Boss caught her hand, holding her wrist, and applying a great deal of pressure. Before she realized what was happening, guns were pointed at all of them.
“I just want my knife back,” she whispered, her fire dwindling.
“It’s covered with blood,” Boss said. “You were clearly having a hard time dealing with it.”
“It’s not the first time it’s been covered with blood.” She stared at Boss. “Give it back. Please.”
He sighed, pulling the blade out of his pocket, placing it in her hands. She wrapped her fingers around it, ignoring the men as she went to her sink. All of the food she had was going to have to be tossed out. Everything. She couldn’t afford this kind of loss, not right now.
“Are you okay?” Shadow asked, coming toward her.
She glanced up at him, seeing the concern on his face.
“I’m fine.” Right now, she didn’t want to talk.
“We’ll take care of everything. A cleaning crew will be here and you won’t have to see any of it.”
Riley snorted. “I’ll be seeing this stuff in my nightmares tonight.” She cleaned the blade and winced as she cut herself. Her hands were shaking, and no matter what she did, she couldn’t get them to stop. Gritting her teeth, she dropped the blade into the sink, and Shadow took over. He grabbed her wrists, and tutted. He pulled her into the small bathroom, closing the door, hiding them away.
He cupped her face, tilting her head back. “I had no idea that asshole was coming here.”
“You were going to hit him, right?”
“I was going to do more than hit him, I was going to fucking kill him.”
“I saved you a job.”
“Yeah, and Boss is thinking of paying you.”
She tilted her head to the side. “What kind of money are we talking about here?”
“The kind of money that will stop you worrying for a while. You’d be able to invest in a new kitchen with all the latest gadgets.”
Riley smiled. “That would be nice. To not have to worry about money. Does Boss have a job opening?”
Shadow shook his head. “No, this life is not for you, and I won’t let you try this shit either. It’s dangerous, scary, and you don’t need to deal. You’re a baker. Not a killer.”
“I’m starting to think I should pick another profession.” She stared down at her hands, which were soaked with blood. Hers and that of the man that was going to kill her. Biting her lip, she felt tears spring to her eyes, and she moaned. “I killed someone today.”
“I know, baby.”
“He had a gun pressed against my head, and I realized I didn’t want to die.”
“You did the right thing. That man didn’t deserve to live, and he sure as hell didn’t deserve to take you from me.” He pressed a kiss against her lip. “You didn’t do a bad thing.”
“I killed a man. In no way is that normal. That is crazy and insane, and that makes me a monster.”
She began to hyperventilate.
This was all just too much. Between discovering that Shadow was a hitman, and that a murderer had tried to kill her, she couldn’t think.
“Baby, look at me.”
She hugged her chest, and she was trying to focus. The door to the bathroom slammed open. Boss and the two other men were there. She was starting to see spots, and everything was spinning.
“You’re going to have to shoot her up,” Boss said. “She’s going to hurt herself.”
There was screaming, and Riley was surprised to hear that it was her. She was losing her mind.