Chapter Four
OCEAN
As tempting as it was to tuck her far away from here, I didn’t take Coby to Glamis.
My family’s estate was outside of the city, and while it would have been like throwing her in the sea without a life raft, it wasn’t the only reason she wouldn’t be safe there.
Coby was my choice, but she wasn’t my father’s, and that made her a threat to everything, but I didn’t give a fuck.
I’d never wanted anyone or anything as badly as I did this brave girl.
My angel.
But as she wasted no time showing me the moment I pissed her off, her halo had a dark side too, and now I craved her even more. I was used to getting my way, which meant I never hesitated to stamp out any resistance to my will. It was second nature to me, and I never lost sleep over it.
But I had no desire to trample my future wife.
I wanted to keep her safe, spoil her, love her, and fuck her little ass through a mattress the moment she got over me nearly killing her brother.
We arrived at the apartment I kept in the city whenever my pops didn’t need me by his side.
Glainne Tower’s pinnacle was a sprawling three-story penthouse with panoramic views of the sound and every luxury my future wife would ever need.
I made sure of it, knowing that it would be her prison before it became her home.
The driver stopped in front of the building where Wayne, the doorman and a sleeper agent of mine, waited.
Wayne’s position in the Fola was unknown to everyone, including my father.
Everyone except Abel and me. I had many clandestine operatives planted in and out of Black Veil, living normal lives and earning fair wages from respectable jobs while receiving an untraceable, generous stipend from me for their ears and eyes.
I climbed out of the Denali, followed by Abel, my head of security. Doors from the trailing SUVs quietly opened and closed as the rest of my security team formed a protective radius around me.
Coby, my bride-to-be, remained passed out inside the Denali.
Shortly after leaving the club, she’d fallen asleep curled against the door and as far away from me as she could get.
We’d spent an hour making a loop around the city to shake off any tails because no matter how true the rumors or how many monikers the streets attached to me, there was always a motherfucker dumb enough to try me.
My mind unwillingly conjured the image of the beauty at the club before I shoved it inside a box labeled ‘Don’t fucking think about it’ and closed the lid tight.
“That went well,” he said, even though his perpetual scowl said otherwise. The motherfucker stayed in a bad mood, so I didn’t press the issue.
“Yeah,” I grumbled, “a little too well.” What was the catch? What had I missed? I couldn’t stop thinking about it from the moment I had Coby inside my truck.
Quiet as it was kept, it pissed me the fuck off how quickly Roshaun had given up his sister to save his own skin. I already planned to kill him in due time, but an easy death would not do. Besides, my patience had rewarded me with something I valued more than money and a lot quicker, too.
For two years, I fought with myself over the decision to make Coby mine.
I could tell she was a good girl—soft, wide-eyed, sheltered, and a little spoiled. This life—my life—would be hard on her even with me shielding her from the worst of it.
I thought I’d seen the last of her two years ago when she ran away from me.
I prayed for it. But then she came back, and she kept returning, offering herself up to me like a gift—bow and all.
It was like trapping a gazelle in a cage with a hungry lion and asking for it not be devoured.
Except Coby was the one with the lock and key, refusing to leave until I did the opposite.
It wasn’t until she tried to give what was mine to that poor unfortunate soul who would have to find a way to beat his dick without thumbs now that I decided to make her mine.
Her brother stealing from me was a complication I hadn’t anticipated. Roshaun started off small, but then the dummy got bold.
Greedy.
Seeing the bigger picture, I purposely turned a blind eye to it, letting him dig his grave deeper while unwittingly tightening the leash around his sister’s neck before moving in to collect the only payment I desired.
Money was nothing to me. I’ve never been without it.
Lust was also a feeling I’ve grown bored with.
There was only one thing left that I hadn’t tried to make life less dull, and that was falling for a tiny thing with a big heart. I had no fucking clue if it was even possible for someone like me, but I was going to fucking try.
Little did Coby know, her response tonight had only cemented my decision to keep her. The alternative would have been murdering her brother in front of her and then leaving no witnesses.
“So how long before your pops tries to kill the bride-to-be?” Abel asked a little too knowingly.
“Why would he do that?” I returned despite knowing the answer. Not long. “He wants me to marry.” I shrugged despite the urge for me to head to my family’s estate and slit my father’s throat in his sleep before he has the chance to even breathe Coby’s air.
“He wanted you to marry someone he chose,” Abel reminded me. “You know he had that deal with Chicago.”
“Arturo is dead, Angel is fresh out of prison, and from what I hear, their new Knight is lacking the required appendage for my father to do business.”
“Okay, play dumb,” Abel said with a shake of his head. “Just make sure you keep a close eye on your girl in case you’re wrong, which…you are. We both know your pops will kill her out of spite.”
“No one is touching my wife.”
“Your wife, huh?” Abel smirked at the possession in my tone, but one of the reasons he was my head of security was because he never missed a thing—including my interest in Roshaun’s sister.
“The friend is going to be a problem,” Abel said after checking his vibrating phone. “I put Kellan on her tail after we left the lounge. He just checked in.” Looking up from his phone, Abel studied my expression, trying to measure my mood. “She already tried to file a report.”
A vision of the temptress clad in silver from the club flashes in my mind before I dismiss it. Dismiss her.
Hunter was Coby’s past. I was her future.
“Then everything is going according to plan,” I returned, mentally moving all the pieces on the chessboard before regarding my head of security again. “Who do we have at that precinct?”
“Only Kaplan, but he’s vice.”
Fuck. “Get me someone.”
“Already on it.”
Hunter Parrish can search all she wants. The only thing she’ll find is a dead end. Coby was keeping her cards close to her chest, but so was I, and I knew more than she thought.
Pulling my gun free, I ejected the clip and emptied the magazine.
I then cleared the chamber before slapping the empty mag back inside and sticking my gun back in my waist. Anyone even passively familiar with guns would know that it was empty, but I knew, thanks to Coby’s need to use social media like a diary, that she was uneasy with them.
Wordlessly, I handed the discarded bullets to Abel before turning back to the Denali and opening the door.
Coby didn’t stir as I reached inside and carefully lifted her into my arms. She was light as a fucking feather, and I found myself staring down at her sleeping face when she nestled her tear-stained cheek against my shoulder.
Her glossy lips were parted, allowing soft sounds to escape while her long lashes hid her eyes from me.
A short copper curl was draped over her forehead, and I wanted so badly to wrap my finger around it.
Nodding to Wayne as I passed, I carried my bride inside the building with Abel close on my heels.
The building was quiet, save for the sound of one of the night janitors pushing a mop across the lobby floor.
As the owner of Glainne, I had a file of all the tower’s employees, so I didn’t spare him more than a passing glance as I carried my prize to my private elevator.
Abel scanned the key card, and the black, ornate doors, surrounded by white marble, opened.
Abel and I stepped inside, and the doors shut firmly behind us before jolting into motion.
It was a long and uninterrupted ride up to the fortieth floor, and Coby didn’t so much as twitch through it all, so I finally allowed myself to relax.
That’s when the strangest fucking thing happened.
The elevator slowed, stopped, and then announced our arrival with a chime.
Coby’s eyes flew open just as the doors parted.
Feeling my hands all over her, her confused gaze slowly met mine.
I was searching for the right words to put her mind at ease when it all came rushing back, and a horrified gasp left her lips.
She pushed away from my shoulder and then hauled off, slapping the ever-loving shit out of me.
Caught off guard, I could do nothing as this damn girl jumped out of my fucking arms, stumbled to the ground when she lost her balance, and then shot back to her feet before darting inside my apartment as fast as her heels would allow.
I watched, dumfounded and pissed the fuck off with ringing ears and a burning cheek as Coby quickly disappeared from the darkened foyer and out of sight.