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I’d been so scared the night of the hurricane. And yet, it was the first time in my life I’d felt so safe.
I smiled as my eyelids drooped. I was so tired.
Exhausted.
Slumber pulled at me, calling me under…
…
Until, the sound of footsteps crunching on sand made my eyes jerk open.
I clutched the keys tighter, positioning them in between my fingers in case I would need to use them as a weapon.
A man appeared from nowhere, flickering into sight like a mysterious apparition. When he saw me, he rushed forward, falling to his knees before me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded, my eyes still heavy. “I think so.”
“Are you Tatiana? Tatiana Krapivnik?”
I blinked, fighting the pull to sleep. It had been a long time since I’d been called that. I managed to nod. “Yes.”
“Oh thank God.” He slid his hands under me, pulling me up and into his arms, waking me from my sluggish demise. “My name is Rook Undergrove. Do you recognize the name?”
“Maybe.” It was hard to think.
“Well I know you, and I’ve been searching for you for two years…”
THIRTY-SEVEN
PRESENT DAY
Rage followed me like a caged animal throughout the early morning and into the day. Followed by immense dread and hatred with the realization that some-fucking-how, this man had survived that day. And he'd follow me to the ends of the earth, to the end of fuckingtime, to get his revenge.
For the past few weeks, he'd taunted and tortured me.
Then taken someone so innocent and pure, that it had now released the beast inside me.
Ready. To. Kill. The motherfucker.
He had no idea what was coming.
Now that I knewwhoexactly was looking for me, I knewhowto find him.
Because I knew Manuel. As soon as Knight had disappeared from my life, he'd courted and married me. For three whole years, I had the opportunity to get to know him--long enough for his mask to come off. To really get to know him.
He would want a place secluded enough that he could have total and complete control over it. And yet, close enough to the center of power so that he could easily access it.
And that center of power had to include men to manipulate and control, plus access weapons.
Once I knew his source of power, the cartel, all I had to do was spread the word through my contacts, and the information would be granted.
It had taken me all day of working my network, going deeper than I'd dared go before, because I no longer limited myself to the Kings' side of town. Until, finally, I discovered the most likely location.
A warehouse, deep in the depths of cartel territory, and on the edge of the city.
I'd driven close enough to scout with binoculars, waiting until the cover of darkness to make my move. The place was lit up even though it was nighttime, surrounded by wired fences, begging me to slip inside.
An inspection of the place showed several video cameras, as well as motion sensors, plus a plethora of cartel men guarding the outside.