Page 168 of Ink Deep Devotion
Her exhales rival a wild boar running through a jungle for the kill.
“You need us. If you don’t take my deal, then the person trying to kill you will do it themselves.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Someone wants you dead. They were hoping I did it so the Kings would look guilty.” I continue as the violinist hits a high note, making the crowd applaud him.“They wanted me to kill you, so it looked like I was killing off The Rites of Passage’ssecret council and their heirs. Your life is in my hands, and obviously, I need you alive so you can tell me where my wife is.”
It’s almost like my words were the voice of god himself. A server steps in front of us, silver tray in hand, offering champagne. It’s the amount of sweat dripping down his face that alerts my senses. I almost miss the muzzle of the gun pointing out from under the tray, but the long silencer he has attached to it causes it to stick out.
I grab Avery, but her body jerks. Fuck, she’s hit! Her black dress takes on a new shade of darkness as a bullet wound to her shoulder begins to flood the fabric.
Anders is already moving, Ax in hand and then. He moves it, cutting the blade through the air so fast it creates a whistle, and then… gross! The assassin’s head hangs halfway off his neck; the ax cut through half of it. He falls to the ground, making a scene that ripples through the gala like a tidal wave.
Screams, chaos, madness. People run, pushing others in a stampede to escape. Anders stands, ax still in hand, as he covers us.
Instead of crying and fainting, Avery tries to do something stupid, turning on her heels to run with the crowd.
I pull her into me, chest to chest, feeling the warmth of her blood pressing into my suit.“What? No, thank you?” Using the chaos I act, no one notices me pressing my finger into the gunshot wound; Avery’s screams blend with the crowd.“Is that a yes or no? Do you accept my terms?”
“Fuck you!” She pants.
“Do you want my protection?” Her face is pale, making the rapid beads of sweat on her forehead look like fresh, untouched snow. I press my finger into her bleeding wound further.
“I can’t betray Mila.” Her chest sinks.
“You won’t.”I hold her stare.“I fucked up, and I’m prepared to beg for forgiveness if she will have me, that is.”
Her pain clears as she judges me, slowly nodding.
“The car is waiting.” Anders taps my shoulder.
“We find my sister first,” Avery says.
“Deal.”
“Take your finger out of me now, you asshole!”
I sandwich her between Anders and me as cover.“Asshole?” I joke,“Here I was, helping my new friend.”
“Helping?”
“I was trying to stop the bleeding.”
“I’m gonna kill you!”
“Join the club.” I snicker as we push through the crowd. I’m one more step closer to getting my wife back.
Chapter 62
Mila
I take a seat, placing my sketchbook on the table. My shift is over, but I can’t go home. A sugar rush has left me too exhausted to walk. Nonnina’s determination got me to gobble down two more of her pastries.
I need to figure out what I’m going to do. Avery set me up with enough money to survive a year, but my income as a server isn’t going to cover the small apartment I have, let alone food for the rest of my life. I’m going to have to get a second job, but I want it to matter. I want to help people.
Maybe there is a shelter nearby?
It would be easier to help them if I stayed and Dash just loved me. I could use his resources and my inheritance to fund everything. That’s what Avery did; she stayed and fought covertly.
