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“Beautiful?” His voice sounded down the hallway. His feet thudded against the floor a second later as he came toward me. He appeared around the corner, his hair still slightly damp from the shower he’d just took. He was in only his boxers, his powerful legs looking thick under the fabric. Once his gaze settled on me, he knew there was something wrong. “What is it?”
Now that we were in the same room together, I moved into his chest and clung to him, finding comfort in his strong chest and broad shoulders. This was my safe place, the only place in the world where that man couldn’t touch me.
“Carmen, you’re scaring me.” He grabbed my shoulders and pulled me back so he could look into my face. His eyes shifted back and forth as he looked into mine, reading all the warning signs my body was emitting. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
My hands held on to his arms, and I found strength in the power I could feel in his pulse.
“What is it?” he demanded. “Tell me.” His tone showed his impatience. I was taking too long telling him the problem, and he didn’t like to wait.
“I was closing up the flower shop when I saw him. He was standing on one of the balconies of the apartments across the street. He was just standing in the rain…watching me without blinking. He didn’t care that I saw him. It was like he wanted me to see him…wanted me to be scared.”
His arms slowly lowered to his sides, and he stared at me with a look of rage I’d never seen. “Who?” The vein in his forehead was throbbing. The cords on his arms were tightening. His entire body tensed as it prepared for the battle about to ensue. Instead of comforting me, he moved away because the fury was too much for him to control. “Who did you see?”
“That man from the casino…with the scars on his face.”
Bosco heard my answer, but he kept up his stare like he hadn’t. His chest rose and fell at a quicker rate, and redness flooded his face. He moved back from me again, his hands forming fists. He didn’t ask any other questions, but his eyes lit up like small bombs went off in each one.
I stayed quiet as Bosco wrestled with his rage. I didn’t know what else to say. I didn’t want to calm him down because I was still losing my mind. I was scared, and I didn’t have the pride to pretend I wasn’t. Seeing that man stand in the rain and watch me like prey was one of the most disturbing moments of my life. I couldn’t keep Bosco calm when I was this terrified.
He didn’t ask me if I was certain of what I saw. He took my word for it right away. He stepped away and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He called someone and pressed the phone to his ear. “Double the perimeter around the building. I want twelve more guys for the next shift. The Butcher is stalking my woman, and I want him shot on sight if he gets within a mile of this building.” He hung up then made another call. “Ronan, stop what you’re doing because we need to talk. The Butcher is stalking Carmen.” He paused as he listened over the line. “He was sitting on the balcony across from her shop—in the pouring rain. He was watching her.” He listened to his brother before he responded. “I have no idea how long this has been going on. Carmen just noticed him. The second he walks into that casino, I want to know about it. He’s going in the ring—and I want to be the one to do it.”
He lay beside me in bed, the sheets pulled to his waist. His boxers were on because I wasn’t in the mood for sex. I was still terrified by what I’d witnessed.
His anger had started to fade a few hours ago. Now, he seemed more concerned about the way I was feeling. His fingers ran through my hair, and he kept his gaze on me the entire time. “I understand you’re unsettled, but there’s nothing to worry about.”
“He was just standing there in the rain…”
He tucked my hair behind my ear before he trailed the backs of his fingers down my arm. “He’s going to be dead soon.”
“When he saw me look at him, he knew I would tell you. So he’s not gonna show his face again.”
“There’s nowhere for him to hide. I have every criminal in this city by the balls. When I put out a notice to find someone, I always get them within twelve hours. This will be no different. He’ll be dead by this time tomorrow.”
