Page 124 of A Wild Darkness

It was a lot for me to say. Something I’ve never experienced before. As someone who is not easily trusting, I find myself slowly giving her all of it. I never imagined bringing a partner who understands my world besides the guys. And for her to be a woman who understands me, gets me, and accepts me. I’d walk to the ends of the earth to make sure I never lose that.

“I’ll figure something out like always,” I tell her as I pull into the back alley behind the hotel.

“How far are you—” Stevie cuts herself off mid-sentence. “Never mind.”

Before I get to tell her that she has nothing to be worried about, there’s a banging at my driver’s window

It’s Christian.

I roll it down. “Here are your SEs.” He hands me the small devices.

I place one inside my ear, then lean over the center console and tuck the other into Stevie’s.

“Thanks,” I say. “Stevie is going to stay in the car with you.”

“Yeah, that’s for the best.” Christian folds his arms over the frame of the open window. “I have a buddy who does security here on the premises. When we find out which room Wendy is staying in, let me know, and I’ll jam the security system on that floor. I don’t think it’s safe to do the entire building, so you’ll need to keep a low profile until you two are inside the elevator.”

I nod, then slide my gun from the back of my pants, check the barrel and the safety, before putting it back. “I’m surprised at how easily we’ve been able to take the other killers out.”

“Hopefully our luck remains,” Christian replies.

“I make my own luck.” I scoff him off.

“Let’s keep the momentum going then.” Christian hits the door panel with excitement, amping himself up. “Get this shit done!”

I twist my body to face Stevie. Her eyes are wild with apprehension. “It’s going to be okay. You’ll be with Christian. His SUV is like Hayden’s, fully loaded with every piece of technology needed to make sure everything goes smoothly.”

She forces a smile. “This is the first time I’ve been on this side.”

Taking one hand, I snake it through her hair, pulling her lips down to mine, but stopping before we connect. “I won’t be long.” She moves forward, pressing a kiss into me. Her sweet lips tempt me with everything we could be doing right now, except working. I pull back, releasing her. “Get into Christian’s car.”

Without looking back, she opens the door and slides out. I stay in place until I see her climb into the SUV.

Taking a deep breath in, I open my door and step out, preparing to enter through the service entrance.

The lounge buzzes with low chatter. A man playing a soft tune on the piano in the corner adds background noise on top of everyone else, which works to my benefit in keeping others distracted.

Wendy is sitting in the corner of the room, looking disinterested in the conversation she’s having with the man across from her while her finger glides over the rim of her martini. I fix my hat in place before walking over.

Wendy’s eyes widen the moment they land on me. I haven’t even approached her table yet before she flashes me a flirtatious smile. She leans in, saying something to the man that I can’t make out.

He immediately stands and walks away, a disappointed look on his face.

Trust me, I’m doing you a favor.

A perfect opening for me. “Wendy.”

She kicks out the chair from underneath the table. “Well, hello again, Dark⁠—”

“Seb,” I interrupt and take a seat. It’s not like she’s going to live much longer anyway.

“Seb.” Her eyelashes bat in my direction. It makes my stomach turn. “It was getting a little weird calling you Dark Prince.”

“I understand,” I say.

“So, what are you doing here?” she asks.

I cross my arms over my chest, but I try to keep them loose so as not to appear too standoffish. “I was meeting a friend in the area and thought I’d stop here to grab a drink when I saw you.”