Chapter 32
Chapter Thirty-Two
KRUGER
“I can’t believe this motherfucker’s audacity.”
“Don’t meet him alone.”
I look at Nathan and shake my head.
“I think I can handle one guy, Nathan,” I open my cut and show him my gun so he knows I’m armed. I always am.
“Pretty, but chances are this guy is armed too.”
“He wants something from us other than my head on a platter. Otherwise, he’d have already taken a shot at us.”
“Cocky gets people killed, Kruger. I’m telling you, this guy is pinging every fucking radar in my head. It’s not just about you anymore—you have a woman to go home to. Is she gonna be okay if instead of you walking through the door, she gets Havoc telling her you’re gone?”
I grit my teeth and force myself not to punch the fucker for painting that vivid visual. We both know it would be the straw to break the camel’s back.
“You have a whole club of brothers. Use them. Otherwise, what’s the fucking point?”
Seeing how worked up he is, I stand up and walk around the desk, stopping just in front of him. “Alright, Nathan, I’ll take someone with me. Happy?”
“Yes,” he answers, without his usual sarcasm.
I take in how edgy he seems and nod. I’ve never been one to discount someone’s instincts, and I’m not about to start now. There is a reason this man is my second. He’s damn good at what he does.
“Once I’m ready to set out, I’m going to call him last minute and change the location of the meet.”
The air rushes out of him in a relieved sigh. “Thank fuck. I know I’m probably overreacting. Hell, this guy is probably nothing more than a reporter, but my instincts are screaming at me that this is some kind of trap.”
“I’ll call Havoc, run all this over with him, and decide who is better to come with me.”
“Thank you.”
“No, thank you. Nice to know someone gives a fuck about this ugly mug.”
He picks up a pen from his desk as I step back, and launches it at me. “Get out of my office.”
I grin. “Yes, boss,” I mock with a salute.
I head back to my office and call Havoc to give him the rundown.
“So we still don’t know what this guy officially wants?”
“No, I don’t think he’s going to be able to resist telling me, though, when we meet. I get this feeling from him like he thinks he’s the smartest person in the room.”
“Micro-dick energy, as Nevaeh would call it. She has issues with people who believe their own hype. Alright, so what’s the plan?”
“I’m going to meet him, but change the meeting place on the way.
If he wants to see me desperately enough, he’ll come, even if it means messing with his plans.
Guys like this tend to think they can do things on the fly.
Well, we’re about to test that theory. I want to send Powers in to the original meeting point and do a sweep. ”
I hear the chair creak as Havoc moves. “You’re thinking explosives?”
Why else would I want to send in our resident bomb disposal guy?
“No idea, but I’d sleep better tonight knowing a bunch of innocents didn’t get blown to kingdom come because I zigged when I should have zagged.”
“Alright, text me the location and what you know. I’ll pull Powers into my office and fill him in. Where are you going to redirect him to?”
“Has to be somewhere feasible. Gonna need a good reason to switch shit last minute or he might get suspicious.”
“The Book Nook?”
I let my eyes drift closed, knowing how badly everything could go wrong. “I can’t. I refuse to risk Delphi’s livelihood one more fucking time.”
“Had to ask. It’s the logical choice. What about the rental?”
“What rental?”
“The one you lived in before you moved,” he drawls. “You paid your rent a year in advance.”
“I also told you to give the keys back to the owner and tell them to keep the money in order to let me out of the lease early.”
“Yeah, about that…”
“Havoc—”
“Look, someone needed somewhere to stay anonymously. The place is paid for, and I trust them completely, or I wouldn’t have allowed it.
The security system at that place is top-notch, and the neighborhood is quiet, so it’s perfect.
I did some digging, and the landlord is actually an owner of multiple properties around here and neighboring states.
But they live up in Washington, so I doubt they’re concerned with the comings and goings enough to realize the person living there is not actually you. ”
I rub my hand over my face and sigh. “Alright. And the person that’s living there?”
“I’ll deal with them. It won’t be for long, and if any damage occurs to the property, I’ll take care of it.”
“Alright. If the place is still technically in my name, I doubt it would raise any red flags if this guy ran a search on me, nothing that he’d figure out quickly enough before meeting me.
I’ll tell him my woman had a seizure, and I won’t leave her while she’s vulnerable.
Something tells me he views the world in terms of predators and prey.
If he thinks there is someone on the property that would make me vulnerable, it will make it more enticing. ”
“And of course, there will be someone there. It just won’t be Delphi. I’ll send Toot over to meet you there. As much as the guy is a pain in the ass, nobody shoots quite like he does.”
“So we have a plan. How long do you need to set things in motion?”
“How long have you got?”
“Meeting is in ninety minutes.”
“Give me forty-five.”
“You got it.”
I hang up and walk over to the window and look down at the street below.
It’s quiet. Most people are in their offices or behind the counters, prepping things for the lunchtime rush.
I think about calling Delphi, but she’ll be busy right now, and the last thing I want to do is worry her while she’s still coping with losing Theo.
Running my fingers through my hair, I pull out my cell phone and flip through the photos until I come to the set of Theo and Delphi goofing around, jumping all over each other and making faces.
For a moment, it seemed like we had everything.
And now, I feel her slowly retreating into herself.
I don’t know if she’s just trying to protect herself or she’s cutting herself off.
It’s almost like she’s cauterizing a wound so it doesn’t bleed out.
As per fucking usual, I feel helpless. Some days, I want to rage at the fucking world, because what is the point?
What am I worth to her when I can’t make anything better?
I failed her when it came to Snake, failed her again in the aftermath, and then, when I finally have her back in my life, I still can’t stop the dominoes from falling.
Fire, explosions, seizures, vile revelations, and Theo.
And now I’m just waiting for the next domino to fall, standing by like some useless fuck who doesn’t know his head from his ass.
As if sensing my turmoil, my cell phone rings, Delphi’s name flashing across the screen. I answer, hoping another fucking acorn hasn’t fallen from the sky.
“Hey, soon-to-be husband.”
“Hey, yourself. Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it’s fine. I just wanted to know if you wanted me to have lunch sent over for you. You rushed out before breakfast this morning.”
Most days we try to have lunch together. But on Wednesdays, she closes early, so she doesn’t take a lunch break.
I wince. “I’m good. I’ve got a meeting. I’ll grab something after that.”
“Okay, no worries. I have a shit-ton of bookkeeping I want to get done before I close, and you’re just taking away my excuse to procrastinate.” She chuckles.
“Poor baby. How about I make it up to you later? I’ll take you out somewhere fancy. You can get dressed up. We can dance,” I offer, even though that’s not really my scene. I’ll do whatever makes her happy.
“Would you mind if we ordered in and vegged out in front of a movie instead? I just want to spend some time with you without the whole world watching to see when I’ll break.”
“I like your plan even better.”
“Good, because this way you get to have me for dessert.”
I growl. “You trying to send me off to a meeting with a hard-on?”
She laughs, which makes me smile. “Better go to the restroom and sneakily rub one out first before things get awkward. Think of me.”
She hangs up before I can curse her out. My dick is hard just thinking about spreading her out later and feasting on her. “Fuck it.”
I head to my attached bathroom and lock the door, knowing Nathan’s tendency to walk right in. I place my phone on the counter, but I get an idea and instead lean it against a box of tissues to make sure I get the right angle. Then I hit record.
Without saying a word, I pop open the button on my jeans and lower the zipper before pulling out my cock.
I wrap my hand around my length and slowly stroke up and down, making sure the camera is picking everything up.
I imagine her opening the video while the shop is busy, her eyes widening before she bites her lip and presses her legs together.
Licking my lips, I stroke myself faster, picturing the flush on her cheeks as she gazes around the room before making a hurried excuse and disappearing into her office.
I throw my head back and moan. I think of her doing the same—her ass in her office chair, one leg hitched up on the table as she slips her free hand inside her panties and grips the phone tighter with the other.
My breathing comes out ragged as she whispers my name in that begging plea when she wants me to fuck her harder and make her come.
I feel the tingling at the base of my spine before I hiss and grip myself tighter.
I growl her name as I come, picturing it landing on her chest before I drag my weeping cock to her lips and paint them with what’s left.
I let the camera roll for a few more seconds before I reach over and stop the recording and clean myself up.