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“Only when their ballsacks are worth my time.”
He looks back at me and pops his brows high.
Fuck. That came out wrong.
“Worth my time to bother removing.” I correct, “My pigs enjoy scrotum more than I do.”
“You’re one fun lady, huh?”
“Keep climbing.”
I follow him up the creaky stairs, keeping the gun within reach of his spine.
Halfway up, Rafe’s hand closes around the banister, his next breath shallower than the last.
“Still groggy from the sedative?” I smile, though my voice stays flat.
His grip loosens immediately.
“Nah, I’m just bored.”
“Your body seems to disagree.”
He glares over his shoulder at me, eyes dark. “You know fuck all about my body.”
The bathroom sits at the far end of the carpeted landing. I direct him inside with another nudge from the silencer attachment on my gun.
Inside, it’s warm and painfully ordinary with beige tiles, a deep enamel tub and a diamond frosted window keeping the wind at bay.
I leave the overhead light off so there’s only a silver wash of moonlight kissing the floor tiles and a thick shadow to stay in.
Rafe stops in the middle of the room, his height and build sucking out all the oxygen and making the corners seem closer than they are.
His cigarette hangs from the corner of his mouth. “Is this where the magic happens?”
“If you call an icy water bath after taking a beating, magic, then yeah, this is the spot.”
His gaze goes from the bath to the gun and returns to me, while one hand braces against the sink as casually as he can manage.
Whiteness spreads across his knuckles.
“I’m not old-fashioned, but you should think about removing your balaclava before we share water.”
Never gonna happen, Rafey Cakes.
“Strip.”
His eyes gleam as he rakes a hand through his damp hair, dragging the wild strands back off his forehead.
“Nah, lady.” He sighs. “If you wanna fair fight, let’s go outside. I ain’t bleeding out in a fucking tub after you cut my throat.”
“Very imaginative.” I lower my aim to the zipper at his crotch. “Take off your jeans and get in the bath. The cold water will clean your wounds and reduce any inflammation.”
I check my watch, counting the hours since he arrived here.
The countdown started when he could stand, eat a piece of toast, swear at me, and understand exactly how fucked he was.
Anything before that would’ve been cheating.
