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Even if I felt hollowed out and empty, broken and alone.

What bothered me the most, the thing that surely broke and shattered my black fucking heart was the glistening diamond ring she wore on her left index finger. The ring I used to propose to her right before she gave me her virginity. She still had it. Still wore it.

Fuck!

I revved the throaty engine of my Harley next to R.J. and forced my gaze ahead, taking off on my hog before the urge to turn around and grab her was too strong to resist. My chest was so tight I could hardly breathe, my airways constricting to the point of suffocation. Goddammit! Not now, I thought, shit this couldn’t be any fucking worse!

R.J. followed me a short distance away as we sat, engines rumbling, and waited for Rae to leave the store. Keeping at a distance, we made sure she returned home safely, careful not to be discovered.

“I want Ghost on her tail. He reports directly to me if anything suspicious occurs,” my order was barked out quickly as my eyes narrowed, watching Rae walk into her apartment building. A parking garage was located just to the left, where she entered an elevator that took her inside. I confirmed the place was nice, high-security, and fairly safe. Good. The only vulnerability was the garage. I noticed the cameras and smiled a devious grin. “I want those cameras hacked. Her every move to and from that building is recorded. Anyone comes to visit her, I want to know immediately.”

R.J. nodded and scowled, “She’d be so pissed if she knew the truth.”

“I don’t give a shit. She’s back in my world now. Just because I can’t have her doesn’t mean Rae isn’t under my protection. Any news, day or night, inform me right away.”

“Fine bro,” he relented and glanced at the open window of Rae’s third-floor apartment. She sat cuddling a large gray Calico cat like her old one, Feefee. R.J. chuckled at her innocence as she talked to the cat and nuzzled her nose into the fat feline’s face.

A small smile graced my lips for a few seconds before I turned to R.J., “No exposure R.J. She doesn’t see us. Not ever. If I find out otherwise, I’ll kill the sorry asshole who compromised us and placed her in danger.”

“I got it,” R.J. grumbled as I rode away.

I didn’t say a word about the tumultuous thoughts jumbling in my head, but something wasn’t right. Rae wasn’t that far from Providence. Witness Protection usually relocated people much farther than a few cities away, especially on such a dangerous and deadly case like the one involving Rae’s family.

She was in Green County, one over from where she grew up. More importantly, it was the same county her father grew up in, where Ron worked at a warehouse when he was young and met her mother Sarah on a night out at the drive-in with his fellow RRMC Brothers. Specifically where they lived when Rae was a baby before they bought their home in Providence and Ron built his Rae of sunshine the treehouse.

This wasn’t a coincidence.

It was time I did some digging into this so-called witness protection. My gut told me this wasn’t right. Something underhanded was taking place, and I was suddenly afraid for her safety. Putting the surveillance on her was a good idea, now more than ever.

I would keep Rae safe or die trying, but no longer would I sit back and do nothing.

I still meant every word of every promise I ever made to Ron and to his beloved Rae. She may not know it, but I had staked my claim years ago, and I wasn’t about to give her up. Maybe I had to keep my distance, but that didn’t mean I was letting her go or allowing anyone else to move in on my girl.

Rae belonged to me, the man who loved her for over a decade, the sinner who swore to place her life above his own, and that shit wasn’t going to change.

Chapter 35

My apartment was dark and empty once I arrived home. My cat snuggled and purred beneath my feet but I hardly noticed. All I could think about was the store and Peter.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when he appeared.

Out of nowhere. Closed off and silent, his dark, brooding eyes holding back so much.

Why?

Didn’t he love me? Want me? Miss me?

I was prepared to tell him everything. How much I missed and loved him and how he never left my thoughts. Opening my mouth to reply and ready to run into his arms I stopped when he squared his shoulders and said goodbye.

He left.

He just left me, without any word or explanation.

I was gutted, my heart shattered beyond recognition.

His eyes darted to my left hand before he walked away. I knew he saw I was wearing his ring but he didn’t say a word about that either. Just stood there, his entire body tensed, his expression thunderously angry as if he was sorry and pissed off that I still had it, that I still cared.

Shit.

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