Page 296 of The Trouble With Bad Boys

Four

KAIN

We sat outside of The Laughing Matter, enjoying lunch and the nice weather. We wolfed down burgers and a platter of wings in no time. Though my friends all lived in nearby cities, our schedules didn’t always align for us to meet up. Timber and Roarke were away on business trips today.

“You heard about the dead body they found in Boston?” Godfrey asked, his expression serious. “The woman’s hands were tied together with a rope while holding a stem of the bleeding heart flower. You think it’s a copycat?”

“Probably.” I stared at my friends’ biceps hidden underneath their sweaters. Like me, they each had a black rose tattoo with thorny stems. “A friend from the New York City Police Department confirmed that a body was discovered a couple of weeks ago. She was also holding the same flower. So far he’s only women.”

“Boston is close to home,” Hudson said. “We need to monitor this and inform the other guys just so they’re aware.”

A psychopath named Victor Hawthorne—also known as the Black Rose Killer—had kidnapped kids and forced them to assist in his crimes while being held hostage at an underground bunker. My friends and I were among his victims.

After being trapped for three years, I escaped when I was sixteen and rescued my friends, who were only eight at the time. We counted the money he’d gotten from selling human organs. Some of us had to help him clean the organs and place them in secure containers. It took me a long time to recover from that experience. Some days I still wondered if I had recovered at all. Since I was the oldest captive, they had me pack up weapons that were being sold in the black market. Some of which were bombs. When no one was looking, I hid a few and blew up his cabin.

Victor should be dead. The police even confirmed that there had been three burnt bodies in the ruckus. Who was the sick prick trying to mimic his evil crimes?

“Let’s wait and see how things play out,” I said.

Godfrey nodded. “It’s all we can do right now.”

Hudson’s phone buzzed, and he sighed. “I gotta run. Sophia needs a ride to the airport. Her ride got a flat.” He reached for his wallet.

“I got this. Go.”

“Thanks, man.” Sophia was all Hudson had left after his parents died in a car accident.

Something drew my attention out to the sidewalk. My heart hammered when I noticed Eva walking toward me with an older man. The dark thoughts switched off as desire burst in me.

Two other women passed by me, but she was all I could see. Our eyes connected, and my cock hardened. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her. She was like the unique passionflower that stood out from the rest.

I should have moved on after she declined my dinner date, but every time that face popped into my mind, the feelings surfaced and intensified. My body hadn’t yearned for anything like this before.

You just need to get laid.

In my mind, she was already mine—my passionflower.

As I stared at her, questions bombarded my mind. Why had she said no? Had she been seeing someone? No women had ever declined my advances. I had what most men wanted: wealth, a healthy and fit body, a charismatic personality, and power that stemmed from all the previous reasons. If those traits didn’t qualify for one date with her, then what would? For her to say no without hesitation intrigued me even more. But I was careful now. I didn’t want to frighten her.

How could I convince her to go on a date with me? I should focus on the expansion of my gym. Instead, I couldn’t steer my mind away from Eva.

“What are you looking at?” Godfrey asked.

His voice popped my bubble, tossing me back to reality. I didn’t like this fluctuation in my concentration. It reminded me of a dark past I’d rather not get into right now. When a man lost his mind, he lost control of himself. I didn’t like losing control.

Then stop thinking about her, idiot.

Godfrey wouldn’t know I was looking at the brunette in tights and a lilac tunic. “Just enjoying the view of the day.” There was no lie there. In my book, the view was spectacular.

“My ass.” He reached for his iced tea. “Who’s caught your eye? I can see it on your face, man.”

“The brunette with the older man.”

“Oh, she’s hot.”

“Hands off.” I flicked him a warning gaze.

Godfrey laughed. “I’d like to know who she is just because she’s got you all worked up.”

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