Page 56 of Depraved

She’s said that she accepts I’ve killed criminals, but she thinks it was all during heated fights in the ring. She has no idea how cold and calculating I can be while hunting down my quarry for money.

“Of course it bothers me,” she replies, but she’s not spiteful. “I don’t want either of us to be in danger.”

She’s worried for me.

“You’re smiling like a maniac again,” she observes.

I kiss her, hard and fast. “You make me the happiest man in the world.”

Her lips curve with her own pleasure, but she eyes me like I’m nuts. “There will be time to be happy once your enemies are gone.”

I’ll find particularly savage satisfaction in eliminating any man who might frighten her, but she doesn’t need to know that.

I take her hand in mine and get to my feet. “Come on. I’ll introduce you to Ghost.”

She stands with me and grabs her clothes that we tossed aside before we had sex.

“Ghost?” she repeats. “What kind of name is that?”

“An alias.”

“Yeah, I guessed that much. I mean, what’s his real name? I’m not calling your friend Ghost.”

I shrug. “He used to go by Logan, but he won’t like it if you call him that.”

“Why not?”

I shake my head. “I’m not the only one who reinvented himself. He’s Ghost now.”

She frowns, clearly not satisfied at the idea of using my friend’s alias.

“You might’ve gone by Bones and Rand, but you’re still Brandon,” she insists. “I would’ve preferred if you hadn’t reinvented yourself.”

I smother a wince. She’s still unhappy that I lied to her about my identity.

My phone chimes again. Ghost is at the front door.

“I need to let him in,” I say, changing the subject. “Do you want to meet him? If I tell him to keep his distance, he will.”

“Why wouldn’t I want to meet him?”

“I know him from a part of my life I’d rather you didn’t hear much about.”

She gives my fingers a gentle squeeze. “You’ll tell me about it when you’re ready. For now, I’m happy to meet your friend.”

I cut my gaze away. I don’t ever intend to tell her about those terrible years when I gave in to my most vicious urges.

A few minutes later, I find Ghost waiting for us in the foyer.

I frown. “You let yourself in?”

He taps his phone. “World’s best hacker, remember? Of course I can get past your security system. But don’t worry,” he says quickly. “I’m the one who installed it when you moved here. No one else will be able to get in without blowing the door off its hinges.”

My frown deepens to a scowl. I don’t want him referencing the possibility of that kind of assault in front of Karolina.

“Is that something I should be concerned about?” she asks coolly.

My brave girl isn’t cowering.