Page 17 of Blood & Lace
I stood stock-still as the car in front of me hit on their brakes and stopped. Panting, I raced to the passenger side. A woman stared back at me, her eyes wide. She let the window down a fraction of an inch.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
I put on the mask that I needed to wear. Shaking my head, I let my eyes water. "No, I'm not okay. He's going to get me again. Please, can you take me to the city? I can pay you when we get there, but I have nothing. No money, no phone. Oh God, if he finds me—" I said, my voice quivering and my breath panting.
"Get in," she said after searching my face. The door unlocked and I quickly hopped inside before slamming it.
"We have to turn around," I said, forcing my entire body to tremble, which wasn't hard considering how chilled I was. "He lives down there."
"Should we call the police?"
"No," I said quickly, a lump in my throat. The last thing I needed was to get the police involved. Lucero's brother had made it clear that he didn't like me, and he would have no problem hunting me down and killing me, I knew that. I'd seenit in his eyes. When someone has the same depths that speak of murder and darkness like mine, I knew to keep my mouth shut. "Let's just go. Please. You don't know what he'll do to me if I tell."
The woman searched my face, her lips forming a thin line. After a nod, she reversed the car, and we sped off in the other direction. As I was carried off into the night, I glanced behind me. The road began to disappear. I was free.
Sighing, I slumped down in my seat. "Thank God," I whispered.
***
I kept looking behind me. As I stood in my loft, I did it again, as if Lucero or one of his crazy ass family members would be right behind me. A shiver raced down my spine. Even after being away from him for three days, I felt like I hadn't shaken the crazy off.
"Sir?"
My head snapped up and landed on Arthur. I'd hired him as my personal bodyguard, and there was a security detail that now followed me around. Before, I never would have done that. My work required privacy, but I couldn't be reckless right now. Besides, there were no jobs. Lucero was supposed to have been my target, but I'd already figured out that it was full of shit. I couldn't kill him without a reason. That wasn't what I did.
I sipped at my tea, and glanced at the man before me. He was huge. I figured I would need that to go up against Lucero in case he got any ideas. He had a serious face, and he didn't take any shit. He would be a good asset. For now. Until I could get free and go back to the life I was destined to live.
"Yes?" I asked. "What is it?"
"I have an update." He pulled out his phone. "Lucero Marino has been spotted around town."
I stiffened. "Where?"
"His home, the supermarket, an office building, a pizza shop, and here. Mostly here."
I bristled. "What the fuck?"
"Don't worry, the front desk knows he's not supposed to step foot in this place. Unfortunately, the sidewalk is public property."
"Fuck that," I groaned. "I want this psycho out of my life!"
"We're doing our best, sir," he grunted.It was funny to hear him call me “sir” considering there was gray at his temples and in his beard, I thought absentmindedly. "There's one more thing."
No, I couldn't take one more thing. I rubbed the side of my head. There was an impending headache brewing.
"What is it?" I finally asked.
"The divorce papers that you wanted served? Every time someone tries, they can't complete it. They can't find him, or they run away. The last one said he ate them."
I blinked at him. "He fucking what?"
"Ate them," he repeated. "Needless to say, it doesn't look like he wants to sign."
I felt my eye twitch. "I'm going to kill him. Nope, changed my mind. I'm definitely ending his life."
The tea cup hit the platter a little too hard as I sat it down and it broke everywhere. I hissed as shards shot into my hand. Blood pooled to the surface before it dripped to the floor below. I groaned harder.
"I have to do something," I told Arthur. "I can't stay married to a crazy person."
