Bartered Vows: A Dark Billionaire, Arranged Marriage Romance (West Coast Underworld) by Alexa Michaels & Alexa H. Michaels

Author:Alexa Michaels & Alexa H. Michaels [Michaels, Alexa & Michaels, Alexa H.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chowen Publishing House LLC
Published: 2023-11-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 19 – James

The hitman doubled over. I shot again and blew his other kneecap out. There wouldn’t be much time before he bled out. Damn! I’d wanted him alive. Drakos was tailing me and would have caught him eventually, but when this bastard aimed at Lia...

Closing the distance between us, I kicked the semi-automatic rifle out of his reach and knelt in front of him, internally groaning. My shoulder ached like fuck. “Who sent you?” I grated out.

I pressed a gun to his helmet, nudging the visor up. Black eyes stared back at me, but it was too dark to mark any other features clearly. I dragged the tip of my gun down his body, shooting each of his hands. I wouldn’t have him fighting back. Chances were, he would bleed out before he squealed.

Pushing the barrel of my gun into his crotch, I felt a shift in the space around me. A quick look upward showed a disheveled Lia standing close by.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay in the car?” I barked, not even trying to be gentle.

She flinched. “He needs medical attention, James.”

“His body will feed the shark nurseries off SoCal,” I menaced. “Now get in the fucking truck.”

“James!” Lia took a step forward.

I rounded on her. “Take a good look, love. This is me.”

There it was. Her bottom lip wobbled, and the blue of her eyes began to swim. Without saying a word, she turned and hurried into the SUV. My gut churned, the sour feeling spreading to every extremity. Didn’t I just get done promising her she wouldn’t suffer? I let out a strangled snarl. That was what I got for trying to be the good guy.

Looming over my kill, I growled, “You made one grave mistake. You were sent after me, but you hunted my wife. For that, I damn you.”

The next shot rang out. The hitman, who’d kept it together heretofore, wailed. Blood seeped from his crotch as bits of his manhood went elsewhere.

“Who sent you?” I gripped the helmet by the jaw piece and lifted his head.

In between screams there was a string of curses. “Fuck you!”

I put a bullet between his eyes. He immediately stilled. Dead.

Straightening, I took in the night. Far away, the freeway was the only sound. I was used to this; killing never bothered me. Or it hadn’t until now. Something heavy weighed on my chest, and I wasn’t sure what to do next.

“Well done,” a voice whispered from the shadows.

I glared at Drakos. “You took your sweet time.”

“You had it under control. Until you didn’t.”

“I need a clean-up team.” I felt the blood growing sticky. I’d never minded the feel of it before, but I was seeing it differently this time. Lia’s face when she saw me...fuck. I never wanted her to see this part of me.

“You need a new vehicle.” Drakos kicked the tire.

“I’ll call Lia a ride.” I flipped my phone out, smearing the screen with blood as I dialed my car service. They picked up on the first ring, and I gave detailed instructions where they were to pick my wife up.

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