Page 48 of Merciless King

Red for love

Red for wrath

Red for power and sacrifice

Red for blood

Soon x.

My anger spiked, fucking shot so high I was close to putting my fist through one of the cabinets. “Would Erin have read the card before she sent it?” I asked, trying to keep my voice even.

“Not always. It feels intrusive, you know? We glance at them when we print them off, but if it was busy, she might not have. Why?”

I shoved the card in my pocket. “London—”

“They’re from him, aren’t they?” she said behind me. “He wants me to know I can’t hide from him, that he knows where I am.”

Fuck. I turned to her, closing the distance between us, took her shoulders in my hands, making her look at me, and told her the truth. A truth that would more than likely scare her, but I was hoping for the opposite. “You need to know that there is nothing—nothing—I won’t do to protect you from him. You understand me?”

She nodded mutely.

“I’m not leaving your side, and if he’s stupid enough to come anywhere near you, he’s not walking away. He’ll be carted away in a body bag. I won’t hesitate. I see him, he’s dead. That’s a promise, London.”

She didn’t shrink away from me in horror. No, she wrapped her arms around me, clinging to me, and buried her face against my chest.

“This will end, London. I’m going to end it.”

“Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank you.”

* * *

“I want her out of this psycho’s reach,” I said.

Hunter stood, arms crossed, leaning against the wall. “The cabin.”

Raul Esposito, a man who was more of a father to Hunter and me than the drunk, abusive asshole we’d lived with, had a cabin a couple of hours out of the city.

Zeke nodded. “Take my car. I’ll leave in yours.”

If this guy was out there watching, he’d follow Zeke, giving me a chance to get London out of the city and to safety.

“As soon as we have something we’ll let you know,” Hunter said.

My brother knew me well enough to know I’d want to be the one to take this fucker down.

We were standing in the kitchen, and I glanced up when London walked in from the living room. She looked a lot better than she had earlier, but still pale, worry still marring her beautiful face. It was getting late and she looked tired as hell.

Some color came back when she took in the three of us. Christ, I wanted to kiss her.

“Sorry, I…” She took a glass from the cupboard. “I’m going to head to bed. I just needed some water.”

I tagged her shirt as she walked by, stopping her. “I know you’re tired, London, but I’m going to need you to pack a bag.”

She was silent several beats. “You’re sending me away?”

I obviously hadn’t done a good job of convincing her that I wasn’t leaving her side, if that was her first thought. “I’m taking you away. A family cabin.” I slid my hand up her back, to the nape of her neck, and massaged gently. “I want to get you out of the city for a few days, until we know more.”

Her relief was obvious. I liked it a whole hell of a lot.