Chapter 41 #2
Cindel was supposed to remain hidden from her condemned past. I suppose there is no keeping her from this, once the Murrays learned Cindel was a Lombardi.
Craig Moore had a very loose tongue when I paid him a visit.
Exposing his cousin was in fact Alex, the conniving snake who was loyal to no one but himself.
He’s the one who told Brodi that Cindel was a Lombardi.
Information is currency. They worked out a deal so neither party would get caught stealing from the house.
It was supposed to be their ticket to freedom.
Too bad, shit always has a way of catching up with you.
Before I could ensure Cindel’s identity stayed hidden, Brodi pulled that fucking knife.
Garron didn’t follow the plan. He was supposed to wait in the car so he wouldn’t learn about a Lombardi in the midst of all of this.
Good thing he never listens… I wouldn’t be here right now if it weren’t for him.
Eamon learned about Cindel, pulling her into his world immediately.
Things began to quickly unravel as the Murrays suspected corruption in their midst. Alex was brought in for questioning.
I was tasked with protecting Nicholas’ interests, but instead, I kicked a hole in his face for her.
He was the reason she couldn’t continue to live out a seemingly normal life.
A small part of me believes in fate. If these events hadn’t happened, she wouldn’t be here with me.
“Theo’s logs…” she continues. “The video he took… everything was centered around my uncle. My brother wasn’t depressed, nor was he paranoid.
He chased the truth and apparently died trying!
” Her shoulders shake as she grips the edge of her seat.
A tear falls free, then another slides down her cheek, just as she attempts to wipe them away with her wrapped forearm.
“Will you help me?” She insists. “With my uncle that is… I know who you work for and I’ve seen what you’re capable of.
” She believes I’m only employed by the Murray family.
“Please!” she begs. “I can’t go on not knowing if my uncle played a part in all of this…
in my brother’s death. What if he’s some kind of serial killer?
This might not be his only kill.” She lowers her voice, practically whispering her next words. “What if he killed Mary?”
My woman is so fucking smart, she’s gonna have it all figured out in no time. How unfortunate for me.
Cindel rests her head atop her knees, merely staring blankly out the hazy apartment window. Using the text to speech app, I write out what I’m unable to say.
“If you follow this path, there’s no going back. He will answer for what he’s done. With that said, I can’t shield you from hard truths. I can only promise I will be right there, by your side.”
Her small body unfurls from its position and she reaches for me.
Without hesitation, I pull her onto my lap, sliding my hand up her back and cradling the base of her neck.
I draw her closer, taking her bottom lip into my mouth.
Her salty flesh reminds me just how selfish I can be.
How those tears are just the beginning of what I will bring.
My cock grows beneath her, as I take in the sweet notes of honey from her hair, combined with a lingering scent of industrial-grade plastic.
The unique aroma echoes both life and death. Cindel was made for me.
Her delicate hand raises to face, “We can’t.” She pulls back, head turning from me as she speaks. “I need to make sure Andrea’s safe. I dragged her into this mess and now she’s at risk.”
It’s hard. Physically and metaphorically speaking, as she drags herself off of me. I’m set adrift, without her touch. She heads toward the door, freezing before she touches the handle.
“Will you come with me?”
Did Casper ever abandon Kat? Never. The question was adorably unnecessary. I would follow her until the end of time. Even when she hates me. It’s just a matter of time until she learns the whole story.
The drive back to her place is quiet, but I can tell by the way she wiggles in her seat she’s anxious to get to her friend. She attempted calling, even texting Andrea with no response, but that’s not too unusual for her.
We walk up to her apartment floor; she gets out the keys and proceeds to unlock the door.
“That’s strange. It’s not locked.”
An uneasy feeling creeps up my spine, causing me to instinctively pull Cindel behind me. I push open the door, revealing the dark apartment. She follows behind, fisting the bottom of my shirt as we enter. Nothing seems out of the ordinary… yet.
She gently knocks on her roommate's door, muttering, “Andrea?” I motion to her; finger raised to my lips. Turning the knob, I enter the room first. Right away, I notice a lamp has toppled on its side, glass litters the area rug.
Cindel gasps as she peeks past me. Did I just lead her into a trap?
My phone vibrates and I ignore it. At this point, I don’t care who’s trying to reach me.
The once ajar door creaks, gradually closing on its own.
The heat kicks on in the apartment right before the door slams, relatching itself with a metallic thunk.
Pivoting toward her, I quickly cover her mouth and pull her close to my body, just as her muffled scream escapes. Someone could still be here. On the back of the door is a note affixed by a switchblade. The knife is dug deep into the wood. I release Cindel. Clearly, whoever was here is gone.
She steps forward and pulls down the note.
“If you do not provide proof of innocence by sun up tomorrow, your friend will become my new plaything. -M.”
Tears begin to stream down Cindel’s face again. I’ve never seen someone cry so much and it guts me. I don’t know how this girl has any tears left at this point.
“This is all my fault. I have to do something!” She pulls out her phone, mashing a number from her favorites, before holding the phone to her head. “Eamon!” Cindel’s voice cracks, as she tries to clear her throat before speaking again.
He’s saved as a favorite? I make a mental note to delete that from her phone later.
“They took her,” she blurts. “They took Andrea! The evidence I found is gone too.”
I can hear a deep muffled voice from the other side of the phone.
“Okay. Yeah… I’m heading over now.” Once she ends the call, Cindel faces me. “Eamon thinks he knows where they took Andrea. He said something about a tracker.”
Well, this is an interesting turn of events.
Eamon helping Cindel, against his family’s wishes?
Won’t he be in for a surprise when he goes from unable to reach me to me showing up in tow.
I’m sure he won’t mind that I now hold Cindel’s romantic attention.
It's not like Eamon was ever competition to me on that front. I know he only pursued her on his father’s order.
The daddy-daughter duo had grown impatient.
Now, I’m not sure how we’re going to convince them that neither Cindel nor her family had anything to do with Mrs. Murray’s death. The only concrete proof was destroyed.
I called Garron in to clean up the mess at Mail Haven. Fucking Jada. Leave it to Nicholas to always have an extra insurance policy. I never saw her coming. My attention has been solely on Cindel as of late and I’ve clearly grown too comfortable.
On the ride over I can make out Cindel’s stomach so clearly, I make a detour to the best deli shop in town.
After I encourage her to pick something off the menu that isn’t doused in sugar, she finally selected a ham, egg, and cheese bagel.
She demolishes it right before we arrive, the pink hue to her cheeks fades back to normal.
I used to care about this car, now with faint traces of blood and bagel crumbs scattered throughout the passenger seat, I notice my priorities have changed.
I throw the keys to an attendant at Eamon’s swanky apartment off the harbor.
Eamon never bothered me much. I even grew to like him over the years, but as soon as we entered that elevator, something instinctual comes over me.
I move, pinning Cindel against the metallic wall to make a point to everyone and destiny itself…
mine. Even once she discovers who I am to her.
She’ll hate me, but I’ll always belong to her.
As expected, she instantly succumbs to my will.
Melting from my touch as I take her earlobe into my mouth, soon moving across her jaw, where I finally land a consuming kiss onto her lips.
I’ll never grow tired of her. She’s so sweet.
I can’t understand what she possibly sees in me.
I might as well enjoy it while it lasts.
The elevator chimes as it reaches Eamon’s floor.
We turn to find Connor standing before us.
“Hmmph…” a throaty sound comes from him. “Never thought you’d bag this one,” he muses.
What’s he doing here? Cindel looks up to me with pure confusion, just as Eamon rounds the corner joining Connor’s side, as we continue this peculiar standoff.
“Hey, you got here fast,” Eamon stammers as he tucks in the tail of the dress shirt into his pants. “Come in.”