A tiny gasp emitted from me as she pried the glass open and handed me the box. The design was so minimalistic, glinting every time it caught the light. It had very little going on, yet it was so catchy.
"It's so beautiful," I whispered.
"It's a stunning piece to share with a loved one," she commented.
"I'll pair with my best friend." I grinned. "I'll have this one."
"I—"
A loud shot sliced through the air, freezing my blood and widening my eyes.
My gaze swung harshly to the entrance, and my body stiffened as it landed on four masked men standing at the entrance—two of them were armed, another with a duffel bag hanging carelessly over his shoulder, while the other held a hammer. They held one of the security guards I walked past earlier at gunpoint. I didn't need to be told to know that the other one was probably dead.
"Get the fuck down!" one of them growled.
A scream rippled through the air, and it took me a while to realize it was the attendant standing beside me. Shivers wracked through me, my heart pounding incessantly against my ribcage.
I wanted to get down. I should get down, but I was too horrified and frozen to move a muscle. I had never experienced a mugging before—I had thought about what it must feel likewhenever numerous reports were made, but I didn't think I would find myself in a mugging situation.
My heart stopped when one of them looked at me. Anger and irritation flashed through his eyes as he marched toward me.
"Are you deaf?" His rough palm swung across my face and sent me flying backward. I crashed into something hard, whimpering. "I said to get on the fucking floor, you stupid bitch!" I screamed as his shoe connected with my head.
"Put everything in here!" I heard another yelling at the sales rep at the door.
"Who the hell do you think you are?" He yanked me by the hair. I could smell the cigarette oozing off his breath. "When I tell you to get on the floor, you fucking do it." The barrel of his rifle connected harshly to my temple.
My vision blurred instantly.
I tried to keep my eyes open, but the throbbing pain was too intense. A low whimper escaped my lips, and as my head hit the ground, the last thing I thought about was those ominous gray eyes staring back at me.
I wondered what he'd think now.
"Shit! The cops are here."
That was the last thing I heard before everything went pitch-black.
"Mr. Lombardi, there's still one more meeting for the day." Geralt, my assistant, spoke up as he let himself into my office.
"Cancel it." I didn't look away from my phone for once.
Something was off. Something was really, really off.
"But sir?—"
I looked up. "Are you deaf?"
"I'm sorry, sir."
"Cancel all my meetings for today. And go downstairs to tell my chauffeur to get the car ready." I dismissed him.
Sienna was a yapper. She liked to keep me updated on what she was up to. We had only known each other for a short while, but a part of me believed that she felt safe with me, and that was why she was doing that. Since she stepped out to use my card in an attempt to make a dent in my bank account, as she thought, she had been sending me pictures of everything she was getting. The little slut even sent me thirst traps in lingerie, leaving me as hard as a rock in my meetings.
But it'd been two hours, forty-eight minutes—yes, I had been counting. I paid attention to details—since her last text. And somehow, I couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong.
I instantly logged into the app that allowed me access to her location any time I wanted. I wasn't being a stalker. I just liked to keep tabs on her. She was mine. I had to know what she was up to whenever I wanted.
Her location displayed a jewelry store in town.
