Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88487 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 442(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Cold sweat broke out across his body as he fought the man, trying to draw in enough air to shout for West. All the self-defense training he’d taken during his teenage years fled his brain. The only things left were panic and terror while his brain screamed, “No! Not like this! Not yet!”
Just as the world was going white along the edges, the hand at his throat disappeared. Someone shoved him aside. Jin stumbled over his own feet, falling into a row of neatly hung suits while something metallic clattered against the shining bamboo floor.
When he freed himself of the suits, he turned to find West lying on the floor with the attacker in front of him, his arm wrapped around the man’s throat while his hands uselessly pulled at West’s forearm.
Jin couldn’t tear his eyes away from the sight of the assassin’s red face as his hands slowed and his eyes drifted closed. West had knocked him out. The moment he thought West was going to release him and get to his feet, West twisted his arm, snapping the assassin’s neck, killing him.
Bile surged up Jin’s throat, and he ran from the closet to the bathroom. He barely made it, falling to his knees in front of the toilet as the slim contents of his stomach came up. The harsh acid burned his throat and tears slipped from his eyes. That man was dead because of him. He understood why West killed him. The assassin would have kept coming until he got Jin.
It was his fault he was dead. His fault the man was there.
This was a disaster. All of it.
He sat on the cold tile floor, clinging to the bowl while trying to catch his breath.
He didn’t hear any footsteps but jumped as someone gathered up the long strands of his hair, pulling them away from his face so they didn’t get in the mess he was making.
“Shhh…it’s okay,” West murmured in such a sweet, soft voice that it only brought more tears to his eyes. West twisted his hair into a long queue and tucked it into the back of his robe. “Stay right there. I’m going to get you some water to rinse out your mouth and a warm cloth.”
Jin could only grunt in acknowledgment. He didn’t deserve this kind of gentle treatment. Not far away, the sound of the water running and soft movements as West searched for things. A short time later, a small cup of water appeared in front of him. Jin swished the water around his mouth and spit it into the toilet. A small cup of mouthwash followed it. He repeated the action and flushed the toilet.
The cups disappeared, and a warm, damp washcloth appeared in front of him. There was a part of him that wanted to weep at West’s gentle care. The man should have been shouting at him and cursing him for creating this debacle.
When West took the cloth and set it aside, he kneeled beside Jin. From the corner of his eye, he thought he could see the man reach for him, then retreat.
“Dianxia? I want to hold you to make you feel better, but I’m afraid…I’d understand if you don’t want to be touched by someone like me…after…”
Jin didn’t hear everything he said. His brain had registered “I want to hold you” and he’d already begun leaning toward him, reaching for West. His voice wobbled on a soft “Please.” West scooped him up, carrying him over to a small, padded stool that was set in front of the mirror where he had his hair fixed every morning.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. This is all my fault. I’ve made a mess of things,” he cried into West’s neck. Now that the tears had started, he couldn’t get them to stop. “That man died because of me. I know this is what I wanted, but I couldn’t stop myself from fighting him. You had to…”
“It’s all right. You’re in shock. Of course, you fought back. It’s instinct. Deep down, you want to live, and that’s a damn good thing. I don’t want to be the only one fighting for your life,” West whispered into his hair. He pulled the long length he’d tucked into Jin’s robe out and ran his hand over it, smoothing it.
“But…but…it’s my fault you had to kill him. I’m so sorry.”
“Dianxia, I’m going to say something very terrible, and I’m hoping you can forgive me for it.” West paused and drew in a deep breath. Jin tipped his head up and wiped away his tears as he stared into West’s weary hazel eyes. “I don’t regret it. Anyone who tries to hurt you deserves to die. If he’d taken even one minute to look into who you are, he would have known that you don’t deserve to die. That the contract that brought him here is bullshit. Everyone needs to have a moral code, even assassins.”