“Get the fuck away from her,” I snarled.

  The bastard had the nerve to laugh. He was quick in his actions, able to grab Jessica around the throat.

  She had no intention of backing down, doing everything in her power to fight him. When he thrust a blade against her neck, only then did she suck in her breath and stop moving.

  I walked closer, holding the weapon out with both hands, the barrel aimed right between his eyes.

  Christopher broke off from where he was flanking my side, his posture exactly like mine. I hadn’t comprehended the man knew how to handle a weapon as well as he did. We were both pissed. The fucker had done everything in his power to make us believe Christopher had been the one providing trade secrets.

  Even worse, I’d bought it, not believing a woman could be behind the betrayal. Although for a few hours, I’d mused about the possibility Jessica had been working with someone, including her own father to bring us down. I laughed softly, mostly at myself. Women were the most cunning creatures on this earth.

  “I never knew you had it in you, Sam. You seemed like a nice guy.”

  If he was surprised that I knew his identity, he didn’t show it. Then again, I certainly couldn’t see his face. Yet.

  “You should know all about that, Xander. You are a true monster. You did kill my friend, Joel. Didn’t you? Didn’t you?” He truly seemed horrified.

  I laughed softly and inched closer. “You know how competitive it is in this business, Sam. You certainly didn’t mind taking over the man’s business operations. Did you? With stealing several ideas and productions designs, our intellectual property, you counted on becoming a very wealthy man. Sadly, your idea backfired on you. You were just too… How do I say this? Stupid with using Elizabeth. She isn’t as naïve as you think she is. In fact, she had a picture taken of the two of you in case you reneged on whatever deal you made.”

  I didn’t need to see the look of surprise on his face.

  “Yes, she was a smart woman, sending copies to her home email address, a private one no one knew about and her attorney in case anything happened to her. Was she going to be next, Sam? Eliminating loose ends?”

  Given his lack of answer, that’s exactly what he had planned. As I’d always known, anyone could cross the line of right versus wrong with the correct incentive.

  My little lamb took the opportunity to elbow the man, able to jerk from his hold. But he reacted instantly, pummeling his body against hers, driving them both to the ground right by the water.

  A flash of images tore through my mind, the memory of seeing Amy’s broken body by the river capturing my full attention.

  Jessica’s sharp cry dragged my attention back to the present day. I threw myself on both, jerking him away from her and snapping my fingers around his wrist holding the knife.

  She scrambled away, Christopher catching her and pulling her from harm’s way.

  Sam and I pitched and rolled much like the rage was doing in my mind. I was fucked up, flipping back and forth between the past and the present. After managing to knock the knife from his hand, I reared back, delivering two brutal punches to his face in a row.

  He lay limp, gasping for air. I’d likely broken his nose. Who gave a damn?

  As I hauled him to his feet, I pressed the barrel of my weapon against his forehead and ripped off his mask. I wanted to see the look of terror in his eyes.

  I got what I was looking for.

  I was salivating over seeing the vacant look seconds later.

  “Are you ready to die, you fuck?” I bellowed.

  “No!” Jessica’s sharp cry as she wrestled free from Christopher’s hold caught my attention. She looked so damn beautiful, her face pensive, but her eyes held the same resolve. “You can’t kill him, Xander.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because you’re not the young boy caught in a monstrous cage and I’m not Amy.”

  Startled, I sucked in my breath, pressing the metal against his skin. I slowly turned my head to lock eyes with hers.

  She moved closer, nodding as she did. “I know about Amy. You tried to protect her. You didn’t fail her, Xander. You did everything you could as a young boy. Because of you, her life was better. Don’t do this. Amy wouldn’t want you to do this. He’ll pay for his sins, but you don’t have to any longer.”

  I returned my gaze to his eyes. Maybe I was searching for remorse. What I noticed was a broken man driven to doing something he would never have done before. I shifted the weapon, still keeping the barrel pointed in the same spot.

  “Xander. Don’t. You have too much to live for.” She placed her hand on my arm and I looked away briefly, hissing. “Please.”

  When I dropped the weapon to the side, I pushed him hard, forcing him to tumble down on the ground. Christopher held his weapon out toward the fallen man, giving me a nod.

  She removed my mask, brushing her fingers against my cheek. “I don’t need Sinner any longer. Why would I when I have Xander?”

  I wrapped my arms around her. “Jessica.”

  “You saved me. You protected me. Just like you promised.”

  While nothing in the present or the future would take away from the horrors of the past, she was right in that for the first time in my life, I had everything to live for.

  I cupped both sides of her face, lowering my head. As I captured her mouth, an entirely different set of emotions rolled through me.

  Could this be something called… love?

  CHAPTER 38

  Jessica

  New jobs were always difficult to start. Just walking in always brought intense nerves. Trying to learn the lay of the land took a few days so by the end of the first week, I’d always been exhausted.

  But at least when I walked into the Blackwell Group, I felt a strange sense of pride.

  I remained in the waiting room, uncertain what to expect. I had my briefcase with me, including a few additional resumes. I’d snagged several pens and my sketchpad for possible designs.

  Was I nervous? Well, of course. Especially after the rather horrifying weekend I’d experienced. He’d insisted I wait until Wednesday to come into Blackwell and I’d almost lost my mind.

  But I’d obeyed him.

  The thought almost brought an inappropriate giggle.

  Xander had remained right by my side, keeping me warm and safe when the police had come to arrest Sam. He’d been close to catatonic by then, only whispering his wife’s name. I still found it so hard to believe he’d been the one to supply information to Dorn. What he hadn’t expected was for Dorn to play both sides. At least Dorn’s fake arrest had started an investigation. I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but it would appear the pending charges were legitimate.

  He might do some jail time.

  Sindom sales had plummeted after the news hit the airwaves the day before. Meanwhile, it had been the opposite with Blackwell. Their sales were soaring, their stocks as well.

  What had been almost saddest of all was seeing Elizabeth being arrested on the local news, taken from her home. My guess was she’d never intended on hurting anyone.

  I was getting antsy when the door opened to the reception area and Xander walked out, a more than evil grin on his face. I stood, my legs a little shaky. How could that be after the night of passion we’d shared?

  “Welcome, Ms. Waldrop. We are very happy to have you working with us.” He stretched out his hand for a shake, winking when he did.

  “You are truly an evil man,” I whispered.

  “I guess you would know. Then again, you might find out I’m so much more. Are you ready to see your new office?”

  “I thought I’d be working in the production facility.”

  “Oh, you’ll shift your time back and forth, but you’ll need an office here. Come on. Let’s get you set up.”

  As I trailed behind him, I could tell everyone knew we were close. They weren’t impolite, just offering knowing smiles. There was warmth in the air, which was something I hadn’t expected.

  He led me down a beautifully decorated hallway and into a stunning office. I had my own picture window with a gorgeous view. The desk was massive, much bigger than I needed, complete with three monitors and an incredible Mac computer.

  On the credenza was a bouquet of roses.

  I gave him a saucy look and he threw up his hands. “Not from me. Not this time anyway.”

  “Hmmm…” I dropped my purse on the desk, gently placing my briefcase on the floor and heading toward the incredible roses. I took a deep whiff and noticed the card. Why were my fingers shaking? It was silly to be nervous about receiving flowers.

  When I pulled the card from the envelope, all I could do was smile.

  “Who are they from?” he asked.

  Oh, wow. I was pleasantly surprised, a little flutter of my heart reminding me I’d once been a little girl looking up to a powerful man.

  “Are you jealous?” I purred.

  “Maybe,” he growled and sauntered closer. “Confess or you will be punished.”

  “Here?”

  He glanced from side to side. “No better place.”

  “Not on my first day, buddy.”

  “That’s sir to you. Remember your place.”

  “Ha.” I reread the card and smiled. “They’re from my dad. He’s proud of me.”

  “I’ll be damned,” he said as he shifted his attention away. “He extended an olive branch.”

  “What?” My father had called over the weekend and we’d talked for almost an hour. He’d even indulged me with a couple of tamer stories so as not to horrify me. I felt closer to the man than I had since I was very small.

  “I told you he’d come around.”

  “This is all about the chat you had with him. Isn’t it?”

  Xander shrugged. “Let’s just say he took a tiny piece of advice when we saw each other.”

  “You mean in town?” I grinned.

  “In town. He even told me to take care of you.” He returned to the door, closing it behind him. When he advanced again, he had an entirely different look on his face. “And that’s what I intend on doing.”

  I’d had enough of Xander’s kisses before that I shouldn’t swoon when he dragged me onto my toes, pulling me against the heat of his body, but it was almost impossible not to.

  He was just too sinfully delicious.

  He crushed his lips over mine, sliding his hand down to cup my bottom. The feel of his hard, throbbing cock pressing into my stomach instantly aroused me. As he swept his tongue inside, I rolled my arms around his shoulders, even tangling the fingers of one hand in his hair. I could do this for hours.

  But we had work to do.

  I was the one to push him away, licking my bottom lip as soon as I did.

  “You won’t be able to deny me for long,” he said in his deep, husky tone.

  “Who says I want to? Boss?”

  “Sir,” he mused, cracking his hand on my bottom before backing away.

  “You are such a bad man.”

  “Mmm… You have no idea.”

  I glanced from one side of the office to the other. “What now?”

  “Now I’ll take you to the production site to meet your new team. Since they will be working under you, you’ll need to hit the ground running.”

  “Are you serious?” In charge of the entire team? Now I was floored.

  He lifted a single eyebrow. “I told you I never lie. Come on. Then I’ll take you to lunch.”

  “A softie.”

  “Don’t get used to it.” He laughed as he opened the door.

  Meanwhile, I shivered. How did I end up here?

  Oh, yes. I’d fallen hard for a very dark, twisted man.

  Everything was suddenly perfect.

  Two months later

  Ugh. A board meeting. I hated them. This would be only my second in attendance, but I felt thoroughly inadequate even though I’d proven myself by keeping our designs and the production going after the loss of Elizabeth.

  That didn’t mean I wasn’t a nervous wreck.

  Life with Xander had been so interesting. He was all business at work, but at night? He was a wild man. At least it seemed his demons were starting to fade, which was why I’d never broached the subject of his birth parents again. If he wanted to fight to learn their identity, so be it.

  But in my mind, it didn’t change the man.

  Sadly, while we’d been passionate, our dark proclivities hadn’t been fulfilled since the night in the park. I had a feeling he was worried I’d freak.

  I checked the time. Only five minutes to go. I had the numbers ready, the timing for the next release locked down. I was prepared.

  Then why did I feel like I was going to throw up a little in my mouth?

  The knock on the door brought another groan. I prayed there were no hidden issues.

  When my assistant walked in, a priority envelope in her hand, I narrowed my eyes. “What’s this?”

  “Unknown sender.” She had a spark in her eyes.

  “Huh. Thank you.”

  After she placed it on my desk, I stared at it for a full two minutes. Two minutes of the precious five lost. Finally, I tore open the envelope, finding only a black note card with gold writing.

  I sat back in my chair, swiveling it back and forth.

  You’re invited to a hunt.

  Where magical things might be a front.

  Use your wits, use your feminine wiles.

  And you’ll make it through the game in style.

  But if you lose, you’ll face the wrath.

  Of the devil as he stops your path.

  Remember… No risk, no reward.

  I laughed out loud. The rhyme was crude, but effective. The hunt was set for later that night. I guess it was a good thing I’d purchased a few masks of my own.

  Maybe the hunted would become the hunter.

  After all, every cunning, mischievous action was fair in love and war.

  Right?

  The End

  AFTERWORD

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