Page 47 of Targeted By Desire

“They’ll have to get me in a cell first. And that is not happening.”

I stood up, prepared to swipe my gun out of her hands.

She shot at me before I could even take a step towards her.

The bullet pierced through the fabric of my shirt and into the bulletproof vest I was wearing underneath. The impact from the force stung, sending me back a step. “Ow,” I said, sarcasm dripping from my voice.

“Shit,” Simone cursed as my eyes went from the new hole in my shirt to her. You’d think she’d learned by now that unless she aimed for the head, a bullet wasn’t going to do shit to me. Maybe she wasn’t ready to kill me either. Maybe she was enjoying our game just as much as I was.

She threw the gun on the ground with a grunt of frustration and made a break for the door.

I wrapped an arm around her waist as she passed and pulled her against me. “Where do you think you’re going?” I asked. I swung her around and pressed her against the wall, pinning her between my body and the plaster. Leaning down, I placed my lips inches from hers. So close that the wind from her breaths kissed my skin. “We were finally starting to have some fun.”

Her lips trembled at the proximity. Wide eyes flicked back and forth, searching for mine in the darkness. Pressed against my body, I could feel her heart beating rapidly, damn near bursting through her chest. Again, fear splashed across her face. This time sprinkled in with a hint of pleasure. As if she enjoyed the position we were in.

Shit confused the fuck out of me. She was supposed to claw at my arms or try to wiggle her way out. Not look at me with a slight purse of her lips and a dare to do something about it in her eyes.

Noticing my uncertainty, her alluring expression quickly fell, replaced by the fiery glare I was familiar with. Her arm cocked back, and her fist flew straight into my face. The scratch of the rings on her hand added to the impact of the punch, briefly stunning me.

She took the opportunity to wiggle out of my grasp and dart out the door.

I didn’t follow her this time. The goal for tonight was to scare her enough to run her out of this place. Right now, I have a legitimate job to handle.

I’ll deal with her later.

THE AGENT

Getting out of that game room was like coming up for air after being held underwater.

His stare alone always held me in an iron grip, but paired with the cold mouth of a gun against my temple? That was a different kind of chokehold

I should’ve never let him pull me in there. I should’ve made a scene the moment he approached me at the bar and tagged in Gabriel to help restrain and cuff this guy.

But, for some stupid reason, I didn’t want anyone else intruding on us. I was becoming too familiar with the ticklish trembles the sound of his voice sent down my back and the thumping of my heart in my ears when his body heat clashed with mine. Part of me was even beginning to like it.

Which is absurd considering his long-term goal was to rinse his hands in my blood.

Sure, I had his attention, but I’d never have his affection.

Reaching the end of the hall, I was thrown back into the moderate crowds of the casino. Their chatter and the music playing through the speakers pulled me out of my flight mode.

My eyes scanned over the crowd, searching for Gabriel’s head of curly hair. I spotted him near one of the slots. He was sitting on the stool with his hand on the knob, but his eyes everywhere but the screen. Our gazes met from across the room, and he immediately abandoned the game.

I weaved through the people wandering around the room towards him.

He met me halfway, grabbing me in a tight embrace. “Jesus Christ, Simone,” he whispered into my hair. “Where the fuck did you go?”

“I… He… We…” I hadn’t realized how uneven my breathing had gotten. My chest bobbed up and down, catching air but not able to maintain it.

Gabriel’s brows stitched together in worry. Placing his hands on either side of my head, he said, “Look at me, look at me. Breathe. You’re alright. I’ve got you.”

I stared into his brown eyes, the warm color and the familiarity in his voice slowly bringing me back down to the ground.

“Let’s get you some water.” Keeping a tight hold on my arms, Gabriel led me back towards the bar. He ordered ice water and commanded me to take slow sips.

I obeyed, allowing the cold water to ease the cramps in my throat.

“What happened?” Gabriel asked once I’d calmed down a bit.