“I don’t answer to you. My plans are my business.”

“You’re going to blow this job for her, aren’t you? Why didn’t you tell me they’re leaving the island tomorrow? I should know these things!”

“Why? So you can kill her yourself? Don’t you forget that if it weren’t for me you wouldn’t be here.”

Both our eyes widen as the sound of Alex screaming my name echoes through the dark night. “She’s going to get us both arrested!” Crow seethes. “I can’t believe you’re risking your life for a woman who wants nothing to do with you.”

I let out a soft chuckle as I gaze across the yard toward the two shadowy lumps laid out in Ignacio’s garden. Then I recall that night in Harold Irwin’s flat in London. That boy lying peacefully with a bullet in his brain. Then Alex’s father’s face flashes in my mind. How is it I always end up with bodies that need burying whenever I’m on a job with Crow? It can’t be a coincidence.

I turn to Crow and look him in the eye. “Thank you for getting me out of Irwin’s.”

He raises his gun, but I beat him to it, putting a single bullet between his eyes. He falls backward and lands with a thud in the overgrown grass. Great. Now I have three bodies to get rid of.

Heading back inside the cottage, I tuck my gun into my waistband and hasten to Alex’s side where I take a seat on the edge of the bed. “I regret to inform you of this, sweetheart, but you will be tied up a bit longer. My associate just killed your neighbors.”

“Are you kidding me? That’s not funny!” She grapples with her bonds, grunting as her exquisite body writhes against the mattress.

“Of course it’s not funny. I was quite fond of Ignacio and his wife. But I’ve taken care of it. My associate knows he did wrong.” I place my hand on her abdomen to calm her struggles. “You really need to remain calm, chérie.” Her body stills, but she’s still breathing hard. “That’s it, just relax. I have to go check on the bounty hunter, but I’ll return soon. Try to remain calm while I’m gone.”

She closes her eyes as I lean down to kiss the corner of her mouth. “Please don’t leave me here,” she pleads, her breath hot against my lips. “Please, Daimon. Please take me with you. I won’t try to fight you. I don’t want to hurt the baby. Just please don’t leave me here alone.”

I place my hand on her cheek and gaze into her eyes, one brown and one gray. There are two sides to every person: their true self and their false self, which is presented when they want something. As much as I love Alex, I’m not blinded by love. I know the real Alex wouldn’t beg anyone for anything. Well, except for the time she begged me to put my cock inside of her. But pleas made in the throes of passion excluded, Alex is not a begging woman.

“You can’t possibly think I would believe that.”

Her eyes squeeze shut again, pushing out the tears. “Can’t you see how painful this is for me? I don’t want to beg you. You killed my father.”

“In self-defense.”

“If it was self-defense, then let me go. I believe you. I just… I just need some time to think.”

She is very good at this.

“I underestimated you, Alex.” I brush the tears from her face, then I kiss her forehead and stand up. “But I won’t do that again. I’ll be right back.”

Pulling my gun out of my waistband, I’m on high alert as I leave the cottage through the back door. I don’t know how much tranquilizer Crow gave Nicolas or when he gave it to him. All I know is that I can’t count on it to last more than twenty minutes. He could already be awake, which means I can’t leave through the front of Alex’s cottage. I have to go through the back of Ignacio’s house to the street then head back past Dolores Street, and approach Nicolas’s house from behind. All because I made the stupid mistake of trusting Crow as a partner on this mission. I should have gotten rid of him this afternoon. Then Ignacio and Noemia would still be alive, and I wouldn’t have to worry about getting attacked by Nicolas when I enter his home.

I pass Crow’s body, but I don’t look at him. I’ll deal with him later. I find Ignacio and Noemia in their backyard and my stomach twists at the sight of her body draped facedown over his. She could be sleeping if it weren’t for the small bloody hole in the back of her head. Ignacio’s eyes stare straight up into the black starry sky, a bullet hole above his right socket. His mouth hangs open, revealing the three missing top teeth that gave his smile such character. I can’t leave them here. I don’t know if they planned on having company tonight.

I heave Noemia’s plump body off of Ignacio’s, then I search his pockets for the key to his work shed. I’ve moved many dead bodies in my lifetime, but something about digging through his pockets while they’re still warm makes me slightly ill.

Once I have the keys and the shed door is open, I drag them both inside. Every inch I drag their bodies feels as if it takes an eternity. I need to hurry so I can get to Nicolas before he wakes, but I can’t be sloppy. I lay Ignacio and Noemia next to each other on the dirt floor of the shed, then I lock the door and slip the keys into my pocket. The keys will be the only thing missing from the house. The authorities will think they were killed by someone close to them.

I take one final look at the old shed and shake my head. Forgive me, Ignacio.

Cutting through the back of the neighbor’s yard, I come out onto the street with the open-air market, which is closed down for the night. I nod at a few young men who are standing outside the corner market. Crossing Dolores Street, I glance at Nicolas’s house. The windows are dark. Either Crow turned the lights off after he drugged Nicolas or our little bounty hunter has awakened.

I cross the street and cut through the backyard of the corner house then into Nicolas’s backyard. Keeping my gun flat against the outside of my right thigh, I scurry across the yard until I’m just outside the back door. I press my back flat against the wall, then I reach across with my left hand and slowly turn the knob.

I let out my breath when I hear the soft click of the latch disengaging. Pushing the door inward, I keep my back pressed against the rear wall to stay covered. I hold my ground for a few seconds, then I raise my weapon and turn into the open doorway. The inside of the kitchen is dark, but I see no signs of movement.

Inching my way into the darkened house, I find myself wishing I had Alex’s acute vision. If she weren’t tied to a bed and completely volatile right now, she’d make a much better partner in crime than Crow. I proceed into the living area, expecting to find Nicolas laid out on the wood floor or his limp body draped over the sofa cushions, but he’s nowhere. Maybe Crow caught him in the bedroom. I don’t want to see the bed where he slept with my Alex, but I have to neutralize him.

I ease my way into the bedroom and my heart drops when I come around the other side of the bed. I search the bathroom and closets to make sure I’m right, and it only confirms my suspicions. Nicolas isn’t here.

I race out of the house toward Alex’s cottage, gun at my side, hoping none of the nosy neighbors are watching from their windows. I don’t want to kill anyone else.

I recklessly burst through the front door, giving Nicolas a clear shot at me if he were on the other side. But my adrenaline is peaking. I can’t stop now. I need to keep him from taking Alex.

Rushing into the bedroom with my gun drawn, I kick the bed hard enough to send it sliding across the wooden floor until it slams into the wall.

She’s gone.

Chapter Three Alex

As soon as Daimon leaves the bedroom, I begin devising ways to get myself out of these restraints. But I can’t use too much energy or I won’t be able to get away or fight him off if he comes back. Do I really want to fight him off?