Frank winced. “I don’t think Giordano is aware of what he wants you to do.”
“I know, which is why at this time she gets to live.”
Frank frowned. Between them, he wasn’t the brightest tool in the box, but he did know how to cut keys, without any questions. Leaving the bar, he heard Frank slide the lock into place. Frank was deep in with Dante. Most of his clientele were criminals, which made him wonder why Callie had chosen that particular bar.
Headingback to her apartment building, he flicked his keys around his finger, trying to figure out the missing connection. Callie worked for Dante. She was good with numbers, so she’d be in one of his main offices. She wasn’t in his casino, or any of his restaurants, nightclubs, or gyms. That placed her in one of his fronts—companies that were made to look and function like an actual business, but perfect to work money through. That would put Callie in a rather compromising position and one that was highly dangerous. One where she could lose her life.
How?
Again, he knewshe was good with numbers and she was a hard worker. All of her previous coworkers before Dante had said she was competent and always got the job done. Nothing out of the ordinary. For several years, she worked for Dante. Then, she was fired, and now he wanted her dead, which told Ruin she had something or she knew something that put her life in danger. It couldn’t be his connections to the mafia, or the fact he was a capo, because that would involve the boss, Aldo Giordano.
What did Callie know?What did she have that she didn’t even realize was dangerous? She wasn’t a woman running scared. She was a woman going about her business like nothing else mattered.
Arriving at her building, he made hisway up the steps, opened the door without any code, and then proceeded to her floor. He stood in front of her door and slid the key into the lock. He needed to get more answers and the only way to do that was to go searching and to leave little … problems out of his mind.Entering her apartment, it was dark. He pulled out a flashlight, closed the door, and waited for any sign of life. There was none. Ruin gritted his teeth at her lack of security. Anyone could be doing this. He could have been a fucking rapist or a killer. He happened to be the latter, but he wasn’t ready to kill her just yet. Although, he had multiple opportunities.
Pulling out the security cameras, he placed them around her apartment, from her sitting room to her kitchen. The apartment was small and easy to move around as she didn’t have a lot of furniture or possessions.
He stopped when he saw a picture of her with her parents.She was in her graduation uniform from high school. She never went to college as they’d not been able to afford it. Scholarships had also gone bust at that point, so she took a couple of night classes but they soon faded. Callie had joined the workforce and bounced from job to job.
He moved toward her bedroom.The door was slightly ajar, and he leaned around and saw her fast asleep, curled up. It was a warm night, so she’d pushed the blankets off. Her thighs were on display, with the merest glimpse of her panty-covered pussy. The temptation was so strong. He wanted to look at her—to see, to taste, to touch…
But he only looked at her. Her long, black tresses were spread out across the pillow. The straps of the negligee she wore had fallen down one shoulder, teasing him with the full roundness of her tits. His cock was hard. He wanted to wake her up, but he knew she’d freak out. Maybe he could convince her it was just a dream, and he’d be able to fuck her.
She was a virgin.Damn it.
Why did that matter so much to him? Why did it make him so fucking hard to think about? He wanted to fuck her so badly. No woman had ever made him feel this way. Staring at her, he felt a tightness in his balls. A virgin. Untouched. No one else had been with her. An overwhelming possessive need shook him to his core, but he didn’t break.
No, he just wanted…
And wanted…
Fuck, did he want.
He craved her.So badly.
Licking his lips, hewalked around her bedroom, placed another camera, and moved into her bathroom to place another. This was a total invasion of privacy, but with Callie’s days numbered, he wanted to know everything there was to know about her. Dante was not a good guy. So why did she matter so much to him? None of it made sense.
Stepping back into the bedroom, Ruin looked at her. She was so beautiful. Why didn’t anyone pay attention to her?They allowed her to disappear into the shadows, fade away. But he wouldn’t allow her to do that. Not on his watch. He wanted to slide into the bed and hold her, but Callie wasn’t ready for that. Soon. So freaking soon. He was a patient man, especially when it came to something he wanted.
He made his way across her apartment, and then closed the door behind him, making sure it was locked. He didn’t like this. She should have bolts and other crap keeping the bad shit out, not that much would stop killers. Nothing would stop men on missions they were paid to do. He put his hand flat on the door and gritted his teeth. He never cared about his victims, nothing had gotten under his skin. He’d been able to ignore every detail because life always had a price. The higher the price, the happier he was to do the job. Callie’s price was high. Why? He understood enemies. Cartel leaders, drug handlers, the scum of the earth and all that crap, but why Callie? Why now?
So many questions.
Ruin left the building and scanned the area for anything out ofthe ordinary. He needed to keep a close eye on just how far Dante would push. He had no doubt the other man would attempt to end her life, and he didn’t like that. Gripping the back of his neck, he couldn’t see any sign of another hit man.
Noone was better than him, which was why they called on him to get the job done, because he also made all the messes and consequences disappear. He cleaned up after himself. Once he had a job, the person ceased to exist.
He really didn’t like was how easy Callie was making this for him. No one truly knew of her. She was living life but always fading into the background, keeping to herself, and that he didn’t like. In fact, it pissed him off, big time.
****
Saturdays were always good days because she didn’t have to work. These were the mornings she could lounge around in her negligee and enjoy a nice hot cup of coffee, watch the sunrise, listen to the crap going on outside, and the occasional bird tweeting.
It was mornings like this that she had to wonder if moving to a small town would be beneficial. She hated city life. Even now, with her window open, allowing in the fresh, warm air as a way of ventilating on the summer morning, she heard all manner of chaos.
“Don’t you fucking come back here, youpiece of shit.”
“You’ll be sorry.”