After Midnight: (A Penguin Special from Signet Eclipse) (Killer Instincts) by Elle Kennedy
Authors: Elle Kennedy
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Chapter One
“I really don’t have the patience for games, Masud. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I can’t play a single card game for more than five minutes. I always have to leave and find something more productive to do. Like sharpening my knives.”
Kane Woodland hid his amusement as the redhead across the room lightly dragged a razor-sharp blade over her captive’s neck. The man tied to the chair flinched as if expecting the knife to draw blood, but his tormenter simply chuckled and moved her hand away.
“Sharp, huh?” She stepped in front of him and smiled pleasantly. “I have this great sharpening stone at home, had to order it online because my knife guy ran out of the kind I like. I prefer stones with finer grit, you know? Gives the blade a smoother finish.”
A smile tickled Kane’s lips as she waved the weapon in the air like she was showing the damn thing off. The silver edge winked in the single light bulb dangling from the ceiling, casting white dots over the bound man’s head. Dark, panicky eyes followed the trajectory of the knife, but the redhead didn’t go on the attack. She seemed content toying with her prey, dragging out his fear for as long as humanly possible.
There was no denying it—Kane’s wife was absolutely terrifying.
And maybe it was completely inappropriate considering where they were and what they were doing, but watching Abby interrogate their suspect had gotten his cock semi-hard. Plus, the fact that she had a ‘knife guy’ on speed dial? Just another frickin’ turn-on.
He’d known from the start that he was marrying a warrior, but seeing Abby in action never failed to impress him. And amuse him. And, messed up as it was, arouse the living daylights out of him.
“Go ahead and use your sharp knife on me,” Masud Aswad burst out in heavily accented English. His dark complexion had reddened with anger, an ugly scowl marring his thin lips. “I already told you I don’t know anything. You’re wasting your time.”
Abby squatted on the floor and rested the KA-BAR on her denim-clad thigh. “No,
you’re
wasting my time. We know you’re working with Nazara. We know you were involved in the abduction. And we know you were the one who delivered the ransom note to Kathy Aberdeen.” She slanted her head, yellow-brown eyes taking on a deadly glint. “What we don’t know is where you stashed the boy. Tell us now, and you can spend the rest of your life behind bars. Don’t tell us, and it’ll be in a coffin.”
Aswad stared back in defiance. “Kill me. I have nothing more to say to you.”
Abby rose with a heavy sigh. “All right, Masud, we’ll do it your way.” She glanced at Kane over her shoulder. “Do you have a coin on you, babe?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Grinning, he reached into his pocket and fished out some loose change. “Quarter okay?”
“Perfect.” She easily caught the shiny coin he tossed her way then turned back to Masud, whose expression now flickered with bewilderment.
“What’s that for?” the man demanded.
“Standard operating procedure. My husband and I always flip a coin to see which one of us gets the honor of killing a scumbag.” Her tone grew downright cheerful. “But we have very different methods. Kane likes it fast and simple, usually a tidy bullet to the head.” She shrugged. “Boring, in my opinion.”
“Now, sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with military efficiency,” Kane chided, sidling up beside her. He playfully tugged on a strand of her hair before addressing Aswad. “Abby, on the other hand . . . well, if I’m being honest, she suffers from a mild case of bloodlust. I’m sure you’ve already noticed how much she loves that knife. Her methods are more medieval than mine, I’m afraid. Time-consuming, too. I mean, it takes time to slice someone up into little pieces.”
No mistaking the flicker of fear in the other man’s eyes. Aswad’s skinny arms jerked as he tested his
“I really don’t have the patience for games, Masud. Ask anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I can’t play a single card game for more than five minutes. I always have to leave and find something more productive to do. Like sharpening my knives.”
Kane Woodland hid his amusement as the redhead across the room lightly dragged a razor-sharp blade over her captive’s neck. The man tied to the chair flinched as if expecting the knife to draw blood, but his tormenter simply chuckled and moved her hand away.
“Sharp, huh?” She stepped in front of him and smiled pleasantly. “I have this great sharpening stone at home, had to order it online because my knife guy ran out of the kind I like. I prefer stones with finer grit, you know? Gives the blade a smoother finish.”
A smile tickled Kane’s lips as she waved the weapon in the air like she was showing the damn thing off. The silver edge winked in the single light bulb dangling from the ceiling, casting white dots over the bound man’s head. Dark, panicky eyes followed the trajectory of the knife, but the redhead didn’t go on the attack. She seemed content toying with her prey, dragging out his fear for as long as humanly possible.
There was no denying it—Kane’s wife was absolutely terrifying.
And maybe it was completely inappropriate considering where they were and what they were doing, but watching Abby interrogate their suspect had gotten his cock semi-hard. Plus, the fact that she had a ‘knife guy’ on speed dial? Just another frickin’ turn-on.
He’d known from the start that he was marrying a warrior, but seeing Abby in action never failed to impress him. And amuse him. And, messed up as it was, arouse the living daylights out of him.
“Go ahead and use your sharp knife on me,” Masud Aswad burst out in heavily accented English. His dark complexion had reddened with anger, an ugly scowl marring his thin lips. “I already told you I don’t know anything. You’re wasting your time.”
Abby squatted on the floor and rested the KA-BAR on her denim-clad thigh. “No,
you’re
wasting my time. We know you’re working with Nazara. We know you were involved in the abduction. And we know you were the one who delivered the ransom note to Kathy Aberdeen.” She slanted her head, yellow-brown eyes taking on a deadly glint. “What we don’t know is where you stashed the boy. Tell us now, and you can spend the rest of your life behind bars. Don’t tell us, and it’ll be in a coffin.”
Aswad stared back in defiance. “Kill me. I have nothing more to say to you.”
Abby rose with a heavy sigh. “All right, Masud, we’ll do it your way.” She glanced at Kane over her shoulder. “Do you have a coin on you, babe?”
“Of course, sweetheart.” Grinning, he reached into his pocket and fished out some loose change. “Quarter okay?”
“Perfect.” She easily caught the shiny coin he tossed her way then turned back to Masud, whose expression now flickered with bewilderment.
“What’s that for?” the man demanded.
“Standard operating procedure. My husband and I always flip a coin to see which one of us gets the honor of killing a scumbag.” Her tone grew downright cheerful. “But we have very different methods. Kane likes it fast and simple, usually a tidy bullet to the head.” She shrugged. “Boring, in my opinion.”
“Now, sweetheart, there’s nothing wrong with military efficiency,” Kane chided, sidling up beside her. He playfully tugged on a strand of her hair before addressing Aswad. “Abby, on the other hand . . . well, if I’m being honest, she suffers from a mild case of bloodlust. I’m sure you’ve already noticed how much she loves that knife. Her methods are more medieval than mine, I’m afraid. Time-consuming, too. I mean, it takes time to slice someone up into little pieces.”
No mistaking the flicker of fear in the other man’s eyes. Aswad’s skinny arms jerked as he tested his
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