Blood & Torment (Pins and Needles: Moscow Book 2) by Elizabeth Knox (best short books to read TXT) 📕

getting more security cameras around Pins and Needles, plus inside it. Even with everything we’ve done, no one has seen him at all. I know Trista isn’t lying about seeing him, but sometimes I wonder if her fear caused her to see him. She’s been saying his name in her sleep about every two or three nights, which only makes me more confused. The man hurt her in the most horrendous of ways, so why does she say his name?

“What’re you doing this weekend, Kronid?” Meghan’s voice pulls me out of my head, and I look at her.

I clear my throat. “Sorry, what did you say?”

She snickers lightly. “I asked what you’re doing this weekend.”

“I haven’t given it much thought. Trista’s off this weekend, but we haven’t talked about doing anything specific.”

“I, for one, would kill for a beach weekend!” Trista hollers back from the receptionist’s desk, getting a laugh from both Meghan and me.

“Seems she likes subtle hints, yeah?” Meghan cracks herself up with her sarcasm and even I crack a few laughs.

Though, I’m glad she said she wanted a beach weekend. I have some time off and I could grab us a couple plane tickets, take us to the Mediterranean Sea. I think she’d love it. It’s beautiful this time of year too. A few years ago I took a holiday to the Med, and it was amazing. Then again, I spent most of my vacation drunk or fucking other tourists. Now I’m a man in a relationship with a beautiful woman, inside and out. Funny how things change.

“Oh my God!” Trista screams, and I stop what I’m doing and run to her desk. I glance around like a mad man, but everything is in place.

“What’s the matter?!”

“Dema just texted me! She’s in labor! We gotta go. We need to get going!” Trista’s throwing on her jacket, grabbing her purse, like we can just drop our shit and head out.

I narrow my eyes on her. “Trista, breathe. We need to make sure no one else is in the shop,” I tell her, knowing she’s very excited for her future pseudo niece or nephew to be born. I round the corner of the desk and look back to Meghan and see her chair is empty. “Do you have a client?”

“No, they left about half an hour ago. I’ve just been disinfecting my station and refilling my colors for tomorrow,” she answers me.

“Alright, you the only artist here?” I ask.

“Yeah, Igor left earlier. His last appointment canceled,” Meghan answers.

“Alright, Dema’s having contractions, so someone is a bit eager to go.” I waggle my eyebrows. It’s not like I need to explain. Meghan understands exactly who I’m talking about.

Meghan releases a short laugh and nods. “Okay, give me five minutes and we can all leave together. Is that okay?”

“Sure is. Just meet us up by the front desk when you’re ready,” I tell Meghan as I walk to the receptionist’s desk. I grab my jacket, which Trista has been putting on the back of her office chair. She tends to get a bit cold, so I had a feeling she’d like wearing mine when a chill comes over her. Not gonna lie. It’s fuckin’ hot to see her put my jacket on. Same thing when you fuck a woman and see them in your clothes right after. Hell, makes my cock hard thinking about it.

“Can we go now?” Trista asks me the moment I round the corner.

“Give Meghan a couple minutes to get her stuff ready. We’ve got plenty of time.”

“Do we, Michail? How would you know? Have you ever been in labor?” Well, fuck, she’s getting damn sassy with me right now.

“They don’t just come flying out like a damn cannonball,” I grumble, letting her be a bit rude. This kid is so important to her. It’s important to me too, but to Trista, this baby will be her entire life, next to Dema, of course.

“We don’t know how dilated she is, Michail. We need to get going as soon as possible. Okay?”

I walk up to Trista and put my hands on her shoulders. “I promise you, the second Meghan is ready to leave, we’ll all walk out on the street and leave together. Now, do you have everything ready?”

Trista’s quick to show me her purse, her keys in her pocket, and the fact she has her jacket on. I should’ve known she’d change like a superhero when she found out Dema was in labor. Scarily fast if you ask me, but then again, she and I have been in a few circumstances where we’ve been able to either rip off clothes or throw them on really quick, like last week in Kronid’s office when he and Dema ran out for lunch and he asked me to go over applications.

The only thing I was looking over was my woman’s hard nipples and wet pussy. God, she tasted better than ever that day.

Meghan comes around the corner and smiles at Trista and me. “Okay, I’m ready whenever you guys are.”

The bell attached to the front door dings, signaling someone’s coming inside and Meghan’s putting her jacket on while they come inside. I don’t see the person, but I look at Trista and as she starts to speak, her eyes widen and she freezes in her place.

“Trista, I’ve been looking for you.” A man’s voice forces me to look up and I see someone I’ve never seen before.

My jacket’s being tugged and I look at Trista, who’s whispering a name I haven’t wanted to hear. “Jacob, it’s Jacob.”

“Get the fuck out of here.” I waste no time telling this fucker how he can get lost. I make sure to walk closer to Meghan, needing Trista to stay near her while I deal with this asshole.

Jacob smirks, almost like he’s got something up his sleeve, but he doesn’t. I know what he is, and I have no problem telling him. “You’re nothing but a cowardly pig. Get the fuck out of here before