AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"I already told you she's dead! You can find her in the hospital morgue."
"You killed her?" His growl was low and menacing. Any other time I would have cowered, but tonight I wanted to kill him.
Suppressing my rage, I swallowed hard, my hands shaking. "You did. You killed my mother. And I swear to God, if you do not leave, I will kill you."
He took a step back, swaying slightly as he held on to the railing. He simply stared at me, dumbfounded. As he stood there, I saw the glimmer of reality hit him, and he finally understood the seriousness of the situation. He backed away silently, not sure what words to say. I could sense the confusion in him, the denial, followed by the grief.
Grief.
A man like him was incapable of it. It would ruin his image. And as expected, he locked himself in his studio and didn't come out for days, avoiding the press, the questions, and the judgments.
I was stronger than I thought, making sure I graduated just like I had promised my mom. My father didn't show up for my graduation, nor did he show up when I moved away to college. That's when my true rebelliousness began. I did anything I could to blemish his reputation.
Enrique Solano was a cruel man who never stopped putting the blame on others. He was a selfish man who only cared about one thing.
Money.
Because with it came power, and he needed that in the make-believe world he lived in. A world he had thrown me into, a world I had no idea how to escape.
1
SNARE
"I needyou to follow Catalina Solano. Keep her under surveillance and don't let her out of your sight," Riddick instructed me as we stood at the riverfront, watching the young woman shop in the marketplace.
"I don't see why we need to follow her," I replied, questioning the necessity of this task.
"It doesn't matter. Jameson wants her followed. She's Enrique Solano's daughter, and at any point, her father may contact her. Also, keep her away from Abigail. I don't want that woman anywhere near her," Riddick replied with a serious tone.
"Does Abigail know about all this?" I asked.
"No, and she doesn't need to know. Do what you can, but keep Catalina the fuck away from my pregnant wife," Riddick said firmly. "This is your chance to move up in the chain of command. Get out of being just a Prospect and become a true member of our organization."
I felt a sense of gratitude towards Riddick for everything he had done for me. He had become more than just a friend, but a loyal brother who had offered me a job, a roof over my head, and friendship. I owed him more than he knew.
"I won't let you down," I promised, accepting the responsibility he had given me.
Riddick placed a hand on my shoulder. "Remember, I'm vouching for you, which means my name is on the line. Keep her under your watch. If you fail, I'll come after you myself."
I nodded, fully aware of the consequences of failing this task. Riddick meant business, and I knew better than to mess with this side of him. The look he was giving me meant he wasn't in the mood to take any shit.
"I'll make sure to keep my eye on her."
He left me to it. A babysitting job that quickly turned into something darker. In my days as a cage fighter for Kingpin up in Nashville, I'd had my share of women. Most wanted a relationship, something I just couldn't give them. Fuck, I had nothing to give. No woman would want that, which for the most part meant they'd leave me, or use me to gain the traction they wanted within the clubhouse. If you slept with a member it would give you some sort of prestige among the other house bunnies. These were women who gave themselves freely, seeking out a man who would fulfill their fantasies, and making sure the brothers needs were also taken care of. At least until one was stupid enough to fall for their charms.
I had never asked a woman to stay and they knew I wouldn’t. I simply moved on when they left my side, without looking back. But the more I watched this woman, the more I realized I was missing out on something.
She seemed almost unreal and she was different than the women I’d been with. She seemed genuinely happy, and her laughter was infectious. She represented the possibility of something more, something that I had been missing in my life. Before her, women had been nothing more than temporary pleasures to me, but she was something else entirely. Despite the dark nature of my task, I found myself drawn to her, wanting to be near her and experience the joy she seemed to radiate. Catalina Solano represented something that I had never known before – the possibility of true happiness.
It all startedinnocently enough.Watching her, following her around. I started noticing little things, like the way she pushed her hair back behind her ear when she felt shy. A lock of it would still fall over her eyes, hiding those pretty features from me. Or the way she fidgeted with her skirt when she was anxious. She didn’t like crowds so instead I’d follow her into bookstores where she’d buy herself a cup of coffee and read for hours. She mostly lead a quiet life, going ot her college courses, studying, but then there were those small rebellious acts she’d like to indulge in. A social media post, a tattoo that she’d gotten on her thigh, a night out dancing. Those were my favorite nights, when I’d watch her and every now and then, while she danced to her sexy rhythm, I’d get close enough to run my fingertips along her flesh, trace her belly button and inhale her scent, before I disappeared once again into the shadows.
But months of that only built up to so much more, and it wasn’t until I was standing outside her window that I noticed a shadow appear by the back door of the house. Now the house had decent security, guards at the gate and all, but if I was able to sneak in, then anyone could. And this asshole had taken the chance. I didn’t know who he was. A thief, a sadistic killer, mafia. And in these few moments I went from being a watcher, to becoming a protector. I followed the man into the house, one of back sliding doors had been left open and I cursed security for not checking.
Catalina was home alone. She preferred it that way than being at the dorms. Especially since her father had disappeared. And I couldn’t blame her, if she felt safer here. The man was wearing all black, and was holding a gun, and attached to it was a silencer. This wasn’t a robbery; this was an assassination.
I geared into action, tackling him before he got the back staircase in the kitchen that led up to the bedroom. He grunted as he fell back against the floor, his gun shooting out of his hand. We struggled a bit before I was able to tear his mask off. He was Hispanic, in his forties, a brutal scar ran down his nose which gave him a mean looking mug, and skull tattoos were inked along his bald head. He quickly pushed me off him, struggling to stand before I lunged for him again. I was able to get a good punch in before he backed up into the kitchen.
I wasn’t thinking, I was only reacting, and taking the knife off the board I flipped it down in my hand preparing for a fight. He found what he could to hod me back as swing after swing I tore at his forearms. He swung at me hitting me in the jaw, and I lunged at him with consecutive blows. We were quiet, knowing we couldn’t alert anybody in the house or surrounding area that we were there, and that made him falter. Taking the kitchen rag I wrapped it around his neck, pulling tight. My cage fighting had taught me to be cold and merciless when it came to winning. It was kill or be killed.
