Page 6 of Run, Little Thief

Reaper’s standing too close to me, both of us trapped between two pews. It would be so damn easy for him to bend me over and take his sweet revenge. The thought sends a terrifying shock through my system, freezing me in place, but it also flares something hot deep within my core.

Hold on a second. What is happening here? What the fuck is wrong with me?

Heart pounding, I stare at him, and for a moment I swear something flickers in his eyes—as if he’s having the same thought. And the same reaction.

The air between us sizzles with tension. Fear. Anticipation. Something dark and deliciously forbidden that catches us both by surprise.

I part my lips to say something but moisten them instead. Slowly.

His eyes snap to my mouth instantly.

I almost laugh.So predictable.

Without warning, I grab my bag, smash it against his head, and take off running along the pew to the other side of the church, slipping the bag’s strap over my head so I won’t lose it.

He swears behind me in Spanish.

I make a sharp turn, leaping over a pew and racing toward the altar. There must be a door back here somewhere, right? There must be another exit . . .

Heavy footsteps pound after me, getting closer by the second.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see him lunge forward as I approach the door. On instinct, I duck and throw myself to the ground, rolling out of his reach. Then I jump up and race to the exit again.

“No need to try,” he calls after me. “It’s locked.”

His words bring me to a sudden halt. I turn back to him slowly. He doesn’t attack me again but positions himself in the aisle between me and the only other exit. We circle each other around the altar like sinners ready to confess—or to sin all over again—both of us waiting for the other to make a fatal mistake.

“You have something that doesn’t belong to you.”

God, his voice.It’s as sharp and dangerous as his knife, and his gaze burns hot, seeping into my bloodstream and wrapping itself around me like a dark and twisted promise.

“Where are the files?”

I raise an eyebrow. “What files?”

He takes a step to the left, and I do the same, careful to leave enough distance between us.

“You’re not gonna lie in a church, of all places, are you?”

Even though I’m quite literally dancing with death right now, I bark out a laugh. “I’d do worse things in a church than tell pretty lies.”

I must have lost my mind, taunting him like this. Maybe the sizzle in the air is all in my imagination. Maybe deep inside I’m so sick and twisted that this is giving me a thrill, a rush of adrenaline, heat, and excitement, all because I’m playing with my life.

“I bet you would.” Reaper’s gaze burns even hotter. His blade catches the moonlight as he circles it between his fingers, reminding me of just how deadly he is.

As if I could ever forget . . .

An icy shiver runs down my spine. At the same time, a new heat coils deep in my belly. I hate that my traitorous body isreacting like this, hate that something about this is turning me on, when the only thing I should be thinking about is how to get the fuck away.

I need a plan. A distraction.Anythingto make it out alive. That’s all that matters right now, despite how my body is malfunctioning in his presence.

“What are you gonna do?” I ask. “Frisk me? Beat the shit out of me? If you kill me, you’ll never find out what I’ve done with those oh-so-precious files.”

They may have been what got me into this mess, but right now, they’re also the only thing keeping me alive. At least, that’s what I hope.

“Don’t worry, little thief. I can think of many things to do to you . . .”

Another shudder snakes its way down my spine. Why does this sound like a warning and a promise rolled into one?