by Storm Savage
“Is she better?”
Sasha nodded. “She had a baby girl about a year ago and lives on her own now. They were doing fine until the father of her child began abusing her. We slapped a PFA on him but the cops won’t enforce it. Now the sharks are circling again.”
“How so?”
“By some uncanny twist of fate,” she said, clutching her hands tightly together on her lap. “The little prick joined forces with the ex-laws. Anytime she tries to back away they threaten her with a custody suit.”
“Maybe they’re bluffing.”
“No,” Sasha stated with a firm shake of her head. “They have money…lots of it, and they get off on suing people. I was in court three times because of them, defending myself against things I absolutely did not do. They did everything in their power to beat me down.”
“What was the outcome?”
“The first two times, the charges were dropped once we got to court. The lawyers and the judge saw that I was clearly innocent. Cost me thousands in attorney fees nonetheless. At the last hearing the judge chewed him up and spit him out.”
“Who is him?”
“Leah’s husband Jake. She broke the heart of a very nice young man to hook up with some bastard ten years older than her. He quickly joined the ranks. The ex-laws had their hand in that, too. Her first fiancé had been her high school sweetheart and she never considered leaving him until they got involved. That evil son-of-a-bitch grandfather of hers didn’t like the boy. He and his people brainwashed Leah into leaving him.”
“What happened to the boy?”
Tears blurred her eyes for a moment but she fought them back. “That boy was like a son to me…he died of an overdose a couple years after the breakup.”
“These people have caused you a lot of pain.” A hint of compassion laced his voice.
“That’s an understatement. Not only did they traumatize me after I finally broke away, but the two decades of marriage were sheer hell. I was threatened, blackmailed, shunned, ridiculed, and basically verbally and emotionally tortured since the day I said I do.”
“So you were abused.”
She wrinkled her brows. “They didn’t hit me…just threatened to kill me once or twice.”
He looked mildly impressed. “And you’re stoic. I like that.”
“Ah,” she said with a shrug. “I don’t like throwing the abuse word around much. My daughter was physically abused. Though the ex-laws tormented me and stole a huge chunk of my life, I fought back in the end. I don’t play the victim well.” She released a tense breath. “I regret backing down when the girls were young. I thought I was doing the right thing by staying for them…there are so many gray areas when children are involved. In hindsight, I think it made me look weak. Maybe I was weak to stay. I should’ve stood my ground the first time I left and took them on in court then.”
“You’re stronger than you think.”
“Thanks.” She stared at him for a couple minutes before adding, “At least I was there for my youngest daughter. Sienna didn’t share her sister’s feelings when it came to them. She is more like me and has a mind of her own. In that family having a mind of your own is a mortal sin. If you don’t bow to their demands there is hell to pay. I thought they’d finally given up on trying to break Sienna. But since she had the baby she’s back in their crosshairs again.”
He looked down at the ground, mindlessly drawing circles in the loose soil. She wondered what he was thinking.
She decided this might be her one chance to finally tell someone about the horror her ex-family had put her through. He remained quiet as she spoke, but she could tell he was listening. She relayed more details of how they ganged up and treated her cruelly at family gatherings. Everything tumbled out about the many ways they’d terrorized her, the long years, the night terrors, and endless tears she endured while trapped in their clutches.
“I barely survived,” she concluded in a soft voice. Tears threatened to break through. “I will not let them do to Sienna what they did to me.”
Without looking up he said, “When you started telling me this I assumed your motive was revenge.” His gaze shifted and their eyes met. “Now I see that this isn’t a selfish case of payback. You’re out to save what’s left of your battered life…your daughter and grandchild.”
“Yeah…”
“You’ve been trying to get away from these people for years, yet they keep coming at ya.”
She nodded slowly. “Yeah…”
“So tell me, who are the targets?”
Sasha pulled a small envelope from her bag and handed it to him. He examined the details she’d written on paper and each photo for several minutes.
“Which one is the husband?”
“He’s not on the list.”
“Why?” he asked in that commanding way of his.
“Taking him out would be like plucking a leaf from a huge tree. He’s weak and simply bows to their command.” She pointed to the photos. “Those three are the head of the snake. Kill them and my daughter will be safe…especially the two oldest men.”
“You’ve given this a lot of thought.”
“Twenty-six years worth, I’m fed up with their bullying.”
“I assume the gray-haired guy is the father-in-law. These two guys here,” he said while tapping the photos. “What is their connection?”
“The big arrogant-looking prick is Leah’s husband and one evil bastard. The scrawny guy is Sienna’s ex-boyfriend, but don’t underestimate him, he’s bloody insane.”
“I never underestimate anyone,” he said with a hard stare. “Once we start there is no turning back.”
“You’ll help me? You didn’t even count the money.” Her pulse quickened.
Ice pushed the manila envelope toward her. “Woman…after everything you’ve been through you still had the balls to come looking for someone like me and take a stand. You’re either fucking crazy or one of the gutsiest women I’ve ever met.”
She felt somewhere between tears and laughter but remained composed. “The sanity plea is still on the table.”
For the first time he laughed. “I’m starting to like you. Keep the money. And yeah, I’ll help you. This job I’ll do for free. I hate weak men, especially those that prey on women.”
“Thank you…thank you so much…” Her words came out on a soft rush of air. She wanted to hug him to show her appreciation but refrained. He did not look like someone who would take lightly to an uninvited touch.
“You’re welcome.” His dark eyes shone with sincerity. “I can’t let you return to civilization until the job is done. Doing so would be too risky. Now that we’ve met and reached an agreement, you must stay in hiding. If someone in the family contacted you after the first kill, you could easily slip and pose a threat to my mission. Are you okay with this?”
“Where will I hide?”
“With me.”
“Oh.” She hid her emotions. She didn’t want him to know that the thought of camping with him excited her more than it should. After all, she’d just struck a deal with a mercenary and now would be living alone with him. Maybe I have gone crazy, she mused.
“If you are having second thoughts now is the time to bow out.” He tossed the pictures along with her notes into the fire.
“No…I am sure. I’m not backing down this time.” She watched the flames eat the evidence. “Won’t you need those?”
“Nope. I have a photographic memory.”
“Wow.”
He leaned toward her and picked up the packet of money. His face was dangerously close when he turned his eyes toward hers. “You might want to keep this in your bag. You won’t need it while you’re with me.” His voice sounded much softer than the intense expression on his face.
“How did you acquire the name Ice?”
Hot breath feathered her lips as he spoke, he was that close. “I kill with ice-cold precision and show no mercy. But then again, you probably heard that about me or you’d not
have cleared your entire savings account to hire me.”
“They did mention something along those lines. How do you know about my savings?”
“My people give me all the details of possible clients.”
Her eyes darted between his sensual lips and those shadowy dark depths as he stared into her soul. She reminded herself that he was still the enemy when what she really wanted was to feel his lips burn on hers. His powerful charisma drew her into a different dimension in time—as if they had entered his world in this enchanting yet somewhat spooky forest.
“Is this where we will stay while you complete the assignment?”
“Yeah, the forest is my home. Can you handle roughing it for a few days?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Ice lay back with his arms folded behind his head. “Try and get some rest.”
The woman lay snuggled on the sleeping roll he’d placed near the fire. She gave off mixed vibes. On one hand, she seemed terrified of him, yet on the other, a peculiar sense of enthrallment emanated from her. She certainly didn’t lack in appeal. He gazed at her golden hair fanned out behind her as she laid facing away from him. An occasional shimmer of moonlight from above touched the long strands, making them shine like spun gold.
She had a great body. He couldn’t deny that. He seized the moment to secretly look her over. For a woman who appeared not a day over forty her ass was firm and her full breasts filled out the little tank top quite nicely. His visual journey drifted lower over the slender legs stretched out on the makeshift bed. From his position he could see the sweet curve of her cheeks peeking from beneath the cutoff jean shorts.
An uncomfortable tightening rose in his groin. He hadn’t been intimate with a woman in a very long time. Living in the forest, taking select assignments as a hired killer and shifting into a bird of prey hindered romantic involvement.
And he wasn’t the type to take advantage of a one-night-stand. He viewed women as delicate creatures placed on earth to love and treasure. Though he hadn’t found one to fit his lifestyle, his hope began to rise with the hot little sweetheart lying just a few feet away. Her natural beauty stirred the fire inside. His gaze drifted over the exposed skin, creamy and increasingly inviting to touch. He imagined her skin felt like satin and smelled sweet, too.
He’d been reading her vibes since she spied on him at the beach. He laughed to himself, amused that she had been hiding behind the small patch of trees thinking he hadn’t seen her. He’d sensed her fear as easily as he could smell the salt air coming off the tide. She exhibited a great deal of courage in seeking him out especially with a long history of traumatic events in her past. He couldn’t take her money anymore than he could deny her plea for help.
“Are you warm enough?” he asked. “Nights can be brisk up here.”
She rolled over to face him. “I’m fine, thanks.” Her intriguing blue eyes reached into his cold heart. Something about the way she looked at him drew emotions he’d buried years ago. “Aren’t you going to sleep?”
“I don’t sleep much.” He got up and poured water on the fading embers of the fire. “Your legs are going to get cold. You might wanna tuck them into the bedroll. I guess you didn’t prepare for a campout.”
“No,” she said with a warm smile. “I thought we’d take care of business on the beach and I’d return home.”
“Surely you understand my need for total privacy.” He couldn’t stop gazing at her shapely thighs. Images of burying his face between them whipped through his mind. “Ya know there are bugs in these woods that will see your bare legs as a midnight snack.”
A cute blush washed over her face. “Oh…I never thought of that.” She began fumbling with the zipper of the sleeper.
“Here, let me help,” he knelt beside her and reached for the metal pull. His hand covered hers when she didn’t let go.
She glanced up the instant their hands touched. The expression on her face paralleled what he felt in his soul—raw undeniable attraction. His breathing picked up pace as he searched the shimmering blue depths of her eyes, which brimmed with passion. He felt the kindness in her heart. This woman’s soul was as sweet as her face. The sudden longing to kiss her all over consumed him. Already she’d exhibited a daring nature that turned him on and more backbone than most men he knew.
“Sasha,” he murmured. “No woman has evoked the feelings in me that you do.” He lowered his head. “Tell me to stop if I’m making you uncomfortable.”
“You’re not.” Her voice was but a whisper. “I should be afraid of you…shouldn’t I?”
With a slow shake of his head, he offered her a reassuring smile. “No, I’d never harm a woman whatever the price. I don’t roll that way.”
“How do you roll, Ice with-no-last-name?” she asked in a gentle tone, raising one hand to touch his hair.
“I listen to their story. If I feel in my spirit, they are justified then I accept the job. Believe me, I have turned many away. I didn’t get into this for the money.”
“So you do other hits for free?”
“Some, when I see a need. But if they aren’t a hardship case then I take the money.”
“Why did you become a mercenary if you aren’t in it for money?”
He admired her forthright character. Nobody had ever asked him why before. “I’ve never had to answer that question.”
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t pry.” She averted her eyes. “You’re already doing me a huge favor. I am grateful.”
“Don’t worry, you haven’t offended me.” He placed one finger under her chin and brought her gaze back to his. “I can’t give you a simple answer but I will tell you why…just not right now.” He titled her chin upward. “Right now, right here, I’m simply burning to kiss you.”
She let out a tiny gasp as their lips drew closer.
Chapter Three
Sasha couldn’t have resisted him if she tried. His initial appeal just rocketed from irresistibly feral to utterly charming. Their eyes became locked in an overwhelming exchange of unspoken heat. When his lips touched hers, a shiver began at the nape of her neck and traveled all the way down her body to the tips of her toes.
He kissed her with surprising gentleness. She imagined a man of his savage nature and appearance would be rough or hard. In automatic response, her hands went to his hair and her fingers got lost in those wild locks of black fury. Parting her lips, she welcomed his seeking tongue into her mouth. He groaned while easing her down on the sleeping bag.
Strong arms swept under and up her back, pulling her tight to his muscular chest. They sunk into a deep kiss heavy with desire. Passion between them mounted at a staggering pace. The sparks he ignited caught her off guard. Never did she imagine that a man so visceral—so outwardly brutal—could make her feel more alive than she’d ever felt in her entire life.
She didn’t make a move to stop him when he shifted his weight over hers. She longed for it. Needed it. Wanted him. Now. Here. Forever. Her legs wound around the back of his taut thighs, drawing the hard bulge in his jeans tight against her.
“Damn, baby,” he growled low and soft upon lifting his head. His penetrating gaze pierced her heart. “I didn’t expect this…wasn’t prepared for you…” He kissed her face, neck, eyes and lips again and again until she was breathless.
Tears filled her eyes, not from fear or sorrow, but tears brought on by intense yearning forced their way down her cheeks. Clutching his hair, she pulled him as close as possible while their lips pulled hungrily at one another’s. He filled her mouth with his tongue. He tasted fresh and fiercely masculine. His scent swirled around her, permeating her senses, titillating every nerve in her body.
“You smell amazing,” he purred when they came up for air. “Like flowers on the wind.”
Their eyes met again. He slid one arm from beneath her then wiped the wet trails from her cheeks with a tender touch. He didn’t comment on the tears for which she felt relieved. He seemed to understand the intensity of this mom
ent. Moving his hand behind her head, he buried his hand in the thick of her hair as his mouth covered hers once more. She sucked his tongue to the back of her throat. He released a feral groan before pressing her body into the bedroll with his.
Sasha wanted to scream in wild frenzy when he wedged his erection between her thighs in a deliberate act of aggression. She lifted her hips to meet his while inwardly cursing the denim that separated them. He continued supporting her head with one hand as he eased his other from under her back. She gasped against his mouth when those long slender fingers moved beneath her top to caress her breasts.
“Ohh…” She broke the kiss. “You’re making me crazy.”
His breathing came on fast and heavy. “I could say the same, woman.” He nipped at her neck, then took hold with his teeth and bit down on the muscle.
“Ohhh…” she whimpered. “Don’t stop.”
The rock-hard bulge pressing into her gave every indication that this man was well endowed. She began to imagine the wild pleasure he could deliver. He reached for the snap on her shorts. She trembled with excitement and in anticipation of what would soon come.
Suddenly a shot rang out in the woods not far away. Then a second shot. Ice’s head jerked up. He leapt to his feet and pulled her with him. Before she knew it, he’d pushed a gun into her hands.
“Stay here,” he muttered. “If anyone other than me walks into camp shoot to kill.”
“Uh…okay.” She nodded in slow disbelief, still dazed by his passion and stunned by the sudden interruption.
Ice took off running then mysteriously disappeared. Fear threatened to overtake her, yet she fought it back. Surely her new protector knew these woods better than anyone. A few minutes later what sounded like the screeching of a wild animal echoed throughout the woods followed by shouts from men, more gunfire then silence. Her heart raced as she stood frozen in one spot, shaking terribly with both hands gripping a revolver.
The sound of crunching leaves drew her attention forward. Ice emerged from the shadows within seconds. Immediately he came to her.
