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Her heart retracted, skipping a beat before it accelerated. Sweat beaded on her brow as she met the gaze of Carmen’s killer. Her voice trapped in her throat. She willed her body to move, but it felt like lead.
Raine stood up. “Dannika isn’t feeling well. She won’t be returning to the shelter.”
Of course, Raine assumed Jason was associated with her employment. He was clean-cut and good-looking, as were the three men with him. Judging by their bulging muscles, they were regulars at the gym.
Jason sneered. “You’re right about that. Dannika won’t be needing her job.”
Dannika forced the air into her lungs. “What do you want, Jason?”
Jason shrugged. “Same thing I always wanted, Dannika. Carmen was an accident. One I regret.”
The lie tickled her soul, sparking interest from her demon. “You got off on Carmen’s death. You enjoyed my misery. But there’s nothing left for you to take. I’ve already lost everything.”
Jason smiled like the predator he was. “Not yet, but I plan to rectify that situation.”
Dannika met him with cold eyes. “If you’re here to kill me, you’re going to have to get in line.”
His smile faltered. “You know it’s not your death I seek. I want you, Dannika.”
Raine moved in a ripple of power, but he kept his shadow locked down. She could feel the struggle. Anger warped the surrounding air. “She is mine. Move along or suffer the consequences.”
Jason pointed at Raine. Two of the men with him grabbed Raine by each arm. They gave Jason a questioning look when Raine didn’t struggle or show any sign of distress. Though the men were larger than Raine and outnumbered him, their unease in his presence was clear.
“You should have known better than to get a boyfriend,” Jason said to Dannika. “You know what happens to people who get between us.”
Dannika felt her shadow rising. The quick shake of Raine’s head had her backing down. People walked on the street close to the alley. The shadow warriors wouldn’t go unnoticed and revealing what they were was forbidden.
Did she trust Raine to get them out of this?
She looked down, pretending to be forlorn and weak. The latter was true, but Raine was at full strength and she believed he wouldn’t let the monster from her past take her.
“Why did you come back, Jason? You’re free. You got away with it.”
Jason knelt down beside her. “I want the same thing I always did. You.”
Dannika looked at him. Though he had haunted her nightmares for the last few years, now he seemed weak and pathetic. “Carmen liked you. She trusted you. I trusted you. If you cared about me, you wouldn’t have murdered my best friend.”
Her body recoiled when he took her hand in his, but she forced herself not to react. “It wasn’t my intent, but when Carmen told me she was in love with me, I knew you would never accept my advances. You would’ve done anything for her, so I needed to remove that obstacle. I did it for you. For our future.”
“We never had a future. We never even had a date. How could you think we would ever have a relationship?”
Jason’s eyes hardened. “Because I said so. My father is a billionaire. I can provide you with the life you deserve. I admit I was pissed when they assigned me community service work for a simple DUI. The woman I hit took the money we offered, and I still received a sentence. But when I saw you, I knew there was a reason. We had chemistry. You took all my suggestions for that business proposal you were working on. I may even allow you to open that youth center.”
Dannika’s eyes narrowed. “I trusted you and so did Carmen. You told us you volunteered at several group homes in the past. It was all a lie. Everything about you is bullshit, and it cost Carmen her life. You didn’t win the court case. Your father paid everyone off. I should’ve known.”
Jason shrugged. “If it’s any consolation, you did an admirable job of trying to convict me. Of course, that only made me want you more.”
Dannika shook her head. “Classic rich kid wanting what he can’t have.”
“Admittedly, there isn’t much I can’t buy, but I wanted you the moment I saw you, and the attraction was mutual until Carmen showed an interest in me.”
“You killed her for liking you. You’re despicable.”
“No. I killed her because you wouldn’t pursue a relationship while she was alive. You were never supposed to find out it was me. You weren’t expected home for another hour. I planned to be there for you while you worked through the trauma of her death.”
She spat in his face. “How noble of you.”
He wiped the spit from his face before licking it from his fingers. “You will be the mother of my children. I chose you and nobody declines an offer from the Lehane family. You have no concept of the power I wield.”
