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I smiled at that, “Sounds like a plan to me.”
******
Devrim
I stood hidden by the shadows as she entered the Belladonna Club and I smiled. As one of the owners, I knew I’d be able to watch her no matter which floor she worked. She was an angel, MY angel and soon I would claim what was mine.
I thought back to the first time I saw her. I’d given my niece a ride to her dance studio and went in to take care of her fees as I always did. This time was different, though. For some reason I found myself sticking around to watch the dancers practice. I normally didn’t want to intrude, preferring instead to enjoy the result of their hard work by going to see the performances.
As I watched from a secluded corner, I saw a new girl I didn’t recognize. I couldn’t take my eyes off her graceful body as she warmed up. Her beauty took my breath away. Gasping to fill my lungs with air, I knew that my life would never be the same again. As cliche as that sounded it was the truth. She smiled as my niece, Sofia, joined her. Her musical laughter filled the air at whatever Sofia said and my heart felt like it stopped in awe at the beautiful sound.
Elina Miles’ voice broke the moment as I jerked in surprise. “I see you’ve noticed our newest dancer, Lora Markus. She’s still a bit rough but she has a natural grace and beauty that will carry her far. I worry about her, though. She works as a bartender and even then barely manages.”
“I’ll cover all of her fees. Don’t tell her until after her first performance. Just tell her it's from an anonymous donor who finds her captivating.”
“Are you sure, Mr. Knight? That’s quite the commitment.”
I turned to look at the older woman who watched me with curiosity. Despite her age, I could tell that in her youth she’d been a true beauty. “I find her refreshing to watch. I would hate for her talent to be wasted when that commitment is nothing to me. Don’t you worry though, Ms. Elina. Your beauty has captured me forevermore.”
Her giggle and the light pink of her cheeks told me that my distraction had worked. I would have to be careful. Elina could be very protective of her dancers. I knew that I was too old for Lora and my lifestyle wasn’t all that conducive to a relationship.
Turning my attention back to the dancers, my eyes were once again riveted to Lora. In that moment I knew I would make any changes, any sacrifices to have her. I found that every day after that my thoughts were filled with my angel. I had to see her, know that she was safe and still mine. I planned to introduce myself after her first performance but that was still weeks away and I couldn’t wait to see her until then.
At first I only watched as she arrived at the dance studio. Then it was leaving. Each day I watched her more, until I found myself watching her every day from the shadows. That’s when I discovered I wasn’t the only one watching Lora. My competition wanted to consume her, to own her. I would make sure that would NEVER happen.
Chapter 2
Devrim
From the owner’s VIP room, I watched as Lora worked the bar in the nightclub. Her graceful movements were beautiful to see as I watched her take care of the crowd in front her. She smiled, flirted, and laughed as she filled their orders. I also noted how Griff’s eyes never left her. It made me wonder if our General Manager knew she was being stalked by someone who meant her harm.
“Kyle, can you get Ezra up here?” My eyes never left Lora as I waited for our server to make the call.
We kept the ownership quiet under the name Belladonna Group and through many layers of anonymity. We’d been friends since we were small even though we lived very different lives from each other. No one in the corporate acquisitions world needed to know that one of my best friends was the President of what was one of the deadliest motorcycle clubs in the US. No one needed to know that the head of the Zima Family cleaned his money by investing in my acquisitions. We supported each other in various ways and maintained an unbreakable trust between us.
“Has someone finally caught your eye, Rim? Fuck man, I thought you’d be single till the day you died,” Saint laughed as he stood up to take note of who I watched.
I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You should talk. I’m still sore that I lost a half mil on you. I thought for sure you’d be the last to fall.”
“So did I. Still not sure how I captured my Chastity. How do you like your ink, by the way? She somehow made the belladonna flower look badass.”
“She really did and she somehow managed to blend it in with my other ink. That takes talent.”
I turned as the door opened and Ezra walked in. He was the only person that worked here that knew exactly who the owners were and what happened on every floor and in every room. He was the one person we trusted to run our prized possession.
“Hello, Mr. Knight. Anything wrong?”
“Lora Markus. Tell me why you have Griff shadowing her.”
Ezra sighed as he looked at her through the window. “Lora is my cousin and one of the best bartenders we have working here. She’s also a very talented dancer.
“Unfortunately, in college she acquired some unwanted attention. We don't know who he is, but he stalks her, sends her disturbing gifts such as black roses with blood on them, and even terrifying notes. I initially hired her to be a server so that I knew she was working in a safe place while she danced at the Elina Miles Studio.
“When she moved here, things were quiet for a while. Unfortunately, they’ve started up again. She was scared when she arrived today and Griff’s experience in Special Forces set my mind at ease.”
“Want me to put a couple of my guys on it and see if we can figure out who the fucker is? Stalking is a coward’s way.” Saint was as hard as they came. He was called Saint because he had the soul of a devil. Even the devil had a code and that included never harming the innocent.
Looking at Ezra, who nodded, I replied, “Yeah. If you figure out who the asshole is, Ezra and I get first crack at the son of a bitch. Thank you, Ezra. Keep Griff shadowing her.”
