Jones escorted the first asshole into the ring and unlocked his cuffs. Shirtless and in jeans, he was a man in his late thirties with an entire sleeve of tattoos on his left arm. His hair had been shaved as a requirement, and he’d been locked up for three days prior to now—without being able to say his goodbyes.
The next man was pushed into the ring, about a decade older, out of shape. It didn’t seem like he had a chance.
The crowd started making their bets.
“Alright.” I stepped into the circle, my arms crossed over my chest as the men around me immediately turned silent. “Both of you assholes crossed the casino, which means you crossed me. Cheating and stealing are fatal offenses. But since I’m a merciful guy…I’ll give each of you a chance. You’ll fight to the death. Winner gets to live—and tell the tale of his punishment.” I clapped my hands twice. “Good luck, gentlemen.” The second I stepped out of the ring, the fight began.
And I watched the blood run.
3
Carmen
My crazy night turned into a strange blur. The details of the attack seemed to lose relevance, like they weren’t nearly as important as what happened afterward. Bosco pushed me against a wall, ground against me until I came, and gave me a kiss I would never forget.
I kept replaying it in mind the next day at work. I made a few arrangements, but since I was so distracted, I made the double the arrangements I need and wasted the flowers. I put them in the window in the hope someone would buy them.
I didn’t want to see Bosco again. That guy was bad news.
But why couldn’t other men kiss like that?
Why couldn’t other men have confidence like that?
I’d never met a man quite like him. I’d never seen anyone so damn beautiful. That jawline alone was worth a million dollars. His eyes were like diamonds, and his body was hard as concrete. He’d probably picked up a woman after we went our separate ways and fucked her in his bed—but picturing that only turned me on.
Because I wanted to be the woman in his bed.
A part of me wanted to ask Griffin about him, to see exactly how dangerous he was. Griffin used to be a hitman, but he’d never been a danger to my family. Maybe Bosco’s crimes were petty.
But I had a feeling they weren’t.
The bell rang overhead as the door opened and a customer stepped inside.
“Good afternoon.” I looked up from my arrangement. “How may I—” The words died in my throat when I saw Griffin staring me down like he might rip my head off. His eyes looked like bullets, and I was his target. Judging by the look on his face, he knew everything that happened last night.
Everything.
Shit.
He locked the door behind him and approached the counter, no longer the protective and concerned older brother I viewed him as. When Vanessa first started seeing him, I couldn’t deny that I thought he was sexy as hell. But that attraction died away soon after that, knowing he was meant for someone else. Now he seemed like a brother, a more intense version of Carter. Griffin gripped the edge of the counter with both hands and looked down at me, disappointment and rage in his eyes.
This should be fine. “Alright…I’ll get a ride next time.”
He slammed his right hand onto the counter as hard as he could. “Shut the fuck up, Carmen.”
My eyes almost popped out of my head because they snapped open so quickly. “Excuse me—”
“I’ve always respected you since the day we met. But that respect is gone now because you didn’t listen to me. You’re arrogant, and your arrogance almost got you killed last night. I admire you for being a strong woman like Vanessa, but I don’t admire you for being stupid—”
“Listen—”
“No, you listen.” He slammed his fist again. “You were careless, and we both know it. When you’re the kind of woman that looks the way you do, you always have to be careful. Men will never stop wanting you, and if they see you alone, they’ll hunt you.”
I shut my mouth, knowing Griffin was too angry to be reasoned with.
“You have money, so there’s no reason not to take a taxi.”
“It was two blocks away—”
His eyes looked like grenades.
“Alright, alright. I’ll always take a taxi from now on.”
That wasn’t enough for Griffin. He was still pissed. “I don’t need to tell you how that could have ended.”
“I know.” I would be lying if I said I hadn’t been scared. I had been terrified. When those ropes were bound around my wrists and that gun was pointed in my face, I thought that was the end. I thought about how devastated my parents would be if they lost their only daughter.