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A light laugh bubbled from my lips as Cara scurried inside.
It was probably for the best. A sweet little thing like that shouldn’t be wandering this neighborhood alone at night. Her light floral scent drifted over from the light wind as I inhaled and tossed the cigarette to the ground, snuffing it out with my boot. The perfume was nice. A little stronger than I usually liked. I preferred a cleaner, more sweet scent on my women. I hadn’t noticed any perfume when she came on her home visit earlier at Edge and Rae’s. Not that it mattered.
“Hey, boss.”
“What’s up, Bulldog?”
“No outside evidence of tampering. Not sure what happened but I’ll call the electric company in the morning and make sure everything is up to code and in working condition.”
“Good. Time to lock up. I want all the girls walked to their cars. No one is left alone. Period.” That was usually a rule anyway but sometimes girls left alone or rushed out. Not anymore. I wasn’t placing them in any kind of danger if I could prevent it.
“Done.”
He disappeared inside as I heard a car engine start. Cara left the mini mart lot in a hurry. She was safely driving away as I caught her nervous smile. Run home, sweetheart. This end of town isn’t for you.
About an hour later everyone was gone, and I was left to lock up the club on my own. I’d sent Bulldog home and Art back to the clubhouse. They both needed to rest before they came back for tomorrow night’s shift.
I didn’t see anything but a shadow before a piercing and sharp pain pulsed in the left side of my stomach.
What the hell was that?
I didn’t see a soul as I lifted my hand and metallic fluid trickled from my fingers. It was dark red.
Was I attacked?
“Fuck,” I groaned, pressing in hard against my side. Warm, thick blood oozed between my fingers and began to drip onto the ground. Intense pain radiated throughout my body as I fought sudden nausea and collapsed to my knees. If I didn’t get help soon, I could die out here.
Alone. Bleeding out like some slaughtered animal.
The blood was pooling on the concrete beneath, spreading toward the edge of the sidewalk and approaching the grass. The yellow glow of the streetlamp hovered above as I swayed, lightheaded. Keeping upright was suddenly too strenuous a task. My head fell forward as my body fought for control.
A few seconds later, I succumbed to the throbbing agony in my side and landed on the ground with a muffled groan.
“Fuck,” I repeated on a whisper.
I was going to bleed out . . .
Chapter 5 – Cara
The night ran late with my visit to the homeless shelter which often happened. I hadn’t eaten a thing since lunch, and I was starving. Pausing to drive thru a local restaurant, I picked up dinner and texted to let my sister know I was running late.
“Hey, Car,” Charlotte greeted as I entered through the front door, juggling bags of food and my purse. I set them down on the table by the door and shrugged out of my coat. Once it was hung up, I turned to scoop up the bags.
“Sorry, I’m late. What a long day –”
; “Where have you been, Cara?”
Freezing where I stood, I failed to notice Max was waiting in the living room. My sister Charlotte shook her head slightly as our eyes met. She seemed upset and I could only wonder what Maxwell said to her before I arrived. I didn’t see my niece. Charlotte probably had her occupied in her room.
“I had a home visit this evening and –”
Max had me pinned against the wall so quickly it didn’t register in my brain that I had smacked my head for several seconds. A dull throb ached at the back of my skull. “You didn’t answer my texts or calls.”
“I went to the homeless shelter after the home visit. They needed my help. It was busy,” I emphasized, staring straight into his dark blue eyes that held a level of anger that was all too familiar. “I didn’t have time to check my cell.”
Maxwell Forman wasn’t always this violent or cruel. When we were in high school, he was a sweetheart. Our relationship had naturally progressed and last summer he proposed. That was when everything changed. I no longer knew the man that gripped my upper arms so hard I knew I’d have bruises later.
