An engine roared. Headlights shotover me.
I screamed.
The vehicle lurched onto the grassy yard, and my scrambled brain didn’t realize it had come directly from the main drive. There was no time to run. I braced myself, ready to jump out of the way and attack whoever was coming for me.
Chapter 32 – Nico
An unholy fear saturated my body. It slid through my veins, burrowing in my bones to weigh them down like cement. I pushed the sports car to top out its speed. The streetlights and house lamps blurred as I wove through the neighborhood. Dangerous? Extremely. A pedestrian would never see me coming.
But right now, getting to Rae was the only thing that mattered.
I took the corner to the service drive at a breakneck speed. This car had a low center of gravity, and there wasn’t much body roll. Still, the wheels squealed and the undercarriage protested.
The gate was an impossibility. If I was in a truck, I would have slammed into it. Who fucking cared if I triggered the alarm? There were assassins on the property.
As I slowed to wait for the damned gate to slide up, I smacked my palm against the wheel. The only reason I hadn’t called out for the soldiers to sweep the house and the streets was because I didn’t know—didn’t know who’d sent the killers to Rae.
Until I ascertained if it was my grandfather, I couldn’t summon our men.
He has no reason to suspect….
I launched down the drive. Gravel sprayed behind my wheels. Until I put this threat down, no one was safe, except for maybe Giuseppe and his sons. They could be crossed off my suspect list.
A shadow moved near the side of the staff house. I shot through the parking lot, missing the short driveway, and blasted into the grass.
My foot slammed on the brake just in time.
Rae’s scream pierced the night.
She’s alive….
She was without a doubt the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. The black gown wrapped around her body like a dark enchantment. Fire burned in her eyes, and her hand was raised high with a fucking kitchen knife.
My heart slammed back against my spine, blown away by the specter of hell shimmering in the headlights.
Exiting the vehicle, anger spiked in my veins. “What the fuck do you think you’re going to do with that?”
Rae lowered her arm, but I didn’t miss the way her fingers shifted around the handle, adjusting her grip.
Careful…she might be stabby.The erection in my pants strained at the thought.
“No one’s given me a gun,” she protested.
A silent laugh shot out my nose. I forced back a smile as I leaned over her, flashing a terrible glare. “Why are you outside?”
Her chin tipped up. “Chasing bad guys.”
There it was. I knew it the moment I saw her in all the Valkyrie glory.
“That was fucking stupid!” I gripped her shoulders and tugged her forward. “Don’t youeverscare me like that again.”
Her nose scrunched up. “You? Scared?”
I slammed my mouth against hers to keep from answering.
The kiss was devastating. There was no other word for it. I poured my fear and anger, lust and hunger into the moment.
Rae slid her hands up my torso. I caught her fingers, yanking them in a vicious hold.
