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* * *
I wake the next morning feeling like I haven’t slept a wink, I startle when I check the time on my phone. I quickly shower and change, choosing to forego makeup, the moment I step back into the room Margaret is standing there ready to take me downstairs where I will meet Chance daily for breakfast, according to him this is a non negotiable rule. I smile and play my part well as I follow her from the room, the second I step outside my door and spot my guard with the pale blue eyes my breathing picks up.
I push thoughts of him away and ignore the fact he follows after us and I can feel his gaze boring into the back of my head. The moment we enter the dining area, Chance is already seated reading the morning paper. I want to snort at the irony of it but refrain. All he needs is a pipe in his mouth and then he would look picture perfect. Margaret pulls the chair out at Chance’s right side for me, once I’m settled I look to him for an indication of what happens next but he ignores me and continues to read his paper so I help myself to the spread of food that is already laid out on the table.
I’m halfway through my breakfast when the front door crashes open, my guard has his gun drawn and aims to where Bodhi and Dalton are and rushes through the dining room, Chance is on his feet and taking two steps backward… is he trying to run?
“Sir, there’s a situation at the gate.” Bodhi rasps out.
Chance seems to relax slightly, he was going to run. “What is it?” He snaps, the two men exchange a loaded look before looking back to their boss.
“Jovi is dead sir.” Dalton solemnly says, Chance stiffens.
“How?”
Bodhi is the one to answer this time. “Part of him was returned this morning, sir.”
Chance’s brows raise. “Part?”
Dalton gulps loudly and nods. “Yes sir, he was returned in pieces with a King of Clubs nailed to his forehead.” I cut a glance to my guard in the corner, his face is blank of emotion as he stands stoically in the corner as if this conversation doesn’t bother him at all.
“Fuck!” Chance roars as he swipes all the food off the table, it crashes to the ground shattering into tiny pieces as the porcelain plates and dishes shatter. I push back from the table to avoid having juice spilled on my lap. “Find the cunt who is doing this, I want his fucking head, am I clear?”
Both men nod but I can tell from the way they begin to fidget on the spot that there is more they aren’t saying. “Uh, there is something else sir.” Chance grinds his teeth and prompts Bodhi with a look to spit it out. “There was a note attached to… Uh, there was some ah…”
Dalton cuts in and saves Bodhi from rambling more. “Jovi’s cock was cut off and shoved up his ass, a note was nailed to his ass that read,you have been marked.”
Chance’s whole face slackens and he pales slightly, I watch my guard for any indication this situation is affecting him. “I want this bastard found and I want a fucking update on Royal Murdoch! If that cocksucker is behind this I’m going to murder the little cunt in front of his whore of a mother and then make her watch as I drag her worthless sack of shit husband back from Dallas and slit his throat in front of her.”
There!
If I wasn’t paying such close attention to him I would never have noticed the slight twitch of his lip when Bishop Murdoch’s whereabouts was mentioned. Chance and the other two storm out of the room leaving me standing here staring at my guard, his gaze bores right into mine. His eyes are cold, there’s no emotion in the depths of them almost as if he’s soulless. Who the hell is this guy?
“Erika.” I jolt out of my staring match with the unnamed guard and rush out of the dining room to find Chance pacing the foyer. “Tomlin will take you to a hotel in the city, pack a bag and wait for me there.” Before I can lift my hands to sign a single word he darts his gaze above my head. “Take her to the city, keep her there and make sure no one follows you. I’ll meet you there as soon as we sort out this situation.”
“Yes sir,” The gravelly tone of his voice sends a shiver down my spine and that’s when it hits me, I drop my gaze to the floor and race up the stairs so Chance can’t see the look on my face. I don’t wait forTomlin, I snort to myself at the ridiculous name he has chosen. I knew there was something about him and I was right. I make quick work of packing my bag making sure to grab my laptop and any chargers I will need.
Tomlin leads me from the room, he tries to grab my bag from me but I twist and glare at him, his eyes narrow but he says nothing as he leads the way down to the garage where a G-class wagon sits. I climb into the passenger seat without complaint, the fact he didn’t open or close my door is a dead giveaway that my hunch is right. The moment the engine starts and he puts the car in drive, the tension ramps up inside the vehicle. Not a single word is spoken as he drives us out of Chance’s little estate, in fact he says nothing even as we hit the interstate.
I can’t help but squirm in my seat, my gut is screaming at me that I’m right and need to get the fuck out of this car but how the hell do I do that when he’s driving so freaking fast. My phone begins to ring but I ignore it. I know he’s calling because my tracker would have alerted him that I’ve left the compound without Chance. Both our phones are bugged, the difference between us though is that I know about them and he doesn’t.
“Not gonna answer that, Erika?” I tense in my seat, it’s posed as a casual question but I’m no fool I can detect the undercurrent of a threat in his tone.
He knows, I know.
I expect him to veer off the highway and find an abandoned road somewhere and try to kill me,trybeing the operative word here. He won’t take me down easily and I sure as fuck won’t go down without a fight. My heartbeat is erratic, I know he’s carrying a gun and I curse myself for not putting my own in the waistband of my jeans instead of shoving it in my bag. I know better than that!
I just need to pray that he doesn’t try to kill me until the car stops so I have a chance to shoot him first.
* * *
We pull up out front of a hotel that seems just as swanky as the one we ate at yesterday. Tomlin tries to grab my bag again as I exit the car but I smack his hand away. The dark look in his eyes and the way his jaw locks up tells me he isn’t used to that type of reaction, he snarls down at me then turns and storms inside the lobby with me following after him.
He gives the woman at reception my name and it takes her barely a minute before she is handing the keys over and telling us to enjoy our stay. He boldly places his hand on my lower back causing me to gasp at the contact, he says nothing as he uses his hold on me to steer me toward the elevators. The doors open instantly when he presses the button, he shoves me forward causing me to stumble a bit. I spin around and glare at the asshole but he has his back to me and waves his card in front of some scanner that sets the letter P alight on the keypad. The ride to the penthouse is tense, I subtly place my free hand inside my bag and grip my gun making sure to keep my hand there as the doors open.
“Move.” He growls, the tone of his voice and the cold harsh look in his eyes tells me that his pretense is over. I do as I’m told and step out of the lift and make my way inside the lavish suite not taking in any of the details, I round a corner and come to a halt at the edge of a living room. Sitting on the couch is a woman who I must admit is stunning, standing behind her are…twins. It’s not the fact they are identical that has me stumped, it's the fact that one of them was the imposter pretending to be Royal Murdoch.
“Hello, love.” One of the twins says, before I can do anything the real Royal is in front of me and has his hand wrapped around my throat and a gun in his other hand pointed at my forehead.
