Page 65 of Chad's Chase

Vivian motioned to the door, but then touched my shoulder, and in ten shades of humility, whispered, “Lo siento”.

She wasn’t genuinely sorry. Just worried I would complain to Chad then her ass would be grass. I patted her hand nonetheless and gave her a smile. A genuine one. Then went through the door.

The movie room was dark and cozy, with six warm-brown recliner chairs facing the big screen.

Chad was in one of them, his feet stretched out before him, his head dipped low as he messed with his iPad, the screen light glowing on his face.

“Close the door,” he said without looking up.

I did as he asked and navigated to where he was. “You’re staying home with me today to watch movies? I choose porn.”

“Sit,” he ordered.

I’d been about to sit, but his command stopped me. “Or what?”

Irritated eyes raised from the tablet screen and up to me. “Today is not the day to mouth off with me, Blood.”

“Or. What?”

Quicker than I could register, he shot up and tackled me into the chair, his forearm above my breasts on my chest, keeping me down, his bent knee between my thighs.

Even in that deadly hold, all I could think about was his knee between my thighs, grazing against my core that was so hungry for him.

“Mouth off with me today and I’ll be forced to shove my cock in your mouth and fuck it until you choke on my fucking cum.”

Daringly, I grinned. “Sounds like a really hot way to die. Better than a bullet.”

Emitting a frustrated groan, he pressed his forearm harder against my chest. “Why are you so infuriatingly defiant?”

“Because…rules are not for us.”

Almost imperceptibly, his head jerked back.

Rules are not for us. It’s what he used to say to me when we were younger. I held my breath and waited, waited for him to see that it was me. Jhay.

His Tweety Byrd.

Disappointingly, he didn’t.

He backed off, picked up his tablet from where it had fallen on the thick carpeted floor and sat back down.

“Seeing that the threat of death turns you on instead of scares you, I’m gonna have to ask youkindlyto chill the fuck out. You’re giving me a goddamn headache,” he said, rubbing his eyes. “Someone’s after you, and I need to find out who it is so I can stop them before it’s too late.”

Oh God. My time has run out.“What do you mean someone’s after me?”

“Well, two different sets of people,” he spared. “But before we get into that, I need you to tell me something first.” He set his iPad face-down on his lap, then interlaced his fingers on top of it. “Who sent you to kill me?”

An answer I wish I knew. “I don’t know.”

Chad frowned at me. “This room is soundproofed, Blood. It’s why I called you in here. So if you’re worried about being heard, don’t be.”

In the assassin world, assignments were never discussed with anyone but the one who gave it. It was a rule: if broken, one would suffer painfully, most of the time in death. So naturally, Chad thought I was being spurious to protect myself. But really, I would tell him anything he wanted to know at this point. This one thing, however, Ididn’tknow.

“I don’t know who sent me, Chad.”

Losing his patience, Chad rubbed his hands down his face, asking, “Wha-What do you mean you don’t know? You do realize I’m trying to protect you here, right?”

Leaning over my chair handle to his, I took one of his hands in mine so he could look at me and mark the veracity of my words, spoken in our second tongue, Russian. “Chadrick Ivanovich Niiveux, I do not know who sent me to kill you. I am a prisoner. I do as I am told because it is either that or death. For twelve years I have been imprisoned. I have been beaten, raped, and forced to kill. You did this. You let me live. Why didn’t you kill me? Why did you leave me to suffer?”

Face white as a ghost’s, lips parting in absolute horror, Chad froze up, still as a statue.

“I do not know who is behind all this,” I went on. “But I think the real answer to your question is…you. You sent me to kill you, Blood.You.”