enough that she isn’t appalled and running…after what just went down. I lean in and brush a soft kiss to her hair.
“We have to go, baby.”
She nods against my chest, and I gently settle her back into the car. I fasten the seatbelt around her, taking the opportunity to place another kiss on her soft, tear-dampened lips, and I shut the door. Once in the driver’s seat, I fire the engine, shift into gear, and head back toward the estate. I’ve got a plan to put into motion and a girl to rescue.
