Violent anguish

HANNA

The barrel of a gun stared back at me. I was going to die. Right there, at the bottom of that alley that smelled like week-old sashimi and stale urine. My brain was going to decorate the wall behind me because there was no way I could dodge a bullet from a gun pointed right in the middle of my forehead.

Maybe I could do that thing from the movies where they hit the gun and run away. How far was I from the main road? I looked over my shoulder at the guy holding the gun.

“No “ said the man . Please don't.

His voice was soft, dark and too nice for a killer. How was I going to survive this? I just wanted to help Bladimir . He looked like he could use a friend, and I was trying to be a decent person, and look where that got me. In a shitty alley, about to die at the hands of a lippy bastard. Maybe I shouldn't have taken all those shots. I think they gave me a misplaced hero complex.

Besides, I'm sure Bladimir shot this guy. He should be dead.

Why wasn't he dead?

Maybe Bladimir really didn't need a friend after all.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit.

Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute. Wait a minute.

I was bait?

Oh, my God. I was, wasn't I?

That asshole.

I bought him a drink and tried to help him. And after the worst day of my life, I just wanted to have a good time and forget about Dr. Kang , his ego and his manipulation. Maybe I should have sucked Kang's dick . I would have no self esteem, but at least I wouldn't be staring down the barrel of a fucking gun.

“I'm sorry, but I need you to come closer “ the man whispered .

Why didn't he sound like an archetypal villain? He just sounded so... polite. Like I was ordering a coffee and regretted having to bother making it for myself.

“Why?” I asked.

He snorted. “Because I'm asking you to.”

It probably had something to do with him being in the shadows and me standing under a bright moonbeam. But what the hell. He could get as frustrated as he wanted. If I only had a few minutes left with the ability to make decisions, then I was going to make some.

“If you want to kill me, then you're going to have to get close to me.” I crossed my arms over my chest.

“Fine “he growled, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. Maybe I shouldn't have pushed him.

He shifted forward, into the beam of moonlight and fuck!

The guy was too handsome to be an assassin. His eyes were a beautiful shade of blue, like the ocean bathed in sunlight, and his face was all angles with a jaw so sharp it would cut glass. Damn, I think I'd lose a finger tracing those lines. The only thing that detracted from her beauty was the expressionlessness in her face. Nothing that would reveal what he was thinking. What kind of person has no emotions...? Wait a minute.

A psychopath.

Oh, shit.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He really was going to die.

“I'm not going to kill you “ he said softly and lowered the gun.

Ha! Like I was going to believe that. I really hoped I could believe it.

Dark strands of hair fell over his bright blue eyes as he shook his head in disbelief. “I'm not going to kill you.”

-Claaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. And the gun is for what, shitting and laughing?

His eyes sparkled. For an instant, I thought they had turned silver, but it must have been just an effect of the light. The bright blue eyes stared at me with a steadiness that turned my stomach.

“ No, but if I wanted to see you dead, I would have killed you the very instant you set foot in this alley.”

“What about Bladimir ?”

Her lips tightened into a grimace. “I'll find him, torture him, and then watch the life drain out of his eyes” .

Wow. okay. That was a little aggressive. And why was he telling me that if he wasn't going to kill me? “I have a question...”

“Why am I telling you all this?” He arched an eyebrow, and boy, didn't that make him look like he'd stepped off the cover of a magazine. “Because, even if I'm not killing you, I can't let you go.”

“W-what?” my heart flipped in my chest and the man's eyes dropped to my throat.

“You've seen too much.”

His eyes bore into my throat, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. Was there a mark there or something?

“Come here. Right now “ . His voice became a guttural roar that went straight to my cock. But I was going to ignore it because it wasn't the time or place to think about sex. Gee, something was wrong with me if I thought about sex with death in my eyes. It had to be adrenaline, right? Either that, or I was discovering I had a mania I was completely unaware of.

Again. Not the time or place.

I swallowed saliva, my mouth drier than dessert. “No. Please let me go.”

He frowned into his narrowed eyes. He stared at me for a good long while, a dark, searching look. And God, what silence. And I was nervous. And, shit, I felt like the word “vomit” was about to burst out of my mouth.

Please don't kill me. I don't want to die. I was just trying to help and didn't want to interrupt. I'll pretend I didn't see anything. I mean, who am I going to tell? There's only old Mrs. Miles , who lives next door, and she never leaves the house and....

A hand slapped my face, cutting off the torrent of shit coming out of my mouth.

The mysterious killer growled, “You talk too much.”

Only when I was nervous.

Or about to die, apparently.

I took a deep breath through my nose, trying to calm my heartbeat. It didn't do me any good. I'm sure the guy could feel it vibrating through my chest, where he was pressing me against the wall. Oh my God, I think I stepped on something gross.

I groaned against his hand.