Violet stood behind him, her lips parted in shock. The knife in her hand shook as she pulled it back, crimson dripping from the blade she’d just driven into Cedric’s back.
Holy fuck.
Seizing the moment, I bucked hard, rolling us over. Cedric hit the floor with a grunt as I straddled him, rage carrying me through. My fist cracked into his face until his head lolled, blood pooling beneath his skull.
I didn’t stop until his eyes were closed, so swollen he wouldn’t be able to see, never mind think straight.
“Did he touch you?” I demanded, my tone more of a growl. My chest rattled, and I was pretty sure some of my ribs were bruised. “Violet?”
She jerked at the mention of her name, eyes wide as she turned to me, her trembling hand still clutching the knife. “Is… is he okay?”
“Erm…” Climbing to my feet, I looked down at Cedric, who wasn’t moving anytime soon. But he was alive. Uh, I think. “He’ll walk it off.” Moving to the kitchen, I grabbed a kitchen towel and ran it under cold water before wiping it across my face, then my bloody hands. “What happened?”
Violet just looked at me, the colour drained from her skin. “I… I just wanted help.”
I crossed the room, wary of the knife. “What did you do?” I slowly reached for her hand, making sure she was aware of my intentions before I took the weapon from her. I carefully placed it on the side, where it would be easily spotted.
Violet glanced at Cedric, and if I thought she was pale before, she was ghostly now. Probably because of the amount of blood that was seeping across my floor.
“I wanted to talk to the police,” she mumbled.
“The police?” My voice exploded, and she jerked, turning those pretty eyes back to me.
This,this, was why I didn’t work with people. People meant chaos. Too many possibilities that could go wrong.
“So are you just ignorant about how the world works, or are you actually stupid?”
Her mouth fell open.“Excuse me?”
Fury made my words sharp. “Maybe I’m the stupid one, for actually believing you wouldn’t do something so reckless after everything you’ve seen.” I dragged a hand down my face. “Maybe I should’ve tied you to the fucking radiator. I told you not to go to the police, and look—”I jabbed a finger toward Cedric’s body sprawled on the floor.“This is what it gets you.”
With a sound of disgust, I stormed towards my office.
“Well, I’m so fucking sorry that I choose to believe things will be okay,”she yelled, voice sharp and shaking as I tore open the desk drawer, fingers closing around the gun I kept hidden there. “That I trusted the police would help me.”
“And you say I’m delusional,” I snapped, spinning halfway toward her. “Your optimism almost got you killed!”
“My optimism is what keeps me going!”
I laughed, dry, humourless. “Yeah? And look where it’s gotten you.”
Her eyes widened at the gun, but it didn’t stop her. “You think being a cynic makes you any better?”she challenged.
“Your hope is nauseating. It’s a luxury for people who haven’t seen the world for what it is.”
Cocking the gun, I aimed at Cedric. Only to hesitate.
Shit. I couldn’t do it in front of her.
“Get changed and clean yourself up,” I demanded, no longer friendly. I saw her bristle, the stubborn little brat ready to argue, but I cut her off. “You’re covered in blood.”
My T-shirt she wore was splattered in red, and while I’m sure it could pass as fake, I didn’t want to take the risk.
With a tight jaw, she turned to the bathroom, and I took a long look at the room. My TV was busted, and the consoles I’d collected were likely crushed and ruined in the scuffle. The cabinet was smashed, and blood had stained my furniture from every hit. Great.
Making sure Cedric was still out of the count, I placed my gun in the back of my jeans, then moved swiftly to my bedroom, grabbing a duffel bag. Unlocking my safe with my thumbprint, I threw in all my fake passports in multiple names, as much cash as I could carry, as well as some spare clothes.
My office was next, and with a few buttons I wiped everything off the hard drive.
