Page 102 of Raze
My eyes search his, but it’s always been impossible for me to read anything from him that he doesn’t willingly give. “What do you mean?” I ask, my hand coming up to the back of his to hold it there.
“I got GE’s attention by taking out everyone tied to them in our city. I killed every last one of them. Every supporter, partner, subsidiary, employee. There’s no one left there that belongs to them.” Something flickers in his gaze. “Thorne agreed to back me, then, once he realized the winning side. He got me a meeting to pretend that we’ll both join their side in exchange for your safety.”
He really did it. He wiped the board clean in that city by himself.
Holy fuck.
“What is Thorne getting out of this?” I’ll never trust that man, even if he says he’s chosen to back Jackson. I’m sure his loyalties will flip the second it may look like Jackson’s not in complete control.
Jack’s thumb strokes along my cheek. “He plans to take over GE for himself. I kill the board for him and then let him take it over to do what he wants with it. But he leaves us and the others out of it.”
I huff at the audacity of that man. As if Jackson would put in all this effort to take down the organization just to let Thorne take it over instead. Jackson easily reads my line of thinking and smiles.
“All Thorne sees is my obsession with you. He believes that as long as I know you aren’t being hunted any longer, I’ll back off. He also thinks he can convince me to join him by the end of this. That I’ll see the power he holds and want some of it, too.”
“Well, that’s ridiculous.” He nods in agreement. Apparently, Thorne is only seeing what he wants to see in Jack. “So, what are we doing next?”
“We’re waiting for a helicopter to pick us up and bring us to the island. Thorne’s likely called them to confirm that I have you. But I want you to stay here when it comes.”
“What? Why?”
His hand moves down my jaw to my neck, his cerulean gaze following his hand until his thumb pauses over the pulse point there. “You’re my ticket in with them, little one, but I have no plans to bring you with me. I’ll tell Thorne I want to meet first to make sure they’re going to hold up their end of the deal before I bring youwith me. You being here was enough for them to send the helicopter. You’ve done your part. And once we go, the captain will send you and a couple of his crew on a boat back to the mainland.”
Fear drops like a rock in my gut. I grab his arm in both hands. “You can’t go there alone. The entire island would be against you. And Thorne is just as likely to stab you in the back as he is to help you. I have to go with you.”
Sneaking around the city and taking out all the people related to Gifted Enterprise is one thing—a crazy, terrifying thing, yes, but it’s not the same as this. He could be walking into a trap. He just murdered an entire city of their people. Who’s to say their plan isn’t just to off him the second the helicopter lands? He doesn’t know the island, and he has no allies.
“Getting you involved this much is more than what I wanted. If I could have left you and the others out of it completely, I would have.”
“Well, I’m here now! So, let me help you! I can help keep up the charade until we find a good opening. They could suspect something if you suddenly refuse to bring me with you.”
Jackson smiles at me again, like his mind has been made up. “This is the only way, little one. Once I’m there, I’ll find a way to get into their computers and upload everything there to the cloud. Dane at least taught me how to access our personal drive to upload important things to. So, in case I don’t make it—”
I yank my sleeve down from my wrist to shove it between us so he can see it. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Jack. I’m coming with you, and there’s nothing you can say or do that’s going to stopme. Because of this.”
On my wrist is a black and gray butterfly filled in with a skull, just like his. But instead ofmemento mori, mine saysmemento vivere. Remember you must live.
“We’re going to do this together, and we’re going to win. We’re going to survive it. Together. Because where you go, I go.”
Jackson holds the back of my forearm and looks at the tattoo with surprise. It’s the most expression I’ve ever seen from him, and I think I’ve shocked any words right off his tongue.
His other hand snatches the back of my head, and the two of us are crushed together in a blistering kiss. He drops my arm in favor of wrapping around my waist to pull me tighter against him, even though I don’t think a single sliver of air could fit between us. My hands drive his hood back to grip and cling to his black hair, fisting it so hard, like I’m afraid he’ll disappear if I were to let go.
He’s mine. My shadow. My demon. And I won’t let him sacrifice himself for me. We’re in this together. I’ll stalk him right back if I have to, just to be sure he comes home safe and sound.
We fall back on the small bed, and my legs lift and wrap around his waist the second my feet are no longer on the ground. He drags me further up the bed until my head hits the pillow. He slowly coaxes my arms up and over my head, his hands covering mine to close over the narrow piece of wood for a headboard.
Then he presses a long kiss to the tattoo there. I watch him as he does it, breathless, and a heady feeling washing over me when his eyes close and he holds his lips against it. Almost like he’s taking a moment to pray or promise something in his head that I can’t hear,but I can feel in his kiss.
He pulls away and starts trailing kisses down my body. He licks, sucks, and kisses, every bit of exposed skin, and then finds more by pushing my clothes up and out of the way. Every touch is like a spark against my skin, echoing down to my core.
Jackson takes his time in his descent down my body. His touch is soft, but demanding. Reverent, while edged with obsession. He makes me feel like an angel fallen from heaven that he’s sworn to worship and please until we’re both ruined. I’ll gladly fall from grace if it means having him touch me this way forever.
He moves to the side to slide my pants and underwear down, but stops them at my ankles before pushing my knees up and then leaning over them. I try to shift my legs, but they’re trapped by my pants and his weight on them.
“Jack,” I pant, because I can’t shift myself the way I want to.
“Shh,” he breathes against my folds. I shudder with pleasure at him being so close, and then a whimper falls from my lips when his tongue splits me open.
