by Cerys du Lys
She shifted with him, not taking no for an answer. She pressed herself up against him, sliding her hands up his chest to his shoulders. “I won’t tell if you won’t.”
Colin closed his eyes and counted down from ten slowly. When he opened them back up, his gaze automatically went over the girl’s shoulder to catch sight of Gabby. But this time, instead of her not noticing him watching her, she stopped dancing, turned and looked directly at him.
They both stood frozen, gazes locked for what felt like an eternity, then suddenly her smile faded and her brows furrowed. She was pissed. Oh, shit. She spoke briefly to Tonya and Kent, both of whom turned and stared directly at him, their expressions accusing.
“Oh, come on,” the sexy young woman in front of him purred.
His attention fell back to the woman pressed against him and he groaned. Shit and double shit.
“Look. I’m taken. So please, find someone else.” He attempted to move away from her, as Gabriella closed the distance looking angrier by the minute.
“I’d suggest you move it along,” Gabriella’s voice commanded from behind the other woman.
Colin cringed. Busted. “Hey babe.” The girl moved away from him to size up Gabriella, allowing him to squirm out of the corner she’d had him in to stand next to Gabby.
“You the girlfriend?”
Gabriella glanced over her shoulder at Colin. “Yeah, he’s mine. So if you don’t mind moving on.” She made a little walking motion with her fingers that would have made Colin laugh had it not been for the fact that he knew he was going to get ripped a new one once the other woman was gone.
He had to admit, it was rather ironic. Usually it was men who feared him, begged for their lives, moments before he ended it for them. But here he was cringing on the inside as he waited for the little blonde fireball next to him to finish with the woman who’d approached him and get on with his punishment.
The other woman huffed, spun on her heel and disappeared into the sea of people.
“So.” She turned to face him, arms crossed over her chest, her blue eyes glaring up at him. “Spying on me.” It was said more as an accusation than a question.
He opened his mouth to spew off some random lie in order to keep himself from being put through the wringer, but he couldn’t do it.
She poked his chest with her index finger. “And don’t you dare think about lying to me.”
Colin thrust his hand into his hair and sighed. He’d promised he’d never lie to her unless it was something that he simply couldn’t talk about. No, he lied and omitted enough information, he refused to do it just to keep his ass out of the sling, especially when he was in the wrong.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Okay, not quite the truth, but close.
Her eyes narrowed as she stepped up to him. She traced the line of his strong, chiselled jaw with her finger. “And…”
“Maybe I also wanted to make sure that men weren’t bothering you.”
“Hmmm. Right…” She clucked her tongue off of the roof of her mouth as she slid her other hand up his chest. “And so what were you planning on doing if some guy got all touchy-feely. Off him?”
He gave her a cocky grin. “That would be an option.”
A very real option, depending on where his hands went, he silently added.
“I should be angry. And if this were anyone else I’d have dumped his ass.”
Finishing what was left of his beer, he placed the bottle on a ledge next to them and then pulled her into his arms. “But…”
Her scowl faded and a smile erupted on her lips. “But I’m glad you’re here.”
“Good.” He lowered his lips to hers, relieved that he wasn’t getting his ass handed to him on a platter. He kissed her softly, burying his fingers into her golden mane.
“So why didn’t you just come along when I offered?” The music switched up to a slow song; he tightened his hold on her as they began to sway to the music.
“Because I didn’t want to impose.”
She threw back her head and laughed, her eyes sparkling with humour. “So spying on me from across the room all night is better?”
“It wasn’t all –”
“I saw you the moment you walked in, perhaps twenty minutes after I got here. You know, for a spy, or not that good at blending in.”
She had him. Well, guess I’m not as stealthy as I think I am.
He placed a kiss on the tip of her nose. “Then why didn’t you let me know?”
“I wanted to see how long you planned on stalking in the shadows. Until I saw the little hooch all over you. I needed to end that shit right away.”
Laughing, he pulled back from her slightly to look her in the eye. “So you were jealous.”
Hello pot, I’m kettle, the voice in the back of his mind chimed in.
He could see her face flush, despite the darkness of the night club. “Well, you didn’t seem to be too quick at getting rid of her, someone had to step in.”
“I was getting rid of her, she was just… persistent.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Uh-huh.”
He lowered his lips to hers once again. “You look incredible, by the way.” And she did. Her dress was a simple black number, the skirt landing mid-thigh and the bodice fitting tight around her torso and pushing her breasts up, to display her incredible cleavage. He’d been semi-hard most of the night watching her move and sway to the music. If she weren’t having such an obviously good time he’d suggest they leave to find a place a little more intimate.
Her blush deepened. “Thank you.”
As he looked down into her eyes, his sister’s words about love and his feelings for her rang in mind, forcing their way to the tip of his tongue. I’m in love with you, his mind screamed, but for whatever reason he wasn’t able to say the words.
Chapter 19
It had been four months since the day he attempted to drop the kittens off at the shelter and Gabriella entered his life, and for the first time in Colin’s life he felt whole. Even the darkness that demanded he indulge in the death of another had died out. His reason for living was to make her happy.
Dominik had gone deep underground, but his organization continued to thrive. That was a major source of pain for him, not because he wanted to slit the man’s throat for his own personal satisfaction, but because too many young women were going missing. Too many were being abused and murdered for men’s satisfaction. Dominik and his organization would be taken down, but it was no longer the sole focus of his life.
With work settling down until they got a fix on where to find Dominik, Colin had decided it was time to take his relationship with Gabriella to the next level. He was going to finally admit he loved her and ask her to move in with him. Hell, he was even willing to have Butch, although he still had no love for the mutt. He could hardly believe it, him – Colin Almond – domesticated. Who’d have thought?
He smiled as he shut off his car, gathered the bags of groceries in his arms and made his way to the front door of his house. He had a great meal planned for her. Romantic. He wasn’t the greatest when it came to love and romance, but he was going to give it the old college try.
Opening the front door he froze in the threshold. Something was wrong. He had no reason to believe it, other than his intuition, but his intuition was never wrong. Someone was in his house.
Slowly he proceeded into the house, not bothering to flick on the lights as he entered the darkened kitchen. Setting the bags on the kitchen counter, he glanced down at his watch. A soft, green light glowed from the face stating it was 7pm. Good. Gabriella was teaching an obedience class tonight and had taken Oscar and Butch with her, so they weren’t going to be at his place until 10pm.
A rush of adrenaline flowed through him and the darkness that had lain dormant for two months now rose to the surface. He had almost three hours to capture whomever had the nerve to break into his home, no doubt with the intention of killing him, extract as much information out
of said person as he could, finish them off and dispose of the body.
A smile crept onto his lips. Until Gabriella came into his life, this was what he lived for. He was actually beginning to forget how incredible hunting felt until now. He imagined the person or people in his home figured they were the hunter in this scenario – they’d pay for that arrogance with their life.
Opening the knife drawer, he reached up under the countertop and removed a revolver that was hidden there. He quickly prepared the gun to fire and slowly inched his way from the kitchen and into the living room.
One of the things Gabriella liked to tease him about was the fact that there were so many mirrors in his home – some mounted in the oddest of places. She liked to tease him that his vanity knew no bounds. He took the ribbing, but in truth they were strategically placed so he could see who or what might be hiding in wait for him.
After a thorough ten-minute search of the first-floor rooms he came up empty. But that didn’t discourage him, or make him second guess his gut feeling. He slowly crept up the stairs to the second floor. At the landing, he saw the man; he was hiding behind the partially open door of his bedroom. Slipping into the spare bedroom, he swept the room to ensure there wasn’t a second person lying in wait – there wasn’t.
Removing the large painting on the wall beside the bed, he slowly and quietly opened the secret door to the master bedroom. There was a painting on the other side of the door that pretty much concealed the door from people who didn’t know about it. He’d been with Gabriella for four months and she had yet to discover it so it was highly unlikely his would-be assailant would have noticed it.
As suspected as he crept through the opening and into the bedroom, the other man was still positioned behind the bedroom door, waiting for him to exit the spare room and search the master bedroom. Taking careful aim, Colin shot the man’s hand that held his gun.
The man grunted, dropping his weapon. Colin quickly took aim a second time, this time taking out the other man’s kneecap. The man fell to the floor.
Springing into action, Colin leapt onto and over the bed. Kicking the gun from the assassin’s reach, he quickly went to his closet and pulled his roll of knives from the hidden hole in the floor. He turned back to the man on the floor and smiled.
“Welcome to my home.” He took a step toward the man, who’d stopped groaning and was glaring up at him. “Time for us to have a little chat. How quickly you die is completely up to you.”
“Fuck you.”
Colin’s grin widened. “I do love the hard way.” He looked around him and frowned. The man was bleeding on his hardwood floor, making an incredible mess. Blood was so damned hard to get cleaned off of hardwood. Fuck. “But first, we’re going to have to chat in another room, the girlfriend just bought that new comforter and I really don’t want to get blood on it…”
~*~*~*~*~
“It’s amazing, Tonya. He’s amazing. He hasn’t been going out in the field lately. Been staying at home and working.” Gabriella finished hanging up the leashes and turned to face her friend. “So how have you been lately? We haven’t really had a chance to talk. I miss that.”
“I’ll be better when the divorce papers are signed and I can get on with it.” Tonya threw a tennis ball for Oscar and Butch. Both dogs went rushing after it, Butch making it before Oscar – as usual. Poor chunky old Oscar, he was no match for the fast, powerful pit. At least not when it came to running.
“But are you okay?”
“Yeah. I’m okay. At first I was devastated, but now that I’ve had time to consider it, I know it’s for the best, I deserve someone who respects me. Someone I can trust.”
Gabriella nodded. She could relate. Boy, could she relate. It had taken some time to adjust to the fact that Colin had secrets, lots of secrets, many he’d never ever reveal to her. It took an obscene amount of trust, but the one thing she loved about him was the fact he did what he said he’d do. No exceptions. So despite the secrets, she trusted him in every way.
The dogs were back, begging for the ball to be thrown again. This time it was Gabriella who grabbed the ball, which was covered in saliva, and tossed it. She grimaced as she wiped her hands on her jeans.
Hearing Tonya’s chuckling she glanced up, her brow furrowed. “What’s so funny?”
“You.”
“What about me?”
“You’ve become more… particular since you got together with Colin.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean, I think his obsession with cleanliness is rubbing off.”
With a rueful laugh, Gabriella shrugged. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
Tonya’s laughter ceased. “But in all seriousness. I owe you an apology.”
“What for?” The dogs were back; Oscar had managed to get the ball this time. Good for him. She grabbed the slobbery ball and chucked it, fighting the urge to wipe her hands straight away.
“I was wrong about Colin. He’s a good guy. I know I gave you shit over him and I was wrong, maybe a part of me was jealous since things were going to shit with Malcolm. I’m woman enough to admit it. I’m sorry.”
Gabriella stared at Tonya for a moment, shocked. Tonya rarely admitted she was wrong and for her to actually apologize… that was unheard of. And like magic, it was like the barrier that had been up between the women since the incident at the beach shattered. Gabriella gave her friend a hug.
“Thank you, Tonya. But you have nothing to be sorry for.”
“So we’re good?” Tonya asked.
“We’re good,” she confirmed, releasing her friend. She looked down at her watch. 9pm. They were done early. Colin had been acting odd the previous day, saying he had something special planned for her after her obedience class, but refusing to speak about it. Needless to say, she’d been anxious for the class to finish so she could get over to his place for the big surprise.
~*~*~*~*~
“You’re not being very helpful, and I have to admit we’re running low on time.” Colin grabbed a screwdriver from his workbench and walked over to the assassin, who hadn’t spoken a word since he woke up after Colin knocked him out, dragged him into the garage and tied him to a chair.
The man, who was now bleeding from so many cuts that it was a miracle he was conscious, only smirked up at Colin. He wasn’t going to break and Colin was pissed, this wasn’t how it was supposed to go down. Maybe he was losing his touch? He wasn’t even enjoying this. Fuck and double fuck.
He’d already called Felicity and men were on their way to pick up the soon-to-be-dead body. He had perhaps twenty minutes left before Felicity and the “cleaners” got there. Twenty minutes to get the information he needed otherwise he risked Gabriella walking in on his interrogation. He knew he shouldn’t have done this here, but too late now for regrets.
“So before I kill you, why don’t you tell me what I need to know?” He shrugged. “Clear your conscience.” He took the screwdriver and drove the sharp end through the man’s uninjured hand. The man grunted, but refused to give him the satisfaction of screaming.
Walking around to the front of the chair, Colin bent over it, bracing a hand on either arm, staring the man in his dark eyes. “Look. I gotta go start dinner soon. The little woman will be home and I have a very special night planned.”
His captive began to laugh. “Yeah. We’ve seen her. Little blonde bitch. I’d love to be the one to break her.”
Colin’s jaw clenched and his grip on the chair tightened. “What do you know about her?”
Another bout of laughter erupted from the man. “I know that the boss has big plans for her if you and that bitch of a partner of yours don’t back down. She’s a bit old, the boss likes them nice and young – unused. But knowing she’s yours… yeah… they’re going to fuck her up until she’s begging to suck cock for them.”
All sense of consciousness left Colin as the darkness took over. Straightening, he calmly walked over to his knives. Grabbing a simple Bowie knife h
e walked back over to the assassin and plunged it deep into the man’s stomach. He took a moment to savour the feel before removing the knife and walking around to the back of the chair. The assassin began to gurgle and spit up blood. Grabbing the assassin by the hair, he yanked the man’s head backwards and with one swift movement, Colin sliced the man’s throat open.
As the blade glided across the other man’s throat he heard the side door of the garage opening and then a loud gasp. Looking up from the man who was now slumped over, dead in the chair, his entire body froze as his eyes locked onto Gabriella’s horrified ones.
Uh-oh…
Chapter 20
Gabriella wasn’t sure if what she was seeing was real or some sort of nightmare. It couldn’t be real. Couldn’t. It wasn’t even the fact that Colin had killed someone right before her eyes, it was the gleam of satisfaction in his dark eyes that had hit her in the stomach and frightened her.
It wasn’t her Colin standing over the dead, bloodied man. Couldn’t be.
She stumbled backwards out into the yard. In her haste she tripped over her own feet, falling backwards and landing painfully on her rear, but the pain went unnoticed as she scrambled to her feet and ran for her car.
“Gabby!”
She heard Colin calling to her, the sound of his boots as he chased after her, but instead of stopping her, it urged her on as she raced to her car.
His footsteps became louder and she could feel him right on her heels. As she reached the door handle of the car he grabbed her, spinning her around so she faced him and boxed her in, his body – which was covered in someone else’s blood – pressing against hers.
“Let me go!” She pounded on his thick chest with her fists, hysterical. She needed to get away. Away from him.
“No, Gabby. No. I won’t hurt you.”
She attempted to squirm out from under his body, but he refused to budge.
“Please,” she pleaded, tears beginning to run down her cheeks. “Please.”
