Chapter Thirteen
He never should have taken Cleo to the safe house. Priest had wanted to take her away, to protect her himself, but he’d followed Boss’s orders and left with Harb instead. The only good thing that had come from today was realizing Cleo actually loved him, even with the threat of danger and death. It was an odd feeling having another person care that much about him. He wouldn’t have stopped her if she chose to take Boss’s offer and disappear forever, but damn he was thankful she chose to stay. For once, he didn’t feel as alone in the world.
Viko was going to deal with Bianchi, his network, and his dirty cops, and Boss was going to find out who the ringleader of their little firing squad was. It wasn’t going to be easy if the shooters managed to surprise two of the most elusive men in the country.
“Where are we going?” Cleo asked.
“The less you know…”
She exhaled, staring ahead as they drove down the darkened highway. A light rain fell with no glow from the moon due to the heavy cloud cover. He’d left everything behind and started driving. They needed to be alone, to process the chaos from the past few days. To wash the blood from their bodies.
They drove in silence for most of the trip. There was so much to process.
He was scared she’d break right down the middle. Instead, she was proving to be a strong woman capable of handling anything.
“No one can hate my father that much. I’m sure they’ve moved on,” she said.
“Revenge is a relentless thing, Cleo. I wouldn’t hold your breath.”
“Yeah, but that kind of hate doesn’t just go away. If they kill me, do you honestly think they’ll have their peace?”
He knew she was referring more to him than her enemies.
“I don’t blame you or your father. It’s okay, Cleo. I’m just glad those animals are dead.”
“And all that pent-up revenge just goes away like that?”
They were almost at the hotel, one owned by Killer of Kings. He drove down into the underground parking lot and cut the engine. Silence set in immediately.
He shifted in his seat and faced her. She was all shadows but still just as breathtaking.
“Maybe it goes away, maybe it doesn’t. Yeah, I wish it had been me. But it wasn’t,” he said. “A couple of months ago, it would have driven me crazy. Now, I have too much to be grateful for.”
“Like what?”
He winked at her. “Come on. The penthouse suite is ready for us.”
They walked to the elevator together, and he took her hand.
“Did Boss arrange this?” she asked.
“Not this time.”
He’d called ahead and had everything set. Killer of Kings owned a lot of property around the city. It was the safest place to be right now. No questions and the highest security.
Once at their room, Priest used his master keycard, one good at all their properties. The room was sprawling, but honestly, all he cared about was the bed—with Cleo in it.
“Wow,” she said, walking around the massive, open-concept suite. The views were breathtaking, the cityscape at night a thing of beauty. “This is something else, Priest.”
“I’m going to hit the shower,” he said after dropping the car keys on the counter.
He began to walk away when she called out to him. “Can I join you?”
His cock instantly tented in his pants. That was one request he couldn’t refuse her.
He waved for her to follow.
Truth was, he didn’t want to be away from her for a second. Not after everything that had gone down. As long as she was close, he’d protect her with his life. No one considered she was such a high-priority target.