Ella doesn’t look back. She pulls the hat lower, her sequined jacket dripping like a beacon in the dark, and heads toward the sound of the chain. She’s pale, lips pressed thin, but her stride doesn’t falter.
Why is she wearing a bedazzled jacket and cowboy hat? If she wanted to disguise herself, she failed.
She’s still in shock. I can see it in the tremor of her hands, the stiffness in her spine. I killed a man for laying hands on her, and she doesn’t know what to do with that truth.
The dog knows we’re coming. He barks, raw and hoarse, yanking against the chain. When we round the corner of the house, he’s all teeth and fury, ribs showing through wet fur. A metal collar digs into his neck, too tight, rust flaking under the strain. He looks to be part Rottweiler and maybe something else. Too skinny.
Ella stops short. Water runs off the brim of her hat, down her pale face. She lifts her chin, but she doesn’t take another step.
“Let’s go,” I tell her, keeping my voice even.
She flicks a glance at me, defiant even now. Her fistsclench at her sides. The rain drills her, sliding down the feminine angles of her pixie-like face. “I’ll make you a deal.”
I ignore the rain smashing on me, intrigued. “Go on?”
“We work together for today. It’s obvious you want something from me. I’ll give it to you if you help me.” Her eyes are so blue, something in my chest hurts. Hard. And her words cause more pain—right to my cock. She’ll give it to me?
“What if I want you dead?”
She rolls her eyes. Actually rolls her fucking eyes. “Then I’d already be dead.”
Yeah, she’s not wrong.
She lifts a hand in the rain, toward me, before I can argue. “I know. You probably do have plans to kill me at some point, but right now, you need something from me. We were going somewhere last night, so I figure you need computer help. I am the best.” She shrugs, looking ridiculous and uncomfortably appealing in the sparkling jacket.
Again, her instincts, or raw intelligence, are spot on.
The dog whines.
“Why are you here, Ella?” My patience is about gone. It’s shocking I have any left.
She glances at the animal. “For him.”
I blink. Barely. “Explain.”
She shrugs. “Somebody called in an animal cruelty report, and nothing was done, so I came to take him.”
Is she bullshitting me? “You came here, knowing you’re being hunted by not only me but somebody who sent an assassin after you last night, to save a fucking dog?”
Pink bursts across her high cheekbones. “Yes.”
I don’t know what to make of that. Kindness,sweetness, even vulnerability aren’t attributes I want to find in her. She definitely isn’t my type. I date women who want a hard and fast—often painful—fuck. That’s it. “Explain better,” I snarl.
She wipes rain off her nose. “That’s the entire situation.”
“What do you get out of it?” This doesn’t make sense.
She sighs, her sapphire-colored eyes softening. “A safe dog. He can’t protect himself, so here we are. Do you want to make a deal or not?”
We both know I can take her out of here in a second if I wish. Yet, having her cooperation will be helpful. Plus, I’ll never admit it, but I’m damn curious about what she wants. “All right. Give me your terms.”
She perks up, looking like a rare lily in the gray storm around us. “Excellent. All right. So, you’re going to help me save, um, Leo here.”
“Leo? His tag says Killer.”
She moves closer to the dog and stops when I shift my weight. “Not anymore. He’s Leo. It’s a strong and admirable name with ties to Citrine because of the astrological sign.” Her voice lowers to a purr. “Right, boy?”
He cocks his head, his focus on her. Then he gives a short whine.
