Page 18 of Blood & Lace
"We're working on it, sir. Trust me."
There was just one problem with that: I didn't trust anyone. I shifted and paced back and forth. The days were dwindling on. Eventually, I would have to leave my house and do my check up.I was already a month late. Things had gotten chaotic so I'd put it off, but now they were complicated.
"Okay," I said as I paced back and forth. "What are our options? I know it's nuts, but what if you just let him up, keep me safe, and I can try to talk some sense into him?"
"I don't know if that's a good idea."
"Yeah? Well, I don't know what else to do!" I snapped. "I can't have him lingering around!"
Lucero was a thorn in my side. If other people saw him hanging around, then I wouldn't get to do my job. And Ineededto do my job. I craved it. Even now, my spirit ached to snuff out a life. If Lucero kept bothering me, I would use him to satisfy the urge.
"Sir?"
"Bring him up," I ordered. "Get your men in here, surround the room. If he even tries something, you get him the fuck out of here."
Arthur nodded. "Of course."
My throat tightened. "Shit, this is such a bad idea."
"Yes, it is."
I glared at him. "I didn't ask for your opinion, just go get him."
When he was gone, I resumed pacing. I needed answers. Who had set him up to be killed by me? Why was he after me so much? And… how could I get him to leave me alone? What could I offer him?
I chewed the side of my thumb with one of my sharp canines. They had always been pointed since I was little, and ripping off bits of my flesh calmed me. Except today, it wasn't working.
My heart felt like it would explode.
6
LUCERO
Marriage wasn'tfor the weak. Luckily, I was strong enough to weather the hardships. I was willing to do anything for my sweet husband that included, and not limited to, sitting outside his old home and waiting for him. Onyx was a very busy man. I knew that going into our marriage that sometimes work would have to come first for him. Never for me. There wasn't a single thing in this world that was more important to me than Onyx. Not even my own life.
I flipped the page of the newspaper. It was there only to keep my hands busy. Not having Onyx close made me a bit antsy. As time ticked by it only made the unbearable itch fester deeper into my flesh. It felt as if it was infecting my muscles. No amount of scratching or slicing into my skin got rid of it. The only time it hadn't been an issue was when I had Onyx right under me. Our honeymoon had been the happiest I'd ever been. I wanted to go back to the cabin in the woods and have Onyx all to myself again.
My phone dinged as I checked for the hundredth time to see if Onyx had stepped out of his home. For the past week or so, he stayed surrounded by people. Some might have found that threatening but not me. I trusted him. He did his job but therewas one trait about my husband that stood out amongst the rest: he was loyal.
I miss him.
Another five minutes passed, and my phone chimed again and again. With a grunt, I fished it out of my pocket and saw the brother group chat. I'd missed a lot, and Damian would give me shit about it later. Although he swore he hated the group chat, he was the one to use it the most.
I skimmed over it, catching up as much as possible. A few of them asked for my whereabouts and how much longer I was going to be out of commission. Taking jobs right now wasn't feasible. I couldn't miss an opportunity to see Onyx. If I had to continue to sleep outside his building then so be it. Aching muscles and a few pinched nerves could be taken care of later once I had my husband back in my arms.
When I didn't respond to the group message, Emir's name popped up on the screen. He was one of my younger brothers, although sometimes, it felt like he was the older one when it came to our relationship. I wasn't ashamed to say Emir had all the brains I lacked. He'd been the only one of us to go and get a legitimate job. He even stayed in school for it. I thought it was crazy but I was proud of him nonetheless.
I answered on the fifth ring, checking once more to make sure Onyx hadn't left the building. Putting a tracker on him was hard; putting one on the men surrounding him constantly lately was much easier. I'd always had a hard time tracking Onyx's whereabouts, but since we got married, there was a red string of fate always showing me where he was.
Even the universe believes we belong together.
"Hello."
"Where are you?" Emir asked.
"Busy. If you guys need a bod?—"
"No!" Emir growled over the line. He was normally so light and delicate; a stark contrast to his twin Elia who was wild and brash. His sigh filled the speaker on the phone. "Not what I meant. We know you're not on your honeymoon anymore. You haven't been for a week. The cabin was deserted, which Elia is pissed about. He said you left a mess behind that he had to clean up."
