Midnight Rescue: A Killer Instincts Novel by Elle Kennedy

sociopath.”
    “Yeah, well, hindsight.”
    “Should we let Morgan know?”
    “Might as well wait till he gets back. Devlin might have gotten his hands on my cell number, but it’ll take him a while to find the compound.” That was a relief at least. The paperwork on this place was buried so deep it could take Devlin weeks, months even, to track it back to Morgan, so Kane wasn’t worried about that. No, what worried him was Devlin’s interest in Abby.
    “Okay, then. I’ll leave you to your babysitting duties,” Luke said, the grin returning to his face. “Ethan and I areheading into town for a night of drinking and screwing. Well, I’ll be screwing. Ethan will probably sit in the corner making googly eyes at that waitress he likes.”
    “Don’t have too much fun,” Kane said dryly.
    As Luke and his mutt left the kitchen, Kane noticed that the heated discussion between Abby and her boss had wound down. Noelle was now heading toward the sliding door, her beautiful face expressionless.
    “Everything all right?” Kane asked when she strode through the door.
    “Nothing I can’t handle,” she said vaguely. She glanced outside to where Abby still stood, then back at Kane. “I’ve got a plane waiting for me at the airstrip. Make sure Abby stays put until I contact you.”
    He faltered. “Wait—you’re not taking her with you?”
    “Not yet. I have some things to take care of, and I want her somewhere secure. Don’t let her leave, no matter what she says.”
    He cursed under his breath.
    “What was that?” she said sharply.
    “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll keep an eye on her.”
    “Good.” Without uttering a good-bye, Noelle strolled out of the kitchen.
    When she was gone, Kane swore again, this time a stream of obscenities that had Lloyd, who was wiping down the counters, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
    “I take it you’re not happy with this latest development,” Lloyd remarked.
    Kane didn’t bother answering. Looked like he was going to be babysitting for a while longer. Shit. Abby Sinclair was an enigma wrapped in a fucking riddle, and he got the feeling she’d do anything in her power to protect whatever secrets she was keeping.
    It should’ve pissed him off that Noelle hadn’t whisked Abby away as he’d thought she would, yet for some fucked-up reason, a burst of pleasure went off in his chest at the thought of Abby sticking around.
    Pleasure, and something that totally resembled anticipation.
    Shit
.
    The mattress sagged as he slipped into bed with her, sliding under the thin cotton sheet and reaching for the hem of her nightgown. Her eyes flew open. She hadn’t been asleep. No, she’d been waiting for this moment. Waiting for four nights now. Last time, he’d broken her nose.
    Tonight she was ready for him.
    “Don’t fight it,” he whispered in the darkness, one big hand latching onto her thigh. “Remember what happened the last time you fought?”
    Oh, she remembered.
    He’d hurt her so badly she hadn’t been able to walk for days.
    Tonight he’d be the one hurting.
    “You’re surprisingly docile,” he murmured.
    He mounted her.
    She waited.
    He was untying the drawstring at his waist.
    Move your hand under the pillow.
    That’s it. Feel the knife? Good. Pull it out. Put it inside him.
    “You fucking bitch!” he shrieked as the blade sliced into his fat stomach.
    Hot liquid dripping onto her nightshirt. Blood.
    “I’m going to kill you, you little bitch. You hear that, I’m going to fucking kill you.”
    And then his fists were pounding her face.
    No.
    This was wrong. He wasn’t supposed to win this time.
    You didn’t stick the knife in deep enough.
    Pain flashed in front of her eyes. She screamed, loud enough to wake the entire neighborhood. His hand
clapped over her mouth, efficiently shutting her up. She flailed and writhed under his relentless fists, choking on the smell of blood in the air. His blood. Hers.
    Her pulse buzzed in her ears. Walls