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I turn from the window and grab my pad from the bed. I need to get outside. Maybe the sunshine will do me some good. I can go lie on the dock and get some fresh air.
I head to the kitchen to grab a soda and make a snack. I can’t help but smile as I do. I have so many memories of being in here with Grandma. I’d begged my dad to come here a few times, but he always said no. I’m scared he’ll sell it, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do if my father finally shows up. But I’m not going back with him. I’ll figure it out somehow.
Maybe he’s forgotten about the place. I’d been paying to keep it maintained out of the small pay I get from the church.
I turn around to head back toward the living room and stop dead in my tracks. Standing there in the middle of the room is my mystery man. The breath catches in my throat. I know the door was locked and the alarm was on, but he got inside the house without setting it off.
He’s even more handsome than I thought he’d be. He has a hard look on his face, but I can see he’s tired. His eyes do appear black now that I can see them up close. But I want to be closer. He’s unmoving like always, and as soon as I have the thought, he cocks his head. I watch the corner of his mouth turn up, and then I do something that isn’t in my nature.
I launch myself at him.
Chapter Two
Viktor
I roll my right shoulder, trying to get the tension out of it. I don’t know if it’s from London being missing or the beating I’d given on my last job. I’d gone after him a little harder than normal. He had a type—blonde girls. My London is blonde. When I thought about how he could beat on someone as sweet and pure as her, my anger only grew. Then it burns when I realize whoever has her could be doing the same thing to her. I slam my fist into the steering wheel, making my Dodge Charger jerk to the side before I steer it back on the road again.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm myself. That’s something I wouldn’t have ever done before. I’m not one to snap and lose control, but she’s able to do this to me. I’ve been in a state of panic since losing track of her. There’s a weird pressure on my chest, making it feel like I can’t breathe, and the longer she’s gone, the heavier it gets. If I don’t find her I hope it finishes its job and crushes me.
I knew from the moment I saw her she was the most perfect creature to walk this earth. She walked out of the hospital wearing one of those candy-striper uniforms. Her long blonde hair was tied up in a fancy-looking braid, and some tresses had come loose. They were brushing against her cheeks and it was all I could do not to walk up and touch her. She turned my way as if she could feel someone staring at her. That was when her bright green eyes hit me. They dominated everything and I was trapped by the vision. Her full lips parted and she blinked, then the moment was broken. She was a young little thing. Too young to be walking around on her own. She looked like an angel. I wanted her from that very moment.
She’s a treasure I want but can’t have. I’m not good enough for her and I know it. I found out she worked at a church and was the daughter of the preacher. Of course she is. She’s an angel. She shines, and when I watch her, it feels like she bathes me in light.
I’ve watched her every spare moment I have. I’ve even started working less. I only take jobs here and there, but I was stupid. I should’ve quit from that very first day. I knew she needed someone to watch over her.
Or maybe I brought the darkness to her. That’s what I fear most, that somehow someone saw what I coveted and they’re going to use it against me. The one thing in my life that makes me vulnerable and suddenly it’s out of my grasp.
I clench my teeth. I’m not sure who would dare, but there are always men trying to make a name for themselves. I’m not one to be fucked with, but there’s a new idiot for hire every day of the week. If even a hair on her head has been hurt, I will never forgive myself.
My phone rings and adrenaline hits my blood. Only one person has this number, so I answer quickly.
“Speak.”
“Well, aren’t we chipper.”
“Are you sure you want to play this game with me, Saint?” I say coldly. I like Saint, but I would never let him know that. We traded a favor. I bring him the man who likes blonde girls, make him cry, and hand him over to Saint. Then Saint tells me the location of my angel.
I only left him with the rapist an hour ago, so I’m surprised to hear from him so soon. But maybe he was worried I’d come back and physically make him carry out my favor.
“All right. All right, Fixer. Let me start by telling you this. She’s safe.” I feel a drop hit my cheek, my eyes welling with relief. It’s something that hasn’t happened since I was a child and I lost my sister. “I’m going to tell you the story, but make sure you’re headed toward Cranberry, Colorado.”
Luck is on my side because I’m already headed that way. I hit the gas, looking at the navigation to see it’s not even an hour from her home. Four from me, but I’ll make it in three. I need to see her with my own eyes.
“I didn’t think anyone took her, because her father hasn’t reported her missing. I feel like if your daughter is missing for three days, you’d do that.”
I nod in agreement even though I know he can’t see me. I’m not a man of many words. I don’t talk when it’s not needed.
“So I started digging into the preacher’s daughter.”
“She doesn’t belong to him,” I correct.
I hear a snort and clench my teeth once again. “I started looking into your girl.” He emphasizes the last word. “Since her mom up and left him, which we’ll get back to in a minute, she stayed with her grandparents until she was in her early teens, then her dad brought her back home to the church. The grandparents ended up dying a while back. Their house is still there and still in their names. It shouldn’t be, because according to their will, it was left to your girl when she turned eighteen. But from what I can tell, I don’t think she knows that.”
My mind starts working. I didn’t pay him much attention. My angel always seemed so happy.
“How can you be sure?” I ask, still worried. I’ll stay that way until I get my eyes on her. They will never leave her again.
“She didn’t have a car in her name, and the dad seems like a dick, so I’m guessing he isn’t letting her use his. I went digging at the bus station and got into their shit. I pulled up the cameras and did some more shit you don’t care about until I spotted her. She bought a ticket with cash, headed for Cranberry.”
The piece of information makes me feel a little better, but still I ache. Saint rattles off the address to me.
“Don’t hang up,” he orders.
I don’t, but I don’t speak either.
“I don’t think her mom skipped town,” he adds. I pop my neck, getting ready for what’s coming. “From what I can tell, the preacher’s wife seemed awful fucking clumsy. Always in and out of the hospital with injuries. Then one day, poof.”
A rumble leaves my chest. He must have killed her mom.
“If he’s touched her…”
“Yeah,” Saint agrees.
I’m shocked I said that out loud, but like always, my control isn’t great when it comes to my angel.
“Fixer, if you ever need something, don’t hesitate.”
I don’t return the favor. I already did my deed for Saint, and I have a feeling I might be retiring very soon.
I roll down the window and toss the phone out of it. I push the gas even harder, eating up the miles that separate us.
I have no plan for what I’m going to do when I get there. She doesn’t even know who I am. A few times I thought she caught me looking at her. Or maybe I was being stupid like I often am with her. How could she have not seen me? I’ve been following her for a year. Sometimes it isn’t easy to stay hidden, and with my size it’s even harder.
I run my hand down my face. I thought leaving my angel alone and watching her was for her own good. But now I see the error of my ways. I’ve been letting her live with
a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
The right thing to do would be to kill him and then she would be free. She could go on and live a normal life. But I’ve never been the kind of man that does the right thing. After losing her for days, I see that I can’t live without her, and I know I can’t live with only watching. What if someone else tried to take her? What if another man tried to make her his?
Rage makes my neck hot. I would end up killing someone, and that would cause my angel pain.
There is only one choice. She has to be mine.
I park about half a mile from the house in a docking area. I grab my bag and make the walk. I pick up speed with each step, and before I know what’s happening I have her cheap alarm disabled and the lock popped on her front door. I slide inside and close the door behind me. My heart is pounding. I hear someone moving around in the kitchen. I place my bag on the floor by the door and step into the living room.
The weight on my chest lifts. She’s perfect as always. She turns around and takes a few steps before she notices me standing there. When her face turns in my direction, she freezes and her mouth drops open. She doesn’t look scared. I try to read her expression, but there’s too much to take in. When I see the light in her green eyes sparkle, I know I’ve got her.
She drops everything she has in her hands and runs at me, jumping into my arms.
I catch her easily as she wraps her arms around my neck. When she presses her lips to mine, I fall to my knees on the floor.
Chapter Three
London
His hands hold me tight, and I bring my mouth down on his. I hear him gasp as he falls to the floor. His hands snake up my back, pulling me into his lap. I open my mouth a little and he slides his tongue in. I moan, his taste warm and sweet. He’s soft at first, but when my tongue touches his, it breaks him.
Gone is the gentle first touch and in its place is hunger. He eats at my mouth as if he’s starving for me. I slide my hands up, wanting to feel his hair. I run my fingertips over his buzzcut. We press against one another as much as we can; the space between us is offensive. His fingers dig into my back, and I find myself starting to rock against him. I can feel the stiff length in his pants, and though its size should scare me, I only move against it harder. I place my elbows on his shoulder to help steady my body as I rock faster.
“Fuck,” he grunts, sounding like he’s out of breath.
I bury my face in his neck, my body still moving against his. My hormones are racing and I can’t slow them down. Embarrassed heat stains my cheeks, but I don’t know how to stop. In one swift motion of strength he stands, easily walking over to the sofa and sitting down with me straddling him. He rubs his hands up and down my back softly, his voice low and purring. He says words in Russian that I don’t understand, but I stay with my head in his neck, breathing him in.
I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. He’s here. He actually came.
“You know who I am?” He finally speaks in English. His rough words are thick and sexy and filled with need. I wrap around him even tighter.
“My mystery man,” I whisper, then I kiss his neck. He stops rubbing and instead digs his hands possessively into my skin.
“You don’t fear me?”
