He nodded. “It’s in my bag.”
“Okay, good. Call me if you need me. I’ll be back.” I stood and leaned over the bed to kiss his forehead then stood straight.
My only issue with leaving was that I would have to be buzzed in when I got back since I didn’t have a key fob or code to the elevator. It was a nuisance to think about, but I would worry about that later.
____
I wiped my brow and tapped my foot, waiting for the elevator to get to the top floor. The kill was simple and went easy enough. The guy was a wife beater whose wife got fed up. He deserved worse than what I did if you asked me, but it was handled and I had another five thousand in my account.
Nazai had beat me home, which was good since I didn’t have a code to get into the house. The new doorman had to call up to get permission to let me up, not believing when I told him I lived in the penthouse now.
I stepped off the elevator and walked to the door. I had made sure to purposely leave it unlocked so I could get inside. When I stepped inside, Nazai was standing in front of it with a hard expression on his face. His arms were crossed over his chest and he was dressed in a wife beater and basketball shorts. This was the first time I’d seen him dressed down since I’d been with him.
“Did you enjoy yourself tonight?” he asked.
My eyes swiped across the room before settling back on him. “You can say that.”
“What were you doing by the docks?”
Defiance filled me. “That’s none of your business. I had business to handle; that’s all you need to know.” I needed to shower. I enjoyed what I did, loved it even. It always caused a thrill to shoot through me, but that didn’t mean I didn’t feel nasty after. I also wanted to check on my brother.
Walking through the foyer, I stepped by Nazai so I could get to the elevator when he grabbed me. His hold on my upper arm was painfully tight, but I refused to show any fear. Before I could blink he had a gun pointed under my chin. My jaw clenched.
“If I find out you’re on any funny shit, Iwillblow your fucking brains out. Do you understand me?” He pushed the gun further into my chin. His eyes were as dark as coal and his jaw twitched violently.
My hand balled but I didn’t react. My brother was upstairs and the last thing I needed was for him to think something was wrong or for something to happen to him.
“We have an agreement,” I reminded him calmly. “As long as you keep your word, I’ll keep mine.” Rage filed through my veins, swarming my body. My right eye twitched but I kept calm.
Nazai narrowed his stare on me. His face suddenly twisted and his mouth curled into a crude smile. “Make sure you remember that and we won’t have any problems.” He ran his eyes down my body and licked his lips. Flashbacks of the training my parents put me through when I was younger flooded my head. My jaw clenched tighter and my body stilled. He inched to reach behind me and grab the gun I had tucked in the small of my back before releasing me.
Shooting lasers his way, I turned and stalked to the stairs, not even caring about the elevator.
My heart pounded behind my breasts. My pulse was elevated and a pounding grew in my ears. My body felt like a volcano exploded in my stomach as heat flooded my body. Typically when a gun was pointed at me, that person didn’t make it out alive.
I peeked in on Carson when I got upstairs then went to the room I was staying in and shut the door behind me.
I was too wired to get ready for bed now. At first I was willing to give Nazai peace, but he wanted to choose violence, so violence was what he’d get.
CHAPTER 9
NAZAI
“This is Bruce and James; they’ll be your new guards,” I told Cashlynn.
Her eyes traveled to the two men standing at the entrance of the kitchen. They had been hired and vetted by River. They knew my wife’s life was in their hands and if anything happened to her they would be signing their death certificates.
Her face balled up.
“My guards? I don’t need guards.” She waved me off. I nodded for Bruce and James to leave the kitchen so I could explain some things to Cashlynn.
“You do and you will have them. Being a part of my family puts a target on your back. You never know when an enemy will try something; not to mention it’s clear from last night that you can’t be trusted to be left alone. So they’ll keep an eye on you too.”
I finished my coffee and put the cup in the sink then turned to face her at the breakfast bar. I always got up at six a.m. to take a swim in my pool to get my mind ready for the day. It seemed my fiancée was an early riser too. By the time I showered and got dressed for the day, she was downstairs at the breakfast bar drinking apple juice and eating toast with grape jelly.
The night before when I got home, I realized Cashlynn was nowhere in sight. Her brother was still here so I knew she hadn’t attempted to run off, but still it made me wonder where she could be so late. When I saw Cashlynn was near the docks it really piqued my interest. Most dealings after dark around there were shady and corrupt. Since my soon-to-be wife was still a mystery to me, I couldn’t put anything past her or pinpoint why she would be down there or who she was dealing with. Instead of going down there, I waited and confronted her at home. Cashlynn was smart, I was sure about that. She wouldn’t do anything that would threaten her brother. Still, whatever she had going on would eventually come to light.
“I’m not a little kid. I don’t need a babysitter and I’m capable of looking after myself.”
