Page 31 of Eternally Bound

I wondered what her plan was when she sought me out. I’d never find out though. I continued following Ainslee, hiding from my idiot cousin, until she disappeared into the opera house. It was her performance night.

I dialed my contact in the police force.

“Rogers.”

“I need a favor,” I told him.

“Name it.” It was the reason I liked Rogers. No bullshit and straight to the point.

“Ainslee McLaren is performing tonight. Take your lady to see the show; I’ll have a private booth booked for you. Wear your uniform. Then after the show, please escort Ainslee McLaren back to her hotel.”

“Well, that’s an unexpected request,” he retorted. “You got it. What time does the show start?”

“You have an hour.”

I hung up and watched my cousin sneak through the side alley. He must have done detailed research. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have known the performers take the side alley exit when the audience was in the building.

My dark heart ordered me to get rid of anyone that threatened my nightingale. I knew the alley like the back of my hand. I knew exactly where to step to avoid being seen or heard. Each step brought me closer to Hugo’s unsuspecting form as he lit up the cigarette, waiting for my little bird. I pulled a knife out of my holster, my movements in sync with the city noises.

I kept my eyes on him and lifted the knife. I never moved my eyes away from him. My hand wrapped around his mouth, and I slashed his throat in one swift move.

I threw his body onto the filthy ground, then turned him over with my boot. I wanted to ensure he saw who did it. Then I watched him, never moving my eyes from his as his mouth opened and closed, gasping for air. I stared at him as he choked on blood and air, his eyes wide.

The fucker liked to kill and make others suffer. Though now as he stared at my face, there was disbelief there. He never thought it could happen to him. He thought he was untouchable. I should have made him suffer longer, but he wasn’t worth it. He’d vanish and be gone from this world forever.

“My woman,” I told him, as he took his last breath. “And nobody fucking touches what’s mine.”

I eliminated my cousin. Was it time to eliminate my uncle?

A lot had happened in the last twelve years, but when she was in my arms, like now, I could almost pretend no time passed. Except that it did.

My plan failed. I tried to keep her safe by staying away. Maybe the answer was to keep her close to me all along. Glancing at the clock, I noted it was only five a.m. I knew what I had to do.

Kill my uncle.

With that decision made, an eerie sense of calmness came over me. It was the right thing to do. He was a rotten evil on this earth. It was like all of this has been brewing over the last twelve years and led us all to here. Even Callen and his stupidity led us here, to where Ainslee belonged all along.

In my arms.

Chapter Eleven

Ainslee

Daniel pulled up in front of my mother’s cottage. I didn’t give him a single direction on our way here. He knew exactly where he was going. I wasn’t sure if I should be flattered or disturbed. Except he admitted to stalking me to keep me safe. So maybe, he’d get a free pass for this one.

I woke up in an empty bed this morning, though I knew Daniel spent the night. I felt his warm body next to mine till the early hours. After a quick shower and getting ready, the young woman from last night came to get me and took me to Daniel. He waited for me with breakfast, the dark and stoic man in the place of the passionate one that claimed my body.

We ate in silence, never speaking about what transpired last night. I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Did I expect more? Not sure, but I knew I hoped for more.

My car door opened and Arthur stood there waiting for me to get out. I learned this morning that he was Daniel’s personal bodyguard. I guess you needed those when you were in the mafia. Jesus, there were a lot of changes and facts hitting me all at once. The lack of sleep might have played a factor in my tired brain too.

He followed behind us along with another bodyguard.

I exited the car and smoothed my hands down my dress in a nervous movement. I have played different scenarios in my head all morning on the best way to approach this. Bram would be easy to convince; my mother not so much. She’d smell bullshit from another country. She had a knack for that. I never understood how a woman that read so many idealistic romance novels could be such a realist.

But our safety was a priority. Daniel’s uncle was no joke, and the stack of dead bodies he had been suspected of accumulating over the years was extensive. He was a suspect in killing politicians, models, people from all backgrounds. I had no intention of letting Bram, my mother, or me become one of those statistics.

I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled. Daniel took my hand into his, intertwining his fingers with mine. My eyes lowered and locked on our intertwined fingers. I was unsure what to make of him. It would be easy to fall back into the old pattern when I attended university. Pretend it was just him and me in this world, but I wasn’t that naive girl anymore. And I had a son and mother to worry about now. He crept back into my life with such ease, it was scary and thrilling at the same time. It proved to me that I had never gotten over him.

---