I nod. He’s one of the two who held me down.

Kyle doesn’t blink as he pulls the trigger. The body falls to the ground as he moves to the next. “Did this fucker put his hands on you? Did he touch what’s mine, Rai?”

The guard is about to piss his pants, lips trembling and pale. It’s the first time I’ve seen his face, so I shake my head.

Kyle shoots him anyway. “He participated.”

And then he goes on to finish the third one without even asking me. Their bodies lie lifeless at his feet, but he still watches them as if he’s contemplating a way to bring them back to life just so he can kill them all over again.

It’s one of the rare times Kyle lets me see this side of him up close and personal—the merciless killer. The one who will finish a life as if it’s a fly’s. And he did it for me. For some reason, it’s like he learned everything up to this point so he could kill for me.

I should feel bad or be struck by some sort of remorse for being the reason behind so many people’s deaths, but I don’t. They’re sick motherfuckers and they made many other women’s lives hell. If Kyle hadn’t come in time, Aleksandra and I would’ve met the same fate.

And then, I wouldn’t have seen my husband’s face again.

I don’t allow myself to think as I run toward Kyle and jump on him. My body crashes into his, arms wrapped around his neck and legs caging his waist.

He staggers back a little at the force of the impact but loops both his arms around me, including the one with the gun. He inhales me in and I do the same, allowing myself to let my guard down, just for a second.

When in his embrace, I’m protected and safe. I probably shouldn’t feel this way around someone I don’t fully trust, but I can’t ward off this strange feeling of belonging.

“Are you okay?” he whispers slowly.

“Yeah.”

“Really?”

“Really. I’m glad you came, Kyle. I’m so glad.” I don’t know how it would’ve ended if he weren’t around.

I try to get to my feet, but he doesn’t release me, at least not until Ruslan and Katia rush toward us. I squeeze his bicep so he sets me down, but he does that reluctantly and keeps an arm around my waist.

Katia watches me with moisture in her eyes. “Miss…we’re so sorry we weren’t there.”

“What are you sorry about? I’m the one who sent you off.”

“But—”

“I’m fine, Katy. It takes much more than this to hurt me.”

“But you look pale,” Ruslan says.

Kyle places two fingers under my chin and lifts it up so I’m staring at him. “You do.”

“It’s nothing.” I smile, forcing Kyle to release me so I can assess the situation around us.

The Albanians are completely wiped out, at least the ones here. And judging by Damien’s expression, he’s not very amused that it ended so soon.

Kirill is barking orders at his guards, probably to clean up, since we don’t want the authorities at our backs. Aleksandra stands to the side, and when she attempts to help, Kirill dismisses her.

Her eyes meet mine, and I smile at her. She approaches me and clears her throat, adopting her ‘male’ voice. “Thank you.”

“Likewise, Aleksander.” I take the hint to call her by the name she goes by in public. If she doesn’t want people to know, I won’t tell.

“You can call me Sasha, miss.” She bows and heads to Kirill, who has been watching us the entire time while wiping blood off his glasses.

As soon as Aleksandra—Sasha—joins him, he gives me an ‘I’m watching you’ gesture. He then pushes Sasha to walk in front of him on their way out.

The asshole doesn’t deserve a diligent worker like her. I didn’t like her guts and her loathsome loyalty to Kirill when she was a man, but now that I’ve found out she’s a woman, I’m sure dire circumstances pushed her to hide her gender. Maybe I can steal her away.

“What are you thinking about?” Kyle turns me around to face him and I stumble. The room starts spinning and my vision blurs.

Kyle clutches me by the small of my back and his hand digs into my arm to keep me upright. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“You should see a doctor.”

“There’s no need. I think it’s because of whatever they gave us.” I stroke his collar, lowering my tone. “How about you take me home?”

“I’m taking you to a doctor, Rai,” he says in his non-negotiable tone.

I shake my head as I let him carry me toward the car.

A doctor is the last thing on my mind right now. All I want is Kyle for myself.

21

Rai

Kyle drives me to the nearest hospital.

I tried arguing that I feel great and don’t need medical care, but Kyle being Kyle, he didn’t listen to those protests. Why can’t the mule understand that I would rather be in our bed right now?

While I did fight, there was a moment where I thought I would be raped then killed and would never see him again.

It doesn’t matter that none of that happened. The thought is already planted in the dark recesses of my psyche, and that idea killed me slowly. That thought broke my heart, which only beat back to life after I saw him again.

So no, a hospital isn’t where I want to go right now.

I want him to take me, to make me forget about the scum who put his limp dick inside my mouth. I want him to wash away everything and everyone so he’s the only one who remains.

But we obviously have different ideas of what I need. For someone so smart, Kyle can be such an idiot sometimes.

He’s currently driving. One of his strong hands is on the steering wheel, and the other lies motionless in his lap. Even his side profile exudes a potent type of masculinity. I’ve always loved watching him while he’s quiet and in his element. While Kyle usually has a huge amount of energy, it’s mostly camouflage. Now, he’s more relaxed, and I feel at peace when I look at him.

Well, aside from the tingling at my core that didn’t stop once we left the Albanians’ compound.

It should be wrong and demented that I want him this much after what just happened, but I do. I’m not even deterred by the stains of blood on his white shirt from when he murdered those men.