Page 43 of Lord of Ruin
“It was necessary to keep her safe.”
“Was it the girl I passed in bright pink scrubs that stink to high heaven and are covered in splotches of blood?”
“The very one. Her name is Jenna and she’s not happy to be here.”
“Well, duh. I guess not if you abducted her. From where? Some local hospital? Did you kill someone, which is why she’s covered in blood?”
“Try New York where she’s a veterinarian and to answer your crude question, yes, I killed a Russian thug to save her life.”
She narrowed her eyes, glaring at my coffee mug. “Wow. Let me get this straight. You took a woman from New York City, a veterinarian no less, and brought her here after killing some guy.”
“Correct.”
“Because you suddenly adopted a dog?”
I burst out laughing. “Not yet.” Although I had a feeling that might be on the short list. “She fixed me up after being shot by an Albanian soldier. However, someone thought she belonged to me.”
“This just gets better and better. You just happened to be in New York for a slice of pizza and some random mobster attacked you? So you ran into a veterinary clinic to get fixed up, killed another dude then abducted a woman. Just wow. What else do you do for fun?”
“I’m sure you’ll grill my lovely companion and get all the juicy details. Let’s just say she’s proven herself to be a runner. You’ll need to watch her and your back.”
“So, she’s not a player in our world for real.”
“No, she’s not.”
“Well, at least you and Phoenix have something more in common since you’ve chosen your women from the real world.”
I gave her a hard look and she laughed. “I haven’t chosen anyone, and I assure you that Jenna would tell you otherwise in blazing and very violent words.”
“I’ll be happy to give her all the dirt on you, brother of mine. She really tended to your wounds?”
“She did, pulling a bullet from my shoulder.” I moved my arm, noticing the ache was finally fading.
“Then she’s practically a member of the family.”
“Just go easy with her, sis. She’s a good girl handed a raw deal and I’ve actually already had to save her life twice.”
“Another save? Let me guess, a second assassination.”
Her sudden shift into a serious tone meant she knew this wasn’t all fun and games. “You are correct and that’s not something I would kid about, especially taking her away from a new business. Someone is enjoying toying with me and using her to do it.” I’d looked into the landlord she’d mentioned. The fucker was a real piece of work. If I’d managed to stay in New York, I would have enjoyed using a circular saw on his face.
Perhaps I’d need to intervene in the situation my way. I rubbed my jaw, a rather decadent and evil thought slicing through my brain.
“I hope you were right about her sizes. I brought some things she can borrow until we finish our fabulous day of maxing out your credit card, but if not, I will kill you myself.” She gave me another hard look as she held out her hand. I knew exactly what she was waiting for.
“You are a real troublemaker. Did you know that?” I pulled out my wallet, handing her my obsidian American Express.
“Any limits?”
“Would it matter?”
She grinned like the wild woman she was. “Not in the least, brother.” The way she snatched it from my hand kept the grin on my face. Maybe putting the two of them together was the best idea I’d had yet.
Although the thought of devouring Jenna again, tying her to the bed to subdue her before she went out with my brazen sister had crossed my mind.
“Just take care of her, Elena. I’m not fucking with this. I’m not a good man by any stretch of the means but I refuse to allow anything to happen to her. And don’t be late. She hates me, which is why I’m going to try and improve the situation.”
The sly look on her face made me grimace. Suddenly, her eyes were filled with sisterly concern and a dash of happiness.