Shadows Past: A Rune Alexander short. Book 5.5 of the Rune Alexander series. Read Online Free Page B

restrained, into a glass fronted cell.
    He stood in the middle of the room, his head down, but finally, he looked at her. His eyes were full of confused hopelessness. Rage. Fear. Uncertainty.
    “I don’t know who I am,” he pleaded. “Somebody help me.”
    He looked like the kid he was.
    “Fuck me,” Rune whispered.
    She went straight to find Jeremy.
    “Find someone to train him, Jeremy,” she said. “Give the kid a fucking life.”
    He lifted an eyebrow. “I’ll take care of it, Rune.”
    “Fuck you. He’s not an it. ”
    He stood, brushing imaginary lint off his suit jacket, and then walked with leisurely intent toward her.
    She’d be damned if she’d back away.
    But she shivered.
    He smiled, just a little. “Rune,” he murmured. “Why do you always have to make everything so hard on yourself?”
    She held a hand up to stop him. “What are you going to do with Ben?”
    He stopped walking when he was right in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to look up at him. “I can promise you I won’t kill him.”
    She clenched her fists so hard her nails dug into her palms. The warm stickiness of blood comforted her. The pain centered her. “There are worse things than death.”
    His voice was tender, and he reached out to lift a strand of hair from her shoulder. “You can trust me, Rune.”
    “Damn you, Jeremy,” she whispered. He was a fucking liar. She couldn’t trust anybody.
    He seemed to leave a path of burning flesh as he trailed his fingers across her shoulder and then up to her throat. He gripped her throat, very, very carefully, then squeezed.
    “Tonight?” he asked. And then, not waiting for her answer, he leaned forward and kissed her. “Tonight,” he said, after he pulled away.
    She took a deep breath, caressing her abused throat when he turned away. She shuddered. “Maybe.” And she heard the eagerness in her voice.
    He sat down behind his desk once again, crisp and neat and bright. It was an hour after dawn, and she was disheveled and bloody and ragged from the fights of the night.
    “Go home, Rune. Get some coffee and sleep. I’ll call you.” He began tapping on his computer keyboard, ignoring her.
    “Jeremy.”
    He looked up. “ What, Rune? What is it?”
    She put her palms on his desk and leaned toward him. “If you kill that kid, I’m going to rip your fucking head off.”
    His eyes widened, just slightly.
    “It might take me a little while,” she continued, “but I swear I will end you.”
    His fear made him angry. He stood, pushing his chair back so hard it hit the wall. “Don’t threaten—”
    “Boss.”
    They both snapped their heads around to look toward the door, where Strad Matheson waited.
    He stared back at them, his face bland, but his eyes…
    Rune stepped back, and not taking her stare from the berserker, she strode to the doorway. “Move.” Her voice cracked, and she cleared her throat before trying again. “Move the fuck out of my way, Berserker.”
    Without a word he stepped from the room to let her pass.
    She didn’t turn around to look as she walked away, but she didn’t have to. Strad was watching her. She felt his stare like a physical thing, heavy and grim upon her back, until at last she was out of sight of those raging blue eyes.
     
     

Chapter Seven
    “He couldn’t be all bad,” Jack said. “He made sure to re-cover his hands when he ran away.”
    “If he deliberately killed the little girl,” Raze said, “he’s all fucking bad.”
    “Go home and get some sleep.” Rune cut off a yawn and took a drink of the hot coffee Jack had handed her.
    “You too, Rune,” Raze said. He folded his massive arms and stared down at her, and there wasn’t so much as a twinkle in his eye.
    She sighed. Her crew could be a little overprotective. “As soon as I visit Ellie.”
    Raze pursed his lips, narrowed his eyes, and then finally decided she was telling the truth. “I’ll go with you.”
    “Raze, go the fuck home,