Page 47 of Shadow Man
“He’s way worse than the men in the bar,” she warns me, keeping hold of the other gun for herself. “If he comes at you, fire, and then fire some more like you did back then.”
“I will,” I promise, feeling his barbed wire scrutiny as she backs out of the room.
But it’s him who fires first. The door shuts and he shoots me a lopsided grin that disarms me quicker than if I’d dropped the gun on the floor. Holy crap. The killing machine has a human chip. But he’s still a beautiful bomb—magnetic and destructive.
“Your friend is a delight,” he drawls, leaning back against the wall. “Remind me not to invite her to the states with us.”
“You sound like Rick Sanders when you talk like that.” I lower the gun, but stay rooted to the spot. There’s no way he’s going to let me go this easily. Obsessions don't just relent, they blister and endure until there’s nothing left but smoking debris.
“Are you trying to ruin my evening?” His grin bows out quicker than it appeared. “Are you sure you’ve thought this through? You’re not only a fugitive of the law, but a fugitive of dangerous criminals.”
“Dangerous criminals like yourself.”
“Are you asking me to protect you?”
“No, I’m asking for my freedom. I need this, Joseph. If you take me back to the US now, I’ll drown in a void again. There’s nothing for me there, but here…” I trail off, trying to find the right words to justify my decision. “I’m not the same woman from the alleyway yesterday. In the last twenty-four hours I learned how to fight back.”
“Then you really are a bad girl,” he rumbles, sounding impressed. His lips start twitching again. “Do you know how fucking hard I am for you right now?”
I take a deep breath before answering. “Do this, and I’ll let you kiss my pussy better yourself next time.”
His expression stills, and I know it’s not anger he’s feeling.
“Careful,Luna… If you’re wanting me to throw you down on this bed and hammer the wanderlust out of you, keep on talking that dirty talk to me.”
“Please, Joseph.”
I see the muscles tensing in his jaw.
“Fine—go,” he says gruffly. “Own your crimes, but I’m not leaving Colombia without you. Bind me with a hundred cable ties; lock me inside this room with a thousand keys. I’ll break down every single one to reach you. If you can come half-broken on your fingers like that, imagine how hard you’ll be coming around my dick when you’re whole.”
“What if I don't want that?” I say quietly.
His fingers? Yes. His tongue? Yes. But having a man inside me again?
“You don't have a choice, sweetheart. You’ve been mine since the first day we met. Red dress, Anna… Red fucking dress. If you were trying to warn me off with that color, it didn’t work.”
“You were a statue carved from everything I was taught to fear.”
“You have nothing to fear from me.”Yes, I do.“Do you have a destination? Or is it just a magical mystery tour with guns?”
“You’re letting me go?” I’m shocked.
“Stay off the main roads,” he says sharply. “Your car’s been reported. Take mine. If you want to be a shadow in this world, you need to think like a shadow. Stick to dark corners. Reach your location by dawn, and trust no one. At least you can shoot a gun... Aim for the head or the heart, and never hesitate.”
“I won’t.” We hold each other’s gazes. I feel like I’m driving away in that taxi again, only this time there’s an ache in my chest where my heart used to be. “Why are you doing this, Joseph?”
“Take the road trip. Get your shit together. Go all fucking Thelma and Louise in South America. Who am I to judge?”
“If you love someone, set them free,” I say, without thinking.
“Don't confuse this with love,Luna.” His voice is cold steel suddenly. “I won’t... I can’t. That part of me is dead and buried. When you said you’d never feel that way about a man like me, I felt relief, not defeat.” He pauses to let this seep in and settle.
“Just finger fucking then,” I say, giving him a weak smile.
“Don't be discriminative… My tongue’s holding you to that promise.” And just like that he’s wrapping me up in the warm coat of his lust again. “Get your arm seen to. This time when I say you’re bleeding out, it’s not metaphorical. Wrap the towel tighter. Keep it elevated. You’ll find Advil in the car. If you need help, call Eve. She knows how to get ahold of me.”
“And that’s it?”