Novelas de Bukunmi Oluwasina

The glass explodes above my head.Tiny pieces rain across the carpet as gunfire tears through the hallway. The flashes from the weapons turn the darkness into a series of violent snapshots, and for a split second, I see one of the men clearly.Black tactical gear. Masked face. Professional stance.Christian moves before I do.He steps out from behind the door frame and fires twice.The first shot catches the man in the shoulder. The second sends him crashing to the floor.But there are still two.Bullets rip through the wooden frame, splinters flying over us."Get down!"Christian's hand slams against my shoulder, forcing me flat.I hit the floor hard, biting back a groan as pain shoots through my ribs. The remaining shooters keep firing, pinning us behind the doorway.They're good.Very good.But they made one mistake.They think I'm scared.I tighten my fingers around the silver pistol.My mind goes quiet.No panic.No fear.Just calculations.Footsteps.Left side.One shooter is ad

Christian doesn't look back as he heads up the stairs.I wait exactly two seconds before following him."Stay here" is a rule for helpless girls, and I'm supposed to be one of those now. Unfortunately, pretending to be helpless doesn't mean I've forgotten how to move.I follow him up the marble staircase, keeping my footsteps quiet.By the time I reach the second floor, Christian is already inside his master suite, standing in front of a massive wall of security monitors. The screens cast a pale blue glow across his bare chest."I told you to wait downstairs," he says without looking at me."I don't do well with orders."His eyes flick toward me.I ignore it and look at the monitors.Several camera feeds show the estate grounds from different angles. Most are dark and empty, but one screen catches my attention immediately.Red.The western perimeter sensor is flashing red.On another screen, three shadows move between the trees.They're dressed in black tactical gear.Weapons in hand.

I can't sleep.The plush mattress is comfortable, but the silence in this mansion is too loud. Every time I close my eyes, I see the flash of a muzzle. I hear static crackling through my earpiece. Then I feel the bullet all over again.Waking up in Vivian's weak body is a nightmare I can't shake.My throat feels like sandpaper.I need water.I slide out from under the heavy covers. My feet touch the cold hardwood floor, sending a shiver up my legs. I found an oversized white T-shirt in the closet earlier, and it hangs loosely over my body, stopping somewhere around my thighs.I crack open the bedroom door.The hallway is dark and silent.Christian's door across the hall is firmly shut.Good.I slip out, moving quietly. Even in this untrained body, muscle memory is muscle memory. I know which floorboards creak and which ones don't.I make my way down the grand staircase and into the kitchen.The room is enormous, all black marble and stainless steel. Moonlight spills through the floor-

The inside of Christian's mansion is exactly like him—grand, cold, and ridiculously expensive.Marble floors stretch beneath my bare feet, reflecting the warm glow of the chandeliers. A massive staircase curves toward the second floor, and paintings worth more than my old apartment hang along the walls.Beautiful.Impressive.Completely irrelevant.My attention is on the man standing behind me.Christian shuts the heavy front door and locks it. The click of the lock sounds louder than it should.His eyes drop to my bare feet before slowly moving back up."You're freezing."I glance down at myself.The oversized coat he gave me hangs from my shoulders, almost swallowing me whole."I'll survive."His eyebrow lifts."That's what you said at the hospital."Before I can answer, he steps closer.He reaches for the coat, pulling the lapels together around me. His fingers brush my neck, and I instinctively stiffen.Too close.I can smell his cologne now. Clean, masculine, with something darke

The storm outside matches the chaos inside my chest.Rain lashes against the tinted windows of Christian's sleek black SUV, turning the city lights into blurry streaks of neon. I sit in the passenger seat, wrapped in the oversized coat he tossed at me before we slipped out through the hospital's side exit.It smells like him.Cedar. Expensive leather. Cold rain.Christian hasn't said a word since we left.His hands grip the steering wheel, his knuckles tense as he keeps checking the rearview mirror. Every few seconds, his eyes flick toward the traffic behind us.He's watching for a tail.Good.At least I'm not the only paranoid one here."You're a bad driver," I say, breaking the silence.His jaw tightens."Excuse me?""You're taking the turns too wide. If someone wanted to pit-maneuver us, we'd be flipping over that guardrail."His eyes snap toward me.For the first time since we left the hospital, I see a flicker of irritation."I just saved your life, Miss Montgomery. A little grat

The phone screen burns my eyes.I know you're awake.Four words.One massive problem.The heavy metal door handle rattles. Someone is coming in. Right now.I shove the phone under the thin hospital pillow. My heart does a quick, violent flip, but my face remains blank. I slide back into position, eyes wide and lips slightly parted.The picture of terror.The door swings open.It's not Christian Vance. It's not Nurse Lily either.A man steps inside. He's broad-shouldered, wearing a cheap security uniform that doesn't fit properly around his chest. His eyes aren't checking my medical monitor or the IV beside my bed.They're scanning my face.Hunting for something."Miss Montgomery," he says. His voice is deep and rough. "Just doing a quick security check."He takes a slow step toward the bed.Too slow.Too deliberate.My eyes instinctively track his right arm. It's stiff, and he's keeping his hand hidden behind his leg. My skin tingles.Pure assassin instinct.He's not a guard.He's cle