Page 50 of Lovely Venom

“I’ll consider your offer. For another night.” Then she steps back. “Good night, Connor.”

She turns on her heel and walks off, slipping through the crowd with a grace that tightens my chest.

I wait a few seconds, then follow her. But when I push through the hotel doors, the sidewalk is a blur of movement. Dozens of people are waiting to get in. Tourists wander by. Cabs are honking.

I let out a slow breath, my pulse still thrumming with the phantom heat of her.

Raina’s gone.

But I’m pretty sure I know just where to find her.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Raina

Ireturn to Connor’s lair by climbing in through a back window after disabling the complicated alarm system. An overgrown tree blocks the security camera, preventing my trespass from being noticed by whoever is watching this place.

All the exhilaration I felt last weekend drains from me as dread saturates every breath.Tonight, I’m here to kill him.

Am I, though?

Tiptoeing through a spare bedroom, I remind myself:He’sthe killer. He’s dispensing his own justice. Heck, it’s not justice at all. He’s a self-appointed executioner.

I move silently down a hall leading to the open kitchen. I drag my fingers along the cool marble of Connor’s countertops. But my fingers twitch for my Sig tucked into a special holder on my waistband while my 9mm Walther is strapped to my ankle.

I wonder if Connor is in his torture chamber right now beneath the city, finishing off some enemy he’ll never think twice about again.

Looking out at the living room, I consider where I should wait. Greet him sitting on a chair or the sofa with an anxious bullet in the chamber? Or should I hide in the closet again and end his life while he’s asleep?

My mind keeps replaying the exhibit from earlier tonight. His sister Sabine smiled at me, like she could tell I have a thing for her brother. The way Connor looked like he adored her ate at my conscience.

All I’ve seen is the monster side of criminals. Rarely were the men I hunted gentle husbands, fathers, andbrothers in the off hours. I’m questioning my crack judgment.

I assume my father was a killer. A man who apparently knew who I was and never tried to find me during his lifetime.Valdrinfound me. And now he and Noel are using me to their advantage.

That unraveling, that spin on Valdrin and Noel’s motives, brings my feet to a halt. Am I beingusedsomehow?

I exhale sharply and push off the counter. My pulse is still steady, my instincts are primed. I can do this.

But something doesn’t sit right.

I shouldn’t have stayed at the exhibit so long. Shouldn’t have let myself get drawn in.

I should leave. Before it’s too late, and I’m forced to do something I’ll regret. It’s not like Noel will kill me. I’m aprincess,according to him.

I need more details on this murder they’re shoving down my throat.

How Connor decided to just kill the Albaniankyre, when he lived under the rule that youdo not kill a don,isn’t adding up.

Feeling good about the decision to wait, I turn to leave the way I came in when a presence fills the space behind me, dark and suffocating.

“Going somewhere, Venom?” Connor’s deep voice strikes a nerve right through my heart.

Nimh. Venom. He knows it’sme.

Fuck.

My body reacts before my mind does. I pivot, reaching for my gun, but Connor is lightning fast, faster than I am. After a sharp twist and a shift of his powerful muscles, I’m pushed against the exposed brick wall in his living room, his body caging mine.