Page 47 of Mercenary

Goddamn it. She means us.

I blink. Us. As if there’s goddamn hope that this attraction will change into something more. Something real. Something I never imagined I wanted until now. Broken man, broken promises.

“I like you. You like me.”

“I never told you . . . “

“Shhh,” she hushes me. “You can run but you can’t hide.”

I could spare Madelyn the grief of what’s headed her way. Let her go. Simple. After all, I never shared with Hayden my plan for luring Kylie to me. If I let her go, no one will be the wiser.

But I’m a selfish prick with a bigger agenda. Kylie needs to be held accountable for my friend’s murder. And orders are orders, after all.

“Listen, baby. I’m going to be straight up with you.”

She turns. Hope, doubt, misplaced like . . . it’s written all over her face. Innocent. Pure. But nobody’s chump.

She’s a survivor.

Like me.

Against my better nature and being the wuss-ass I am, I try once more to protect her.

“No promises. Or lies,” I tell her honestly, “The truth is, I’m all you’ve got.”

14

Declan

Idraw the worn brown curtains in the room I rented at Longview motel closed with a sharp pull. Casting the room in darkness, well aware of Madelyn standing nervously over by the one chair in the tight space.

“Relax,” I ground out. She jumps at the bite in my tone. Yeah, I’m doing a stand-up job of soothing away the tension between us.

God fucking knows why, I don’t like her being afraid of me.

When all I ever offer anyone is fear. It’s who I am. What I know.

I never wanted it to be otherwise.

Until now.

“You take the bed. I’ll sleep on the floor.”

Through the faint light from the nightstand lamp, I see her shoulders relax.

Earning her trust is key. A shame I’ll eventually crush it like balled-up paper within my fist.

She doesn’t deserve this. The good ones never do. And that’s Madelyn, good down to the bone. Honest. Compassionate. Naive in a way that brings out something foreign inside me, something that gets my blood racing, driving every protective instinct inside me out, front and center. She’s the kind of person always putting others before herself, inviting strangers in from storms and—nervous or not—making them feel at home. Strong of heart and mind, yet far too trusting.

Loyal to a fault, too. Someone who’ll stick by you through thick or thin. Warm you with a smile. Or cupcake. Bring out the best in you. Make you want to be a better person. Someone you want to be around, constantly.

The exact opposite of me.

No, I’m her worst fucking nightmare.

Something she’ll soon find out.

“I’m not tired.”