Page 28 of Encircled in Darkness
The anguish on herface made the monster scream at the injustice. My presence in her life wasn’t meant to be a danger to her and briefly, I thought about walking away to save her. ‘No!’ the monster screamed, and I held her tighter to me.
“What about my job? You can’t follow me everywhere, James. You have a life and other responsibilities.” She tried to reason.
“The most important job I have is to protect you. Until he’s found you better get used to me.” I smirked, hoping to lessen her fear.
“Shit.” She exclaimed and tried to crawl from my lap. I tugged her closer to me and waited for her to explain the outburst. “I forgot to call the mechanic about my car. Damn it.”
Ducking my head slightly, I looked up through my lashes and explained. “Your car died. The mechanic said it would cost more to fix it than its worth, so I brought my car for you. I’m having the title transferred into your name as we speak.”
It was one task I had asked Skid to take care of early this morning, and he had texted me while I was cooking to let me know it was handled. I might be pushing myself into her life, but from the tears in her eyes, she was happy.
“You... you don’t have to do that.” Her voice caught and I brought her hands up to my cheeks and kissed her gently. “After everything you’ve already done, it’s too much to ask for.”
“You didn’t ask. I volunteered.” Smiling my best smile at her. “It’s my job to take care of you, sweetheart.”
She kissed me softly and rested her head against my chest. I exhaled the weight I had been carrying since I had discovered Cole was watching her. She didn’t push me away or run from me when I explained I had killed many people, and that alone let me know I was winning a small piece of her heart. The fatigue was getting strong, but I had promised to fuck her until she passed out. With my current state, I would probably be the one to pass out before either of us found release.
She sat back and saw that my eyes were drooping. Standing, she offered me her hand and I accepted as she tugged me from the couch with a smile. Leading me into the bedroom, she took my clothes off and completely ignored my throbbing cock. I was standing in front of her in only my boxer briefs and she guided me to the bed.
Laying me down, she removed her clothes and curled her soft body next to mine. I wrapped my arm around her, and she propped a leg over mine as exhaustion won. I slipped into a deep slumber, content to finally have Amaya in my arms.
The dreams were vivid with memories of sticky blood staining my hands as I took another life. The faces of the men that had died by my hands had haunted me for years and they swirled around in a carousel of death, taunting me from the grave. Cole’s face joined the carousel and he began mocking me, his words rattling the monster’s cage.
‘You tried to kill me, but you failed. Just like everything else in your life. I’m going to take your woman and paint the walls with her blood. Try and catch me, Little Marco.’
I startled awake and found Amaya next to me, leaning against the headboard. She set her tablet on the side table and turned her mesmerizing eyes to me. I sat up, wiped my sweaty brow, and reached for my phone. Seeing it was almost six in the evening, I realized I had slept for almost four hours and Amaya was still by my side.
Sighing into the room, I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you.”
“You were exhausted. It’s been nice to catch up on my reading.”
She pulled my pillow into her lap, covering her naked legs, and tapped it with a smile on her angelic face. Her hair was pulled into a messy bun and her natural beauty lit up the room. She was wearing my shirt again and I chuckled as I laid my head on her lap. She stroked my hair and I felt the touch deep into my soul.
It was chaste. It was simple. It was tenderness.
“Do you work tonight?” I asked, already knowing she was off for the next two days.
“Not tonight. I have... an appointment tomorrow.”
Rolling to my side, I stared up at her as she continued to rub my hair, settling the monster. I was curious where she had to go, and since I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight until we caught Cole, I waited until her gaze met mine.
“Where are we going?” I smiled my most dazzling smile and waited for her to answer.
Her chin trembled, and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. I sat up and caressed her cheek, remembering it was time for her to visit Natalia. She went once a week, limping her now dead car the hour and a half to the private facility she struggled so hard to keep her in.
“My... my sister...” her voice caught, and she cleared her throat.
I couldn’t watch her relive that horrible day, feeling her pain and hopelessness. I lifted two fingers to her lips. She looked at me and a single tear fell down her cheek. I wiped it away and explained.
“Sweetheart, I run a cyber security company. You don’t have to tell me.”
Her eyes grew wide as the realization of my abilities dawned on her. “How much do you know?” her whispered tone sounding small and wounded.
“Enough to know that when I find the men that hurt your sister, I’m going to kill them slowly. I’ll make them suffer for what they did to her.” Linking my hand with hers, I kissed her knuckles and watched her eyes light up.
She didn’t need to know my team was dissecting her life, looking for threats and soon, there wouldn’t be anything about her or Natalia that I didn’t know. It wasn’t fair that I would be privy to their lives when there was still so much I kept hidden from her. “Let’s get cleaned up and you can drive your new car to take me to dinner. I’d love some Italian food.”
I suggested her favorite splurge, hoping to get her mind off the pain of her sister’s attack and her subsequent isolation and sacrifice. I wanted her on my arm as we walked into the restaurant, for every person who saw us to know that Amaya was mine.
