Logan watches me closely as he pulls out his phone and dials a number before holding it to his ear. I tune him out, trying to think about all this clearly, but my mind is still bogged down by fear, and I can do nothing but sit here and freak out. Logan ends the call and dials another number, and I think back to the research that Mercedes insisted I do. I wish I would have paid more attention when I was reading but I was still at a point where I was dismissing all of this as not that big of a deal. But not anymore.
“Hey, Mercedes, it’s Logan,” he says, and my gaze flies to him. He’s staring right at me, love and determination in his eyes. “Not great, actually. I was actually calling to ask if Ali could work from home for the time being.”
I start shaking my head at him but he turns away from me. “Yeah? That’d be awesome. Thank you so much. I’ll tell her to call you.”
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I snap as soon as he hangs up the phone, and he sighs as he turns to me.
“Keeping you safe.”
I climb off the barstool and cross my arms over my chest as I glare at him. “You don’t get to dictate my life.”
“Right now, I absolutely do. I will keep you safe, Ali. No matter what it takes.”
“I’m not the one with a knife sticking out of my chest,” I yell, gesturing to the dolls lying on the counter, and he glances down at them. “Are you going to stay locked up in the house with me?”
“If that’s what you want, yes.”
I huff and shake my head, pointing down the hallway to the front door. “I want you to leave.”
“No.”
“I’m fucking serious this time, Logan. I don’t want to see you right now. Leave.”
He shakes his head and stalks over to me. I meet his glare as he leans in closer, hovering just above my lips. “Get over it, Princess. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Get the fuck out of my house, Logan,” I growl, anger spiking inside me.
“Uh… bad time?” someone asks, and I turn my glare to Chance and Kodiak as they stand in the entrance to my kitchen, uncomfortable expressions on their faces.
“Nope,” I snap and spin, marching into my bedroom and slamming the door, making sure it’s locked before I crawl into bed and silently cry myself to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chris
“Fucking idiots,” I mutter to myself as I watch the guard they put out in front of my angel’s house turn the corner and head back to the front porch where his equally stupid partner waits for him. Hopping the fence, I try to push down my anger because I only have twenty minutes with my girl before they make their rounds again, and I don’t want to waste it on any of these fuckers. It figures that Storm would call in his crew though. He’s probably got my sweet Ali under lock and key – anything to keep her away from me.
The hatred twists in my gut as I creep through the trees that line the back of her property, my heart pounding with each step. It’s been close to two days since I’ve been able to see her at all, and I feel like I’m losing my mind. My whole plan was almost shot to shit when I pulled up tonight and saw those criminals posted outside. I was so close to marching up to them and sinking a knife into each of their throats so I could go get my girl.
But I’ve got a plan.
Storm is going to know the hell he’s putting me through right now, and he’s going to know that I’m coming for her. Every day, he’ll wake up and wonder if today’s the day that he’ll lose her. That’s what my little gifts are all about. I feel terrible because I’m sure it’s starting to scare my angel a little bit but Storm is going to suffer for what he did. Each time he looks out the window of her house, he’s going to know that I’m coming for her, and his stomach is going to twist with the knowledge that he’s going to lose her. Forever.
I honestly can’t wait. The enjoyment I’ll get from watching his life fall apart will be unparalleled – until I end his life. In the beginning, I toyed with the idea of leaving him alive, making him watch as Ali and I built a life together, but in the end, I couldn’t risk losing her again. He’s in a gang, and no doubt he’s got connections that could make life difficult for me. So, I’ll kill him but only after he reaches his lowest point and wallows there for a little while. It’s a delicate balance. He needs to be in agony but not long enough to work up the strength to come after her. A smile stretches across my face as I sneak through her yard, imagining the depths of his despair.
Sweet, sweet revenge.
Reaching the back of the house, I creep along to her window, constantly scanning my surroundings just in case one of those fuckers decides to make his rounds early. That would be just my luck lately. When I get to her window, I peek in, and air rushes into my lungs as I suck in the first satisfying breath I’ve been able to take since the last time I saw her. She’s alone in bed this time, and my smile widens as I wonder why Storm isn’t with her. Well, this night is certainly looking up.
Thoughts of her captor are completely forgotten as my eyes roam down her body, over the curve of her hips, and down to her little toes poking out of the end of the blanket. Red nail polish covers her toenails, and I grin again, knowing she did that for me. She knows that red is my favorite color. I look over her again and again, committing her image to memory so that when I have to leave here, I can take her with me. It’s the only thing keeping me going right now.
My heart pounds as I press my hands to the glass, wishing I could be in there with her but I’m not stupid enough to assume that Storm left her. He knows I’m coming, and he would never leave her unguarded. Closing my eyes, I imagine that she’s back with me – under me – as my hands freely roam her perfect body. I miss the softness of her skin under my fingertips and the fruity, sweet scent that I get when I bury my nose in her hair.
With my eyes closed and my hand pressed to the glass, I let my mind wander. Leaning in close, I kiss her softly – letting her feel the depths of my love for her – before I take her hard, my passion controlling me. She lets out a little sigh as I slide into her, and she and I both know that we’re home. She gazes up at me, love shining in her hooded eyes as I pull out and drive in, again and again – never able to get enough of my angel. I hiss when her fingernails dig into my shoulder; urging me to go harder, give her more because she needs this just as much as I do. Anything she asks, I’ll do. She gasps, her body tensing underneath me as her pussy clamps down on me, and I can’t hold back any longer, spilling into her.
Opening my eyes, I groan as my cock presses against the inside of my zipper. I lean in and press my forehead to the glass, my chest aching so badly that I consider calling an ambulance for a moment. Slamming my hand over my heart, I just watch her as she sleeps. I’ll have to leave soon, and it’s going to kill me to do it. I need her. Without her, my life is completely empty and each day is a burden. Waking up without her next to me gets harder each morning, and I honestly don’t know how much longer I can do it.
My anger toward the fucker that stole her from me only increases, renewed by my desperation for her. The only thing that calms me is imagining the look on his face when I take her back. Well, that and sinking a knife into his body again and again until he is no more. Looking back to my angel, I press my lips to the glass.