Page 69 of Lovely Venom

I glance over my shoulder and see she’s still watching us. I push the assassin out of the kitchen so I don’t have a witness seeing me take the gun. He may not care if she knows whathedoes. He can probably talk her out of testifying against him.

“And what about my knives?”

Rhys drops the unloaded gun into my shaking palm and hikes away into another room. I peek in that direction, amazed at the size and layout of this place.

He comes back with a briefcase. “They’re in here with your ammo and your Sig. It’s locked. I’ll text you the combination when you leave.”

“You don’t have my phone number.” But as I say this,I realize I’ve walked into one hell of a trap.

He takes his phone out of his back pocket and reads off my number.

Rolling my eyes, I ask, “How did you do that?”

“My phone automatically detects other phones in a ten-foot radius and ghosts a copy.” He puts his phone away. “Obviously.”

“Obviously.” Don’t I feel like a fucking amateur?

“That’s a quality knife, by the way,” Rhys remarks appreciatively.

“Thanks.” I hold the briefcase against my chest. “Want to check it out again?”

He smiles. “Nice try.”

I cock my head to the side. “The way you have this place trip-wired and a psycho girlfriend watching us, I wouldn’t dream of trying to kill you.”

“She’snotmy—”

I hold up my hand. “I’m fucking with you.”

And it’s a lot of damn fun.

“Raina?” The assassin’s voice gets low.

“Yeah?” I shudder at him using my name.

He pins me against the wall, his hands gently around my throat. But they’re strong enough to squeeze the life out of me.

This just stopped being fun.

“Who are you working for?” he asks with a purr.

“Your friend tried that.”

“Cousin,” he corrects me.

“Right. Your girlfriend told me that. She knows a lot about you.”

Patience running out, Rhys steps back, probably knowing a knee to his balls is coming. “We’ll figure it out.”

“And?”

“Kill whoever sent you.” He folds powerful forearmsacross an even more powerful chest under a T-shirt that’s at least one size too small.

Fallon, honey, you CAN pick ‘em.

“Why not just kill me right now?” I spin around. “Am I missing something?”

Rhys studies me for a moment. Rubbing his chin, he says, low and dangerous, “I was given specific instructions not to kill you.”