Page 15 of Run, Little Rabbit (Blood & Bonds #1)

Chapter Fourteen

Sphinx

V eon. Pretty, pouty, broody Veon stands on my doorstep wearing a scowl that I can feel all the way to my toes.

“You’re late,” I throw over my shoulder as I turn back into the house.

I messaged him an hour ago, and I’m annoyed he’s made me wait.

I don’t like waiting. It makes me nervous.

My mind starts to spiral, and I end up overthinking all the possibilities and outcomes of what may have happened.

I need to keep my mind busy and focused; otherwise, it’ll be my undoing.

I’ll get lost in there, tumble down a rabbit hole of possibilities and never find my way back out again.

That’s why I like coding so much. The continuous computer strokes and intricacies of code changing and shifting like water in a stream. Ever flowing and changing, never still.

“Sorry,” he says gruffly.

Something’s wrong. Veon never apologises, least of all to me. “What’s happened?”

He plonks his ass on the sofa, and I’m about to chide him for sitting without permission when he drops his head in his hands, his fingers twisting into the strands of his deep auburn hair. The guy’s a wreck. Which can only mean one thing.

“Where’s Echo?”

His blue eyes meet mine, so dark and full of sorrow.

It’s intense, and it halts the breath in my chest. I almost reach out and give the guy a hug.

I’ve never seen Veon look so vulnerable.

I’m so used to the gruff, blunt, recessive asshole version that I don’t know what to do with this man who looks like someone stole his world.

“She’s gone,” he says, his voice rough.

What? Gone… “You mean…?”

I can’t even say the words.

Veon shakes his head. “God, no.”

Relief sinks through me, although I’m tempted to hit the guy for scaring me like that. “Then where is she?”

“Kidnapped by Maxim Volkov.”

I flinch. That name grips my throat like a physical thing, squeezing and making it difficult to breathe. There’s not much that terrifies me in the world more than that fucking name.

Maxim Volkov is the reason I’m constantly looking over my shoulder.

He murdered my parents. I came home from school one day to find him standing over their bodies—or what was left of them, anyway.

Due to the severity of the damage done to them, we had to wait for DNA results to confirm their identities.

I still have nightmares about it. I’d had pretty decent black hat hacking skills even back then, and my father had done a deal with Maxim that utilised my skills to clear his debt.

To this day, I still don’t know why my father owed a debt to a Volkov, but I know it’s ultimately what got him killed.

I was hoping that maybe Bennie had something on his phone about it, but I haven’t found anything yet.

And now the bastard has Echo, and I can’t… I don’t…

Fuck. It’s hard to breathe. My hand clutches my chest as my ribs constrict my lungs. My heart is pounding, blood thudding with the sound of a thousand drums as it rushes through my veins.

What if he’s hurt Echo? What if she’s already dead? What if I never see her again? Where will I live? What will I—

“Sphinx.”

Strong fingers cup my face, and I’m suddenly drowning in two pools of blue.

“Take a breath.”

I do as Veon says, holding his gaze as I breathe with him.

“That’s it,” he encourages softly, and I feel my heart beat slow down to a dull thud.

We stay like that for a few moments, just breathing, until my mind quietens and I feel like I’m back in control.

My tongue darts across my bottom lip; it wasn’t even sexual, just a nervous tick, but Veon’s gaze drops to my mouth for a fraction of a second before a blush creeps up the side of his neck.

His hands drop from my cheeks like they’ve been scorched, and I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face.

Tormenting Veon is definitely one of my favourite pastimes because he’s just so easy to rile up.

I don’t know why I let him get under my skin so much.

Any other straight guy I’d have written off by now, but Veon…

it’s those eyes. So full of pain and sorrow, defiance and anger.

And it’s the moments like this, when he forgets to hate me just for a second, that have me coming back for more.

I know he’s wrapped up in Echo, but is it wrong that I want him to be wrapped up in me instead?

Man, this guy is gonna break my heart, isn’t he?

I should just leave him be and move on, but I can’t take my eyes off him.

He thinks he’s broken, but he has no idea how strong he really is. He fascinates me.

Hell, maybe I just like a challenge.

“You gonna tell me what’s happened to Echo, or are you going to kiss me?” I murmur.

His nostrils flare, and it’s like he remembers where he is and who he’s supposed to be.

The mask of the stone-cold bodyguard slips back in place, and he steps back, his scowl descending over those hard as flint baby blues.

That permanent scowl twisting that pouty mouth shouldn’t be sexy, but on Veon, it’s fucking devastating.

“You’re a real jackass, you know that?” He snarls.

I smile. “Only for you, sugar.”

“Want me to show you how quick I can put a bullet in your kneecap?”

“Promises, promises, baby.”

“Fuck you.”

“If you want,” I say with a shrug, because let’s be honest, I’d be down for that.

“Can you track Echo?” he asks gruffly, forcibly changing the subject.

I chuckle but follow his lead. I’ve probably pushed him a little too far considering he’s still worked up over his fiery little redhead. “No, but I can probably figure out where Maxim is holding her.”

“Well, do that then.”

I roll my eyes and saunter over to my computer setup. “You know, you’re a stick in the mud.”

“Just fucking do it, Sphinx.”

I have to grit my teeth. I get that he’s pissed and whatever, but he doesn’t need to talk to me like I’m shit on the bottom of his fucking shoe. “I managed to break into Bennie’s phone.”

“Good.”

I shake my head. No ‘thank you’ or ‘well done’.

What the fuck am I even doing here? Maybe I should put into action that escape plan I have in my back pocket.

Fuck the whole world, the Quinns and Veon with his beautiful fucking pouty mouth.

Maybe I should just disappear. It’s not as if I’m appreciated here.

Well… that’s not entirely true. Echo has never undervalued me or my skills.

It’s probably why I’ve stuck around for so long.

That and the fact that the Quinn name affords me some hefty protection and I can live under the radar here.

“Did you find anything?” Veon asks gruffly.

“I’ve only scratched the surface. That phone is a fucking goldmine.”

He mutters something under his breath which sounds suspiciously like a string of curse words. “Can anyone else access the data?”

I swivel in my seat and fix him with a flat stare. “The fuck did you just say?”

His scowl deepens, and my dick twitches.

“I was just checking.”

“Well, don’t.” I snap. “If you don’t have anything useful to say you can fuck off.”

He holds his hands up and takes a few steps back. I shouldn’t let him get under my skin, but there’s something about him I can’t turn away from. Something that makes my skin burn.

I turn back to my computer and spend the next hour doing a deep dive on the Volkov holdings.

There are a number of shell corporations holding a myriad of properties, but there’s one buried that catches my interest. I don’t know why; there’s just something about the way it’s listed under the ownership of several different companies.

Someone doesn’t want this one found. It almost doesn’t exist.

“This one,” I tell Veon as I point to it.

He leans closer to the screen over my shoulder. “But it’s listed as awaiting demolition.”

“You think I’m wrong?”

Veon sighs as if he’s had enough of me. “No, but why that one?”

“I’d bet money on that one because it is awaiting demolition, and yet it’s buried so deep in paperwork it’s almost impossible to find. It’s also in the middle of nowhere.”

I didn’t think it was possible, but his scowl deepens again. I reach out and brush the creases between his eyebrows with my forefinger.

His hand darts out and wraps around my wrist. “What are you doing?”

“Stopping you from ageing prematurely. All that frowning will give you wrinkles.”

His fingers squeeze against my pulse point, like he doesn’t know whether to push me away or pull me closer. Veon’s blue eyes swirl with indecision, his pupils dilating as he continues to watch me, but I see the moment fear wins, and I know I’ve lost him.

He flinches, and his eyes narrow. “Send me the address.”

Veon straightens, turns on his heel and pulls his phone out to make a call. I sigh, but do as he asks, sending him the coordinates followed by a middle finger emoji.

He’s pacing the floor; that damn scowl is back and making him look like he’s one step away from going feral. Must be talking to the Boss. The infamous Rory Quinn.

I’ve heard stories, and I’m glad I’ve never met the guy. It still amazes me that Echo is cut from the cloth. Then again… I’m pretty sure she enjoys murdering people, so maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.

“I’m heading over to that place to see if Echo is there.”

“What about Bennie’s phone?” I ask. I’ve already uncovered secrets about political figures and high-ranking police officers that would cause absolute chaos if released into public knowledge.

And there’s so much I haven’t even looked at yet.

I’ve got a program running just to organise the information so I can make some sense of it.

“That’ll have to wait,” Veon replies gruffly.

I roll my eyes. Of course it will. “Need some company on your rescue mission?”

He hits me with a flat look. “Do you have any kind of tactical training?”

“No.” I fold my arms across my chest. “But I can use a gun and take a guy down with my bare hands.”

Years of underground fighting taught me to be scrappy.

Veon eyes me warily, and I can almost see the cogs whirring in that brain of his.

I lean closer and roll my bottom lip between my teeth. “I’m also really good at following orders.”

“You’re a real pain in my ass,” he snarls.

I laugh manically. “Oh, come on, Veon. You know you need the help.”

I bet he’s pissed because Rory won’t send anyone else on this suicide mission. The guy has probably framed it as some challenge to Veon to put right his ‘mistake’.

No one else from the Quinn family will be allowed to come.

But I’ll bet that wannabe hitman will tag along.

Ray or Jay or some single-syllable namesake.

The guy is in love with Echo, not that it’s ever done any favours for him.

She won’t give him the time of day because she needs someone who will put her in her place from time to time.

Someone who can keep her occupied and interested because that girl is far too easily bored.

Veon’s shoulders drop, and I know I’ve won.

“Fine. Wear all black. We leave in five minutes.” He eyes my white-blonde hair with disgust. “And put a fucking hat on. We’re picking Kai up on the way.”

Kai! That was the guy’s name. “Sweet. I’ll just—”

But he was gone. Through the front door and slamming it behind him with a sharp snap.

Fuck, the guy’s a prick. It’s a good job he’s cute because if he weren’t, I’d probably end up shooting him.