Apollo
She’s gone.
Damn her, I can feel the emptiness of my bed. Fuck, how did I let her rope me in like this?
I open my eyes and glance around the darkness of the room, lit only by the moonlight streaming through the window, leaving shadowed corners as a cool breeze chills my shoulders.
Last night, after what happened, I carried her upstairs. I placed her carefully in my bath and sponged her clean, showing her that there were no cuts. There might be bruises, I’m not sure. Her throat was starting to come up in welts. The thing is, she seemed almost disappointed to see no blood in the water, and that had me hard and needing to relieve myself all over again. After I settled her into the bed, and climbed in behind her, I nestled my cock in the naked groove of her ass and slowly drew it back and forth as I wrapped her in my arms, cupping her tits as we fell asleep.
I thought I’d wake to her beside me. I planned to take her for breakfast, perhaps even reveal to her that I know who and what she is and I don’t care.
What a fool.
Of course, last night was just a part of her job. Somehow, the feds found out about my secret desires. Perhaps they spoke to Roman’s mother, the only other woman who’s come close to seeing this side of me. That one time I took things a little further than she liked and she wouldn’t speak to me for a week. But she hates cops as much as I do. They would have to torture her to get anything.
I might have a string of failed marriages behind me but the women I choose are strong.
Well, however they discovered it, they did, and Agent Cassandra Divine knew what she had to do to get me to trust her.
But then why is she gone?
Looking at my phone app, no alarms have been triggered. She didn’t even try to break into my office, didn’t even attempt to find any of the evidence they need to put me behind bars. Not that it would have worked, there’s nothing here that she could use, but she doesn’t know that. And surely that’s her mission.
All I can think is that she’s playing a long game and I just can’t see all the pieces yet.
I bring my phone to my face and call the gate guard. “You let a woman out of here?”
“Yes, sir.” He laughs. “Pretty girl. Nothing but a men’s shirt belted at the waist to cover—”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growl, and he falls silent immediately. “You wipe that memory from your mind or I’ll cut your eyes out with a rusty spoon. We clear?”
My heart is racing, my muscles tense. I’m ready to march down to the gate and carry out my threat if I detect so much as a hint of interest still in his voice. Who the fuck does he think he is, having thoughts about her?
“Yes, sir. Sorry, I—”
I hang up. I don’t want his apologies. My fury with her is only matched by my desire for her in this moment, and now that my blood is boiling it needs somewhere to vent. Fuck her compassion, fuck her mercy. She doesn’t get to tell me how to handle anyone that would hurt her.
I place a call to Camilo, and he picks up on the second ring, sounding groggy. Probably because it’s not even five am.
“Yeah.”
“I want you to find someone,” I tell him. “It shouldn’t be difficult. Last night he went out with two ears and came home with one. Somebody knows who he is, so put the feelers out. Spread some money around if you have to. I want you to bring him here. Make it this morning. And I want him alive. I want to hear him scream and beg before the end.”
* * *
By early afternoon, all the rage is out of my system, leaving me calm and focused when I walk into the florist place Cassandra opened a week ago. She’s turned away when I enter, reaching up to water a succulent on a high shelf, allowing me a full view of her mouth-watering ass in figure-hugging white leggings as the little bell above the door rings pleasantly.
“Be with you in a moment,” she calls without turning, and I have to smile to myself. Not for the first time, I detect genuine pleasure from her over what is apparently nothing more than a cover job.
But I can’t afford to be distracted. Not now. I can’t afford to think of her as anything more than my enemy.
Destroy her and send her back to Jackson.
I glance around the shop, happy to see there’s nobody else here. “No rush,” I say, delighting at the way her shoulders stiffen at the sound of my voice. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
She snaps around, meeting my eyes and then averting hers. Interesting. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you, of course. I was surprised you weren’t there when I woke up.”