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“Like taking out the trash. It’s a chore.”

Dear God.

I give him a horrified look.

He lets out a deep sigh, then adds, “The first time I killed, I couldn’t eat for two weeks. I was sick to my stomach. Nothing would stay down. The stench of death clung to me, and I couldn’t wash it off.”

He was only seventeen. What kind of damage does that do to a young mind?

“How old are you now?”

“Thirty-five.”

“Oh, wow. You’re nine years older than me.”

A frown line appears between his eyes. “Is that a problem?”

I shake my head at him. “You think that might be a problem? Not the kidnapping and killing?”

“Stupid question.” Rowan shrugs. “Ignore it.”

When a small city appears in the distance, I sit up straighter. “Please tell me we’re staying in a motel tonight.”

“Sorry, my light. We’re just changing trucks and getting food, then we’re hitting the road again. Once we get to Phoenix, we’ll stay at a motel for two nights before the ten- to twelve-hour stretch across the border.”

My head jerks back as I gasp, “Why so long?”

“We’re not going through any border posts. Off the beaten track takes longer.”

Right.

I look ahead of us again, taking in the quiet Nevada city, which is much closer now. “So no sleeping tonight?”

“You can sleep while I drive.”

“I’m not talking about myself. I’m worried about you.”

Rowan’s eyes flick to me, but he says nothing in return, though as he glances at the surrounding area, the corner of his mouth lifts.

So what? Of course I care about him.

I was falling in love with him for two and a half months before learning he’s a retired assassin for the Bratva who has no problem breaking bones and ending lives.

I can’t stop myself from looking at him again, taking in the scruff on his jaw, which is thicker now. Out here in the hot desert, his eyes seem even lighter, the black strands of his hair falling slightly across his forehead.

Under such beauty hides a predator who doesn’t hesitate to maim and kill.

Deep in thought, I murmur softly, “You look like a wolf.”

Rowan’s body tenses more than usual, and he rolls his shoulders. “The Bratva and law enforcement know me as the Wolf.”

“Oh.”

As Rowan steers the pickup truck into Tonopah, I process everything I’ve learned about him during this ride.

My mind knows Rowan is very dangerous, and being with him will probably only lead to my demise.

But the more I discover about him, the more I care.