Page 55 of Targeted By Desire

I tried to run around him, but one of his buddies grabbed my arms.

“We’re getting real sick of your -ahh!” he howled as I stuck the static end of the taser into his ribcage. His body shook from the elective shock.

Another one lifted me off my feet from behind and tossed me a few feet backwards.

My head collided with the dumpster at the end of the alleyway. Stars danced around my eyes as my vision blurred and the shadows in front of me doubled in size.

“There we go.” Another one grabbed a handful of my braids and gave my head another harsh slam against the metal. “Much better, don’t you think, boys?”

Their agreeable laughter echoed through my ears. My eyes fluttered from the harsh hits, struggling to stay open. Their bodies became blobs, the nerves in my brain too stunned to register them as anything more.

“Oh, shit!” An exclamation rang as their laughter was interrupted by a quick, wet sound. Some of the blobs froze for a second before falling onto the ground.

“What the-” Another was cut off, their blob mimicking the first.

The man holding my hair released me, and I fell forward without the support. As I went down, so did the blobs, collapsing over each other like piles of garbage.

The crash of my head against the concrete sent more stars swirling around my head. I grasped at the little bit of consciousness left, the need to rest fighting with the need to survive. But, at the sight of the black boots stalking towards me, a sign of the grim reaper himself, my body gave out, succumbing itself to the darkness his presence usually brings.

THE ASSASSIN

“Goddammit,” I muttered, stepping over the pools of blood leaking from one of the bodies.

I was five minutes late. Five fucking minutes. Apparently that’s all it took for Simone to find trouble.

She should’ve stayed put in the bar for a little while longer. Let me slip in across from her at the table. Share a drink or two while she gave me a piece of her mind.

I’d been looking forward to it the entire drive down here. But a little traffic and a couple of scumbags ruined it.

I didn’t realize why the dot tracking Simone on my phone was moving so wildly until I found her here, cornered like a deer in a den of lions. I didn’t know what pissed me off more: the fact she’d lost the upper hand or the audacity these men had to chase her down and attempt to degrade her.

Simone was one of the strongest women I knew. A bunch of simpletons weren’t worthy of bringing her down.

I didn’t think twice about putting a bullet in each and every one of their skulls. Hell, they deserved worse. But, for the sake of time - and Simone’s safety - I had to make the kills quick.

Staring down at her now, body sprawled across the concrete and braids in a tussled mess, I wished I’d moved faster. “Simone,” I called as I bent down on my haunches.

Her chest was lightly bobbing up and down, a tiny sliver of hope amidst the darkness.

Still, I set my fingers on her neck to check her pulse. I needed to be sure my eyes weren’t playing tricks on me.

I exhaled when I found the pulse. My thumb brushed her cheek, reminding myself she was still alive, still here. I pushed away some of the braids that’d fallen into her face.

Unconsciousness hadn’t brought her peace. A tiny crease lay between her brows, and her lips were parted in a painful grimace.

“Oh, Simone,” I mused, brushing my thumb against her cheek. “What am I going to do with you?”

The best plan of action would be to take her home, clean her up, and send her flowers in the morning to apologize for letting these assholes get their hands on her. Maybe I’d stay for a while after I tucked her into bed. Watch her sleep for just an hour or so - just to make sure she was alright.

Something moist met my fingertips as I dipped my hand onto her neck. My brows pinched as I quickly pulled it away.

Moonlight illuminated the thick red liquid painting my fingertips.

“Fuck,” I swore.

I wrapped one arm around her torso to lift her and used the other to tilt her head to get a better look at the damage.

A tiny stream of blood ran down the curve of her neck.