Page 265 of Hell Hath No Fury

He makes a good point.

CHAPTER SIX

Bane

After a few days of peace and quiet, I can’t help but wonder if Dakota’s problems were short-lived and maybe blown a little bit out of proportion. I would never say that to her, of course. I’m not stupid. And I wouldn’t want her to think she’s only being patronized. This could be a case of a girl nobody has ever listened to, with no one to care about her, overreacting out of loneliness.

It isn’t until I notice soil strewn around the potted plants outside the office window three days after meeting Dakota that I start paying closer attention. I’m about to make an excuse—a neighbor’s cat, a stray, or some particularly active birds, even—until I notice some of the stems are broken and the leaves dangling. As if somebody had been leaning over them and crushed them with their leg.

And when I go out in the morning for coffee, I notice the welcome mat sitting crooked in front of the apartment door. It wasn’t like that before, and there haven’t been any deliveries.

Dakota might not have been looking for a man exactly like me when she decided she needed a bodyguard, but it turns out my skills and experience lend themselves to this sort of work just the same. I’ve had to train myself to look for clues and hints. Weaknesses in a target’s security system, any signs they might have changed their routine recently, thus leaving me needing to change my plans.

Today, as a result of these little clues, I make a decision. “You need somebody to come out and secure these windows.”

“You think so?” She turns to me, ignoring the movie I’ve only half paid attention to.

“They’re too old. The locks? Too easy to break.”

“I can’t just put new windows in, though. There are limits to what I can do since it’s not like I own the building.”

“There are mechanisms that can be installed without having to replace the entire window. Don’t worry. I made an appointment for the morning.” She accepts this with a smile, snuggling closer to me and telling me I made the right call by reaching out to an acquaintance who does that kind of work for his security clients. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to talk her into it, but she’s still just as grateful as ever for my input.

She’s yawning before the movie’s even over, so it’s clear what has to happen next when the credits begin to roll. “You should get to bed.”

“I should?” She sits up, smirking as she looks me up and down. “Just me, by myself?”

There’s a reason she’s yawning so hard at barely ten o’clock at night, and it isn’t because she’s losing sleep over fear. Not anymore. I can’t help but indulge in her, just like she can’t seem to resist me. Not that I’m about to tell her to try.

While she’s in the bathroom, I double-check the door and the windows. My buddy will be installing a camera over the front door tomorrow, as well. Just an extra touch I insisted on. I need to know if somebody has been creeping around her door, trying to rustle up the courage to break in. I need to see the fucker’s face for myself.

By the time I finish checking everything, she’s already in bed. “You better hurry,” she teases, one of the straps to her nightgown sliding down her arm when she shrugs. “I might fall asleep, and wouldn’t that be disappointing?”

“I’ll be as quick as I can.” She’s giggling softly when I pass the bedroom on my way to the bathroom. It’s amazing how this place has come to feel like a second home in just a handful of days. Aside from a quick trip to my apartment for clothes and whatnot, I’ve spent all my time here. She could become a habit, one I’m not in any hurry to break.

Anticipation makes me speed my way through my nightly routine. I’ve just finished brushing my teeth when a scream rips through the air.

Dropping my toothbrush in the sink, I burst from the bathroom and rush to the bedroom. Dakota is sitting up in bed, screaming with the covers pulled up around her chest.

Staring in horror at the man standing at the foot of her bed, his hands clenched at his sides. She turned out the light after I left her there, but I can make out enough of him from the light coming through the windows.

Reflex takes over, sending me across the room to where the sniveling little fuck stands over her. I clap a hand on his shoulder and turn him my way, making him sputter in surprise. “Wait a sec—”

Anything else he felt like saying is gone forever when I twist his neck quickly and powerfully, snapping it like a twig. I don’t feel anything as I watch the life drain from his eyes, his lips freeze in a permanent shocked O, and his body crumples to the ground in a heap.

Dakota gasps, her hands over her mouth. I turn to her. “Are you okay? Did he try to touch you?” I ask, snapping my fingers when all she can do at first is stare at the body on the floor. “Answer me. I need you to stay with me here. Are you all right?”

When I sit beside her on the bed, it seems to startle her out of her shock. “You killed him. I mean, I’m fine,” she adds, still staring at the body. “But you killed him.”

“I did. And now, I’m going to need you to put some clothes on. Stay far away from him and get yourself dressed. We have to get out of here for a while.” As I speak, I pull my phone out and dial up a member of my crew. “Yeah, I’m going to need cleanup.” I give them the address and end the call with a five-minute ETA.

“I don’t understand any of this.” She’s made it off the bed but is standing stock-still on the other side, her eyes wide and haunted.

“I’m going to have to tell you the truth now. You’re safe with me—you’ve always been safe with me and always will be. But my line of work?” Here goes nothing. “I’m a hitman for hire. That’s how I freelance. This is not the first man I’ve killed. But it meant protecting you, and that is my priority over everything else. Now, we have to get out of here so the team I work with can clean this up and make sure there’s no evidence this man was ever here.”

She takes it well enough anyway, though she doesn’t say a word while pulling on sweats without bothering to take off her nightgown. By the time there’s a discreet knock on the front door, she’s fully dressed, keeping her eyes averted on her way out the door rather than introducing herself to any of the team. I know this has to be a tremendous shock, so I’m not going to push her to give me more than she’s capable of right now.

She doesn’t seem to come to her senses until we’re already in my car, which I brought over here and parked in the garage after picking up my things. “Where are we going?” she whispers.