“Follow protocol. I don’t want you to exposed to any of this shit.”
“On it.”
He made his way toward his main office where Maurice had set up all the relevant security feed.
“I’m sorry, Boss,” Maurice said.
“I don’t want to hear it right now. Just show me what you’ve got.” He leaned against his desk, watching the security footage of fifteen different cameras. The woman in the blonde wig, he recognized her shape and face instantly. “There she is.”
She was with the target, leaning against him as if he was some kind of god. The look on her face appeared like a woman in love but he knew the Widow Maker. She was a deadly weapon.
Running a hand down his face, he watched.
“The camera by the hotel entrance. Keep it on.”
About thirty minutes later, Graciella came out of the hotel room, minus the wig. She wore the same clothes but her locks were now a luscious black and a lot longer than the blonde.
“Fuck,” Maurice said.
“You were watching for a blonde.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.” Boss moved to his desk, opening up his laptop and accessing the cameras located on the streets. He had permanent access to the surveillance through a particular software one of his men wrote, that allowed him unlimited access to the city whenever he wanted. This was how he was able to stay on top, always follow his men, and also keep an eye on possible targets.
He watched the woman in question go to pick up some food. The sway of her hips was so sensual, he shouldn’t watch, nor should he feel a stirring, but he had one nonetheless. Women shouldn’t affect him, they usually didn’t. Gritting his teeth, he watched her put her food in the back seat, and then there was a man in the shadows.
Boss tensed up, having to change camera angles, but the man took her down an alley that had none.
“Fuck!”
Seconds passed and Graciella came strolling out of the street as if she owned the place but he saw the look on her face. It was one of disgust. He recognized it well. There were many times he wore a similar expression.
Grinding his jaw, he waited, watching, but she left the street without another word. He watched long enough for the man who’d attacked her to come stumbling out, blood coating his pants.
It didn’t take a genius to deduce she’d cut his dick off. He had to hold back a chuckle.
Sitting back, he ran a hand through his hair.
“Is that why they call her Widow Maker?”
“She has a hatred of most men,” Boss said. He didn’t need to go into the backstory on this one. Graciella had been through hell. He knew every detail and it sickened him what men did to her. He also knew that most of the men involved in her kidnapping, selling, and subsequent rape were all dead.
There were gaps in the timeline he’d gathered between Graciella becoming a child sex slave to the woman she was now, a cold-hearted killer. A woman with no thoughts or feelings. If she came to work for him, he had no doubt she’d be fucking perfect at any job he set her on. He wanted her, but right now, she was causing him more problems.
“Leave,” Boss said.
“I’m sorry.”
“And I’m dealing with your mess. Go and assist Adam. He’s going to need your help.”
Once he was alone, he picked up his cell phone again and called another one of his men. “I want an address for a female, Graciella Moreno. An apartment or condo, somewhere nice, lowkey, had to have been occupied within the past few months. Send me all the data you have.” He hung up and brought the image of Graciella back on his screen.
She was beautiful. A woman who could have any man she wanted but chose a life of killing for her freedom.
No one had ever been able to capture her, but she hadn’t been up against the Killer of Kings before. He would find her and when he did, she was going to belong to them. She was used to being able to predict men, knowing what they wanted, but she didn’t have the first clue of who she was dealing with when it came to him.
****
Sneaking into the police department was easy.
With her hair tied up, dressed all in black, she snuck into the main detective’s office, opened up his filing cabinet, and used her flashlight to read through the notes on the latest drug bust. Graciella knew Boss had been involved. It wasn’t the deaths that concerned her, but the symptoms the men displayed prior to their deaths.
She had software that helped her detect certain reports with overdoses and men hallucinating, showing a fever, or flu-like symptoms. She always checked them out.
This was the fifth one in the past two weeks.
She saw the report and slammed it shut.
Fuck!
Before she left the office, she made sure there was nothing out of place. She crawled out of the bathroom window and dropped down to the pavement, only to be suddenly grabbed from behind.
“You do know breaking and entering is a criminal offense.”
His voice brushed across her ear. Deep, sexy, a man in control.
She brought her elbow back and stamped on his foot. As his grip loosened, she dropped down to punch him in the gut, but Boss saw it coming and blocked. She quickly pulled back but made sure she wasn’t trapped by a wall.
Her mask was still in place but seeing as they were old friends, well, more like enemies, she pulled her mask off and offered him a smile.
“You do know it’s not polite to attack a girl during her work. It’s not very gentlemanly.”
“I’m not a gentleman. I never claimed to be.” He smirked.
She noted he wasn’t even in a stance to attack.
What was Boss doing here?
“Are you stalking me now? You want me to come and work for your precious Kings? Not going to happen. I’m a lot better than they are.” She’d already been paid for the last kill. Some contracts tried to renege on their deals, but she liked to put them firmly in their place. No one fucked with her. “Sloppy work on the drug bust.”
“You know something about the drugs? It’s why you went in there. Tell me what it is you know.”
She scoffed. “I know nothing.” She went to turn on her heel but Boss grabbed her, pressing her up against the concrete wall, his grip firm. She tried to pull away, but he captured her hand, locking it up tight above her head. He was stronger than she expected.
“I’m not in the mood for games,” he said.
“Good, because I’m not playing.”
“You’ve been playing games since the moment you got here. I’m not biting.”
“I’d say with the way you’re holding me, you’re biting just enough.” She smiled and his grip was suddenly around her neck.
It was odd, she wasn’t afraid.
“You know, the last man to hold me like this never saw the light of day again.”
“I’m not hurting you, and besides, if you really wanted to, you could get out of this. We both know that, Widow Maker.”
“You’ve been following me?” she asked. Widow Maker. The name didn’t bother her. People had a tendency to create nicknames to fit the person. She was just a woman in a man’s world, doing a better job than the cock in it. Still, she didn’t like how her body responded to Boss, or that she liked the thought of him following her.