For the Fight (Romantic Suspense) (Beyond Blood, #2) (11 page)

Tugging at the front of my shirt, I grinned. “How about you let me borrow something of yours?”

I thought he was going to argue. Instead, he walked to his closet and threw open the doors. The array of button-downs and suits stared back at me. “If you were after something stylish for once, you came to right place, Kite.”

****

W
e were quite the sight, the two of us dressed so fine. I'd picked some grey pants and a black vest, a forest green tie working with my coppery hair. I didn't dress like this often, but I knew
how
to.

Our suit jackets nearly matched, rich midnight in tone. He'd stuck a pale grey cloth in my front pocket. Said it completed the package.

I didn't care. I just knew I looked fantastic.

Opening my front door, he followed me inside. I was halfway to calling for Marina, when we both saw her standing in the kitchen. Fuck. Every inch of me—all the thickening inches, especially—wanted a piece of that woman.

Marina wore that crimson dress like she'd been born inside of it. It strangled her thighs, enhanced her perfect ass and left me staring openly at the valley of cleavage. She was gorgeous and alluring, a combination I was sick with.

The necklace—sparkling green like my tie—enhanced the bare coffee color of her shoulders. She kept touching the jewelery, and I wished her fingers were mine.

I wanted to speak... I wanted to shout. This woman was fantastic, burning into my memory. If I closed my eyes right then, she would be the last thing I'd see. I was fine with that.

She fidgeted, shooting her gaze between myself and Jacob rapidly. “You two look good—great, even.” There was a long pause. “Uh, so,” she said, tripping on her tongue. “You guys can stop staring at me like that now.”

Say something,
I told myself.
Speak the fuck up!

It wasn't to be. Jacob moved beside me, his voice rich in that slick baritone of his. “Sorry, I don't mean to stare, but... Marina, you're honestly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.”

Her face flushed, and I was furious I hadn't been the one to make it happen. “Stop,” she said quickly, covering her mouth. “Don't say that. It's embarrassing.”

“The truth shouldn't be embarrassing,” Jacob whispered.

Okay. Nope. No more of this. Stepping forward, I flashed a smile and looked her up and down. “He's right, you look amazing. Ready to go?” Offering my arm, I waited patiently.

Marina reached for me—setting my heart on overdrive—then stopped. “What about your gun? Won't you need it tonight?”

My face fell. “Right. Let me go get that.” I didn't know what was going on, but I was feeling an odd rush of possessiveness. I'd kissed this woman, I'd buried my cock deep inside of her. Now, the idea of leaving her alone with Jacob so he could flirt and make her blush had my head swimming.

I wasn't jealous of him. That wasn't quite the issue. Gripping my Ruger, checking it over, I realized what was bugging me.
Even if we share her... I still want to make her react to me. I still want to infect her mind and body.
This was going to get complicated. No woman we'd shared had been able to handle the constant attention from the both of us.

Either one of us was insatiable.

Together, we were a vortex.

Tucking the gun under my coat, I headed into the main room. Marina was hugging her purse, chewing her lip. I was relieved not to find them making out. “Okay, I'm good. We can head out.”

“I'll drive,” Jacob said.

“Let me.” I jingled my keys. “I looked up the address, I know the way.”
And now I can sit next to Marina.

Jacob eyed me knowingly, but he nodded. “Fine.”

It was a small win. A tiny, silly, stupid win.

But that was enough for me.

Marina

“Y
ou're honestly the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.”

I had that phrase trapped in my skull. It refused to wash away, clinging to the curves of my brain and sinking deeper and deeper. God damn fucking Jacob. Both of them had gorged themselves on me when they'd entered. Kite had gone speechless, which was pretty great.

But not Jacob.

No, Jacob had to go and turn me upside down again. I was already floundering. Didn't they see that? I didn't want flattery or compliments. I didn't want to know these two sexy, well dressed men—killers, call them what they are!—were both keen to get in my pants.

What sort of oath could make two friends so... open?

I would have said 'giving' but it would mean I was something to give away. And I wasn't. I was a woman with hot revenge in her pocket, someone who wanted to end a life and attain some closure.

And now I was becoming more than that.

Because of these two frustrating men, I was now a prize.

A prize to be shared.

Trembling, I checked the seat belt. If I went crazy enough, I could jump out of the moving car. Wouldn't that be a sight.

“Is the music okay?” Kite asked me.

Sitting up straighter, I pulled my jacket around myself. It was useful for hiding my body in this ridiculously revealing gown. “It's fine,” I said, smiling softly. I hadn't even been listening. I kept myself busy between glancing at Kite to my left, and eyeing Jacob in the side mirror.

He was watching me. He hadn't stopped smiling.

Fuck.

“Tonight,” I said, pushing to return things to normal—as normal as hunting down another human was. “What do we do? Jacob, you were the one who said this man would be there. If I see him, if any of us sees him, do we just... walk up and ask him his name?” I was having trouble picturing myself doing anything but grabbing Kite's gun and shooting the guy if I
did
lay my eyes on his awful face again.

Jacob leaned forward between the seats. “It'd be better if none of us asks him directly. I'd prefer he not see our faces so soon. If you notice him, just approach me. I'll do the rest.”

His underlying message was, “don't do anything rash, Marina.” I would try not to, but considering how I'd reacted to just seeing that photo... On impulse, I hugged my purse. The picture was inside. I hadn't let it get away from me since putting it in there. “Can't I just ask him directly? He won't know me, and I don't care if he recognizes me if the next time he sees me is when I blow his brains out.”

Kite laughed, steering the car down the busy street. “That's not the worst plan.”

My frown tugged at my lips. “I can't tell if that was sarcasm.”

“It wasn't.” Shrugging, he tossed me a brief smile. “You're right. He won't know you. If you're sure you could keep yourself calm, not alert him to anything suspicious, all while looking him in the eye and imagining what he did and what you
want
to do...” In the street lamps outside, Kite's face reminded me too much of the night he'd put a gun to my temple and fired. My stomach tore in half at the memory. “If you can do all that,” he went on, “Then it's fine. But do you really feel like you'll keep it together when you face him?”

His dark words from that night rolled through my skull like a war machine.
“You will not succeed, and then you will die.”
Both of these men had no confidence in me. They thought I'd mess up the plan, or that when it came down to it, I'd fail and find myself dead at my target's feet. It frustrated me, but I hadn't proven them wrong yet. Tonight, I'd have a chance to.

I told myself if I did see the killer, I was going to cool my head and approach him. I'd ask his name and then I'd make conversation and leave. I could do it. I could fucking do it.

For now, lying was easier than arguing. “Okay,” I sighed. “You win. If I see him, I'll just go tell one of you two. Speaking of which... if we're not going after him tonight, why
does
Kite have a gun?”

Jacob put his hand on the back of my seat. His perfect nails were inches from my hair, the strands mangled into what I hoped was an elaborate twist off of my neck. “On the off chance something goes wrong. Or right, I suppose.” His chuckle was lighthearted. “If our target let's himself get into a compromising position, it'd be wise of us to take advantage of that. Personally, I'd prefer if we kept it to surveillance.” His eyes settled on me, intense as ever. “We have plenty of time to fulfill your wish, Marina.”

He sounded so sure. But time was a funny thing, and wishes were even stranger. Neither of these things could be grabbed and strangled, they didn't bleed or feel pain. What could I do with time and wishes, that I couldn't do with a weapon and the man I wanted to scream for me right in the same room?

Maybe Kite was right. Maybe I couldn't stay calm after all.

“Here we are,” Jacob said, pointing as his friend turned the car up a long driveway. The building was huge, some sort of museum that had been converted. Lights blinked, and money just came off of the place in waves.

Sitting up, I caught my wide eyes in the mirror. “What is this event for, exactly?”

“It's a charity ball,” Jacob said. “Lots of important people bragging about how much they donated. You know the type.”

I did not know the type. I didn't know anything like this at all. “Charity,” I repeated. Suddenly, the idea of the murderous creature who had swung his ax and chopped up my happiness being
here
seemed... impossible. This was a place full of smiles and laughs and, at worse, snobby rich people. He belonged among all of them as much as I did—which is to say, not at all.

Flooding with unease, I shot Jacob a wary stare. I had to twist to do it, and I found him staring right back at me. God, he was so relaxed—a sleeping lion. He was an animal that could jump up and tear someone to pieces. He was a hunter, but what was he hunting? “Jacob, are you sure this guy is going to be here?” I asked.

His shrug did not ease my nerves. “It's impossible to be sure. That's why we're all looking.”

“It just doesn't seem like the kind of thing a murderer does.”

Oh, how the two of them chuckled. I shot my eyes between them both. Kite spoke first, teeth glinting in the bright lights we drove past. “Marina, think about what you just said.”

I already was. “There's a difference between you two and him,” I said sternly.

“Maybe,” Jacob whispered. “But the point is, you don't know the facets of every person you meet. The side this man showed you is the only one you know.” Gesturing at the people waiting for us—the valets—he spoke faster, quieter. “Don't assume you have seen every angle someone has to offer you. One day, they'll twist and expose another part of who they are. That side might shock you.”

It was cryptic advice. I ached to tear it apart and find the chunks of relevance. I wanted to understand Jacob and Kite more. If they had other facets, what were they? I already knew the shadowed web they both hid from the public—what else could secret hitmen have in their closets?

The passenger door opened, a man in a red vest offering me a hand. I took it, let the valet help me out of the car. I clung to my purse, refusing to let it out of my sight.

We all stood on the walkway, watching the car roll into the distance. Kite, especially, watched it go. I got the impression he wasn't comfortable with someone driving his Mercedes. “This way, please,” another man in a matching vest said. He waved us toward a set of doors, the glass showing the collection of people milling inside.

Was my family's killer really in there?

“Well,” Kite whispered, tickling my left ear. “Let's go and have some fun.” His face was full of mischief, a hand gliding down to coil on my elbow. If I didn't start walking because of him, Jacob picked up the slack. That dark-haired man had his palm on the middle of my back, urging me into the building.

The three of us entered, and with the two handsome and skilled men at my hips, I felt like some sort of ambassador—someone important that needed guarding. Fuck, I felt like a movie star.

Their hands on me, their nearness and their lovely scents. It would have been wonderful if I wasn't genuinely terrified of what was on their minds. Jacob had laid it out so bluntly, pulled the curtain aside and said, “Look here, this is what we want from you.” Kite was intense, Jacob was insistent. Both of them, together?

They'd ruin me in seconds.

I needed to focus. Ignoring how Kite's fingers felt on my skin was a challenge, but I had to do it. Pretending Jacob hadn't kissed me hours ago and clearly wished for more was... difficult to shove out of my head.

But I really didn't need this.

I had a murderer to find.

“It'll be easier if we split up,” I said. “I'll go over there, see if I recognize him in the crowd.”

Kite glanced down at me, then shared a look with Jacob. Something went unsaid, but they both released me. The air between us was a canyon, it surprised me how much I noticed the distance. Had I gotten used to them being this close to me, somehow? “Alright,” Kite said, adjusting his vest. It fit him tightly, enhanced the shape of his strong shoulders. Dammit, why did he have to look so good? “I'll wander around this way. Find me if anything happens, Marina. Got it?”

“Got it.” Sliding forward, I went to start scouting—a hand closed on my wrist.

Jacob had held me back, his grip light, but his stare as good as a vice. “If you need help, I'm here as well.”

The way my heart swam, I imagined it would get lost in the depths of my budding desire. Knowing what they'd agreed to behind my back, it should have made me furious and bitter. Standing there, faced by both of their concerned expressions, I wished being angry was easier. Being angry was simple. Dwelling on their hunger for me was not.

I touched his arm, pulled away gently but firmly. “Relax. I'll be fine. I'm going to do what you guys said. I won't cause any trouble.”

They nodded, smiling as I turned away. It was good they believed me. It was better for all of us to think I was cowed. I had no plans to avoid that god damn monster. If I saw him, if his face appeared in the crowd...

I would cause all the trouble in the world.

****

A
n hour. That was how long I spent wandering the building. It was a lovely place, all white marble and golden lamps and colorful art on the walls. Outside there were gardens, lit as if by fireflies with the strings of tiny lights. There was food, and drink, and fuzzy music. It was an event built to solidify good moods.