Page 33 of The Hitman's Virgin
There was the sound of a gunshot and several screams. He kept going, knowing saving Callie was all that mattered. A least she was still alive, but Byron must be the one shooting at her.
He pulled up his gun, using the scope to try and figure out what he heard and where. Evander zoomed in on each area hepointed at, but he couldn’t find Callie. There was movement past some piled-up cars, but by the time he focused, they had gone.
Callie was not a fighter. Why did he have to leave her alone? He was getting angrier with himself with each passing second. Anyone else who had ever dealt with Byron knew what he was capable of, how easily he was able to slip through the cracks. This was all his fault.
Anger coursed through him. He was pissed off.
And then, he caught sight of Callie. It hit him right in the heart to see her in the flesh again. She held a bar in her hand, and she happened to turn the corner, looking right at him. Her eyes were wide, but they were not filled with fear. No, the woman looking at him was angry. She held that bar as if her life depended on it. She breathed deeply, and he lowered his gun.
Evander saw the moment it registered that she recognized him, and she smiled, but he noticed she didn’t drop her weapon.
He held his gun to his side, and she started walking toward him, and just as she was about to get close, Byron stepped out from a hiding spot and grabbed Callie.
Evander raised his weapon in an instant and couldn’t believe he had let his guard down for even a second when it came to this evil fucker.
Callie let out a scream as he grabbed her hair and tugged her back. Another scream fell from her lips, and he saw as she gritted her teeth. She still held the bar in her hands, and he had the gun poised. Only Byron had a knife in his hand, and it looked pretty damn sharp.
He let out a tut. “I don’t think you’re going to use that gun. Be a good little boy and put that on the ground, because if you don’t, I’m going to slit her throat. You’re not going to get to play happy family with a dead girl, are you? But that’s not evenwhat you want, is it? You wanted the power from what she gave you.”
“Well, if you hurt her, I guarantee you’ll never have it.”
Evander had no choice but to play along.
There was no way he was going to risk her life. He knew firsthand how fast a person could bleed out. His only hope was that Byron was going to enjoy this moment, relish it even, and in doing so, give Bastian the perfect opportunity to finally end this waste of space.
He lifted up, and Byron did that annoying little tut again. It pissed him off, but he made a gesture with his hands, and Evander lifted his own and placed them behind his head.
“Who would have thought the great Evander would end up here? Never thought we’d cross paths like this.” Byron did another freaking tut. “Weakened by your greed for power. You could have already cut and run. She must have a real special pussy or something.”
“You have a real hard-on for this flash drive. I wonder what’s on it?”
“Nobody’s going to know because you’re going to hand it over,” Byron said.
Evander didn’t say a word. The knife was pressed to Callie’s neck, and he was checking to make sure it wasn’t drawing blood. So far, he couldn’t tell, but she still had the metal bar within her grasp.
“I mean, if you were going to be weakened by any woman, the least you could have done was pick a prettier one,” Byron said.
Evander stared at Bryon, and his anger was boiling at the surface. Where the fuck was Bastian? There was no way Byron would have the upper hand between the two of them, but they could not hurt Callie. She had nothing to do with this.
The knife at her neck was not leaving blood. It either meant his knife was blunt, or he wasn’t pressing hard. Evander didn’t know if he wanted to risk it. What if this was all a ploy to get him to attack? Byron was a fucking idiot, a piece of shit, but he was also a master manipulator, and the reason he had survived this long was his ability to outmaneuver his opponents. Any wrong move now, and Callie was dead.
His only play right now was Callie. That was all that was keeping him alive. Evander had tried not to look at her, because the moment he saw the fear in her eyes, he knew it was going to kill a part of him. He had done this by not getting her to safety for the second time.
Only, as he finally looked into Callie’s eyes, he didn’t see fear, he saw anger. His woman was angry, and it was one of the most beautiful, it not the sexiest look he had ever seen. His woman was a fighter, and Byron’s life would be over within moments.
Chapter Fourteen
Callie understood why Evander hated Byron so much. He was relentless and seemed to know your next move before you did. She felt angry, frustrated, and had finally reached her breaking point. There were so many secrets and she was completely in the dark. She wouldn’t allow these animals to decide her destiny.
Evander wanted them to break up to protect her, but she refused to give him up. He meant everything to her, made her feel wanted, special, and beautiful. If she were honest with herself, she’d rather die tonight than face a lifetime without Evander by her side.
Now, she was going on fumes. She was exhausted, sore everywhere, and at her limit. She was ready to use her weapon the second she had a chance, but the moment she saw Evander again, her entire body felt like it melted into the ground with relief. She needed him. He’d been her knight in shining armor since day one, but now he had no gun. He was completely vulnerable and she knew she had to call up the strength and energy to save him if she could.
“What’s the end game here?” asked Evander. He didn’t sound scared. Despite the dire circumstances, he sounded confident and dark around the edges.
Byron made a curious sound. “Hmm. I’d say both of you dead. But not after I make you beg. And I’ll start with her, just so you can watch.”
“You should really get a hobby. You’re too fucking obsessed with me.”
