His gaze sliced my way and his face warmed.
“Just tell me, Theo.” He paused, a groove forming in his brow. “Okay. Go on.” Then he stiffened. “You’re fucking kidding me.”
All the champagne fizz inside me started to fade. I gripped the edge of the counter.
Bastian cursed again. “All right. Thanks.” He strode to the living area and snatched up the remote control off the coffee table. He aimed it at the sleek television on the wall.
As he flicked through the channels, I hopped off the island and tested my legs. They held. I wasn’t going to focus on the fact that my inner thighs were sticky.
“What’s wrong?” I walked toward him.
He’d found a local news channel. “This is what’s wrong.”
An attractive blonde presenter filled the screen. Her hair was in a perfect twist, and she wore bright-red lipstick.
“In a horrific turn of events, Las Vegas has become the latest city to be hit by the notorious Red Ribbon Killer.”
I gasped, staring at the screen. It showed police vehicles and flashing lights filling a suburban street. My stomach did a crazy somersault, and I pressed a palm to it. Then I took note of the nondescript apartment building in the background.
“It can’t be.”
Bastian made a sound. “It’s him. Ed’s partner. He’s here in Las Vegas.”
I shook my head. “Not that. Bastian, that apartment building…” I pointed at the screen. “That’s where I’ve been staying.”
His gaze narrowed. “That can’t be a coincidence.”
I swallowed. No, it couldn’t be. I didn’t believe in coincidences.
“The police aren’t releasing the names of the victims until their families have been notified,” the news anchor continued. “But we have reports that it’s a young couple.”
“Jesus,” I murmured.
A hand pressed to my back, and then Bastian curled me to his front. I pressed my cheek to his bare chest and held on.
“Those poor people are dead because they were living near me.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
I looked up. “People are dead, Bastian. We both know he had to have been at that apartment complex looking for me. What other reason is there?”
A muscle ticked in his jaw.
“I need to go there.” I stepped back. “I need to see what I can find out.”
“No.” His voice was clipped. “I’ll go.”
I stared at him. “Excuse me?”
“It’s too dangerous for you.”
“Bastian, I’m an assassin. A really good one.”
“I know that and I don’t give a fuck. I’m keeping you safe.”
Strange, fluttery feelings exploded in my belly. Something I wasn’t familiar with at all.
“I’m coming. You’re crazy if you think that what, I’ll sit around here like some fucking damsel? Maybe wring my hands? Flutter my eyelashes?”
