Any sight of her?
Nikita:
Nope ??
I snort. Niki hasn’t been this obsessed over anything, and I really hope he’s not the first one to find her.
Me:
I’m tracking her but not found her yet.
Max:
Keep your eyes peeled.
Nikita:
??
The guy cracks me up. He barely uses any words to text, instead preferring emojis to communicate. Sometimes I just don’t think he likes words at all. He didn’t talk much before his run-in with the hitman for the Caruso Family. In fact, I thinkthe guy says more now with his hands than he ever did with his mouth.
I’m still not sure about how I feel about the fact that Niki kissed Max. We haven’t spoken about it yet, but I don’tthinkI mind. Max and I have shared partners in bed before, but this feels different. This isNiki. Cold, brutal, Niki. How long had the guy been pining over Max? Or was it Max that initiated it?
No, it wasn’t Max. Max and I always communicated when we wanted to introduce a third into the bedroom, and he’s never mentioned Niki joining us. Not once.
Don’t get me wrong, Niki is gorgeous, and I’ve certainly admired the guy from a distance, but it just hit me a little out of the left field. Knowing Max, he probably provoked Niki, thinking the brute wouldn’t take the bait, and I bet Niki kissed Max to prove a fucking point.
And what a kiss it was. The way Niki was bending Max backwards… jeez, my dick is hard just thinking about it. That dynamic is definitely something I wouldn’t mind watching.
A twig snaps to my left, and my senses go on high alert. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly, not making a sound. A breeze passes by carrying a hint of lemon and a tang of blood.
She’s close.
I take off in her direction, my feet thudding on the ground. There’s a gasp and the sound of leaves crunching as she starts to run.
“Found you,” I croon as I get closer. I spy a flash of red hair behind a tree and dart towards her.Fuck, she’s fast. My chest heaves as I push to keep up, my lungs burning as I drag oxygen deep into them. She weaves between the trees and then disappears.
I skid to a stop by a thick oak tree, morning light filtering through the dark green leaves and dancing on the ground. The only sounds I can hear are the deep breaths I’m taking and therapid thud of my heart as blood rushes through my eardrums. I close my eyes and take a moment to listen, filtering out the sounds I make and focusing on the noises beyond.
“Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
I step forward slowly, moving in the direction I’d last seen her, but she’s good at this. I can’t hear anything. No rustle of movement. No heaving breaths.
Just silence.
I pause again and wait. I’m a patient man, and for her, I’d wait forever.
I have to admit, I’m impressed. I didn’t expect Echo to be so capable. There’s definitely more to her than meets the eye, and I’m beginning to wonder what else this woman can do.
I’d trained as a doctor, got my medical licence and then decided I didn’t want to work in the hospital anymore. It was too corporate, too much box ticking and not enough focus on actually taking care of people, so I left. It wasn’t the best decision I ever made, but it did lead me to Maxim. He’d caught my eye across a crowded bar where I’d been on the cusp of making a bad decision and going home with some bear of a guy, but then there he was. Casually sitting in a dark velvet booth, a glass of bourbon dangling gracefully from one hand and those grey eyes glowing silver in the low light. They captivated me, pulling me into his orbit with no chance of me even thinking about resisting. It was inevitable. I didn’t know who he was then, but I could sense he was powerful. Dangerous. And he called to the dark, frayed edges of my soul. Little did I know that Maxim would be the key to unlocking the monster that lived in my skin.
I crave that feeling of mania, of letting go and just being free. Of ignoring my inhibitions and surrendering to the violence within. I can feel the energy humming under my skin the longer I chase Echo through the trees. My fingers tingle, itching to dosomething. I just don’t know what. Women have never done itfor me. I knew I was gay when I was fourteen and I saw my hot neighbour hosing down in the garden wearing nothing but a pair of tropical print board shorts. He was a few years older than me and played rugby at school, and I remember the moment like it was yesterday. I wanted to lick down his abs with my tongue, tracing the drops of water as they travelled down his torso.
But there is something about Echo that has me intrigued. Maybe it’s the way she keeps evading us or the way she doesn’t seem fazed by the fact she’s been kidnapped. I want to know more about her. I want to know what makes her tick. I’ve never felt like this about a woman before, and it’s a little unsettling but also completely thrilling.
I know she’s here. I can feel her right by me, the sweet, sunshine scent of her dancing on the early morning breeze. I close my eyes again and just listen, filtering out the background noise until I can hear Echo’s muffled exhales. They’re slow and steady. Measured. I smile because I can tell she’s trying to blend into her surroundings, but there’s no way a woman like Echo Quinn could ever blend in.
I step up to the large oak tree and rest my back against it. I know she’s on the other side of the tree, and I stand there patiently waiting for the moment she sets off again.
