Chapter Ten
I watch from the shadows as he follows the crowd, clearly still hungover.
I grit my teeth. This won’t do. The first thing I will be putting a stop to is his excessive drinking.
He saunters across campus, his earbuds in, leaving him vulnerable.
Unaware of the dangers surrounding him. I wait until he heads inside the university, and I make my way towards his dorm room.
Taking out my pick set. I jiggle the lock and step through the door.
A pang of anger hits me that he shares this room with another man.
I vow to make it my mission to get him out of here soon.
I will make him realise he needs to be with me.
I lay down on the bed, breathing him in, staring up at the ceiling.
A smirk passes over my lips as I climb to my feet, tugging out the tiny camera.
I find the perfect spot on the ceiling. Climbing up onto the bed, I attach the tiny device, clicking on the app on my phone and checking the feed.
I search through the drawers, checking clothing sizes as I go.
Then, when I’ve done all I can here. I leave the gift on the pillow, and I slip out back across the campus and wait for him to exit class.
As my lil’ lamb follows the herd, I watch and wait behind him. Lurking.
He heads to the local coffee shop and slides into a booth at the rear. I’m too noticeable to go inside, so I slip in through the back and peer through the glass panel in the door.
“Sir, you can’t be in here,” a member of staff informs me. I spin on them, growling my reply, letting them know I have no intention of leaving. After a few minutes, a skinny blonde thing wanders in, all push-up bra and no brains.
He stands and steps around the table to greet her, going in for a kiss, but she turns at the last minute, thrusting her cheek in his direction.
A flash of hurt spreads across his face, and I have to control myself so I don’t rip her Barbie head off.
She sits opposite where he was sitting but she sits at the end of the seat so he can’t slide in next to her, and the waitress steps to the table to take their order.
He looks nervous and takes his original seat.
When the waitress leaves, he reaches across the table to hold her hand, but she moves it, tucking her hair behind her ear as she bats her lashes at him. His cheeks flush a little.
I know women like her. She’s leading him on. She wants something, but it isn’t him. I glare at her and contain my rage while I watch her like a hawk. She stands abruptly, says something to him, and leaves. He looks sad, dejected.
When she leaves the coffee shop, I break off and follow her.
She heads into town and meets up with a guy.
She squeals and runs the last few steps to him as she throws herself in his arms and peppers him with kisses.
There’s no issue kissing him in public. The dirty fucking tramp will pay for her disrespect.
I watch from the corner while she dry humps the guy in the street, the snarl evident on my face as I pull out a cigar and light up, trying to keep my exterior nonchalant.
As she pulls back from the guy, he slips something into her hand, and she kisses him again, then walks away.
Her heels clacking obnoxiously against the pavement.
As she dips around the corner to head back the way she came, totally unaware that I’m right behind her, my hand launches out and snatches at the back of her head.
I toss her around and slam her back into the wall as I crowd against her.
My hand grips around her throat. Her eyes widen as she tries to scream out. I snarl into her face.
“Who’s Leonardo De Luca to you?”
She shakes her head, and I ease off a little. “I don’t know who that is,” she sobs. Tears well in her eyes and tumble down her cheeks, leaving a clean trail in her too-thick make-up.
“Don’t fucking lie to me. I just saw you with him at the coffee shop.”
“Leo,” she chokes out. “Leo Christian?”
I stare at her, bemused. He doesn’t go by his father’s name, interesting. “Who is he to you?”
“No one,” she chokes out. “He’s a nobody, a nerd. He does my coursework. He thinks we’re dating. It’s nothing. We’re not really together. I don’t even really know him.”
I stare into her eyes, and I believe her. I know when people are lying. It’s a sixth sense, and she’s about to piss herself; she wouldn’t lie.
“End it!” I snarl in her face. “End it and never see him again. Do you understand me?”
Her eyes widen as I squeeze a little tighter. Her mouth opens as she tries to gasp for air, she clings on to my wrist as if she could stop me snapping her neck if I wanted to. But she’ll get air when I’m satisfied she’s gonna do as I ask.
“Don’t make me fucking kill you,” I spit in her face. Nodding, she gasps as I let go, clutching at her neck. “I will find you if you go anywhere near him again. I will not be so nice next time.”
Her eyes bug out of her head as I turn and walk away.
I pull out my phone and check the feed to be met with an empty room.
I stuff the phone back in my pocket and blow out a breath.
I didn’t want to leave him now. I don’t know where he is.
I head back to the house. I need to make sure I have eyes on him when I can’t be there.
I arrange for one of my guys to keep an eye on him and report back to me.
I sit at my desk, staring at the phone, waiting for him to return.
It’s getting late, and he’s still not back.
I start pacing. I hate not knowing where he is.
What he’s doing and who he’s with. I’m not a patient man. I won’t wait to find him.