Page 31 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family
No matter how many pages I swiped through that man was in my head.
Chapter
Eight
Emir.
A week.
It had been a full seven days since I last saw Baylyn and I felt every fucking second of not having access.
The distance damn sure wasn’t because I was avoiding her. I had a job that required my full attention. One that didn’t allow distractions, no matter how much I wanted one, and she was the worst fucking distraction I had ever allowed in my life.
I was ready to finish this shit and get back to Baylyn which had me smiling big as hell and dragging a hand down my face. She wasn’t mine to get back to but she was exactly what I needed in my life. So like it or not, I was making her mine.
I shifted my weight but kept my stance relaxed. The job was simple. A clean hit with no unnecessary theatrics. The target was a high-level investor banker who had fucked over the wrong people. He smiled at cameras while robbing others blind, but his ass wouldn’t be smiling for much longer.
I was chillin’ in a prime spot, a rooftop across from the hotel where he was staying. The scope of my rifle was trained on the room with the tented glass still providing, enough visibility for me to see the movement inside. I watched him all week, learning his routines, habits and weaknesses. He had just finished one of them. Bringing women to suites to keep them distanced from his wife and kids.
He liked to drink, alone talking to his wife, after fucking women too young for him. Always in the same spot, on the balcony, overlooking the city, cigar in hand, feeling untouchable.
He wasn’t.
I adjusted the scope, waiting. He was too damn predictable but most men like him were and right on schedule he stepped onto the balcony, drink in hand, oblivious to how little time he had left.
A single silenced shot left my rifle. The glass slipped from his fingers before his body dropped. I lowered the gun and was already disassembling it so that I could take my ass home.
I pulled the burner from my pocket and sent a single message to confirm the job was done, then powered it off.
No more distractions except for the one already in my head.
Baylyn.
I finished packing up and was on my way to the access door to take the stair down to the first floor so that I could leave. Now that this shit was handled, it was time to see her. I drove straight to Baylyn’s place because the week of silence was fucking with my concentration. I hadn’t planned to go that long without talking to her but if I didn’t, I would have fucked thisup. That was the type of hold this woman had on me. The second I powered my personal phone back on, the first thing I checked was her name. I went straight to our text thread.
No messages.
So that’s how she was doing it?
She could have at least hit my line once but cool. I had a remedy for that. I pulled up to her building, stepped out of the car, and locked the doors behind me as I made my way to her apartment. The hallway was quiet when I reached her door. I didn’t knock right away. Instead, I leaned in to listen, considering for a minute that she might not be alone, but if she wasn’t and I had to drop a body, oh fucking well.
I lifted my hand and knocked. Seconds passed with nothing, then I heard movement. The door cracked open and my entire fucking body settled. Her eyes narrowed and she chewed on her bottom lip trying to act tough but I saw right through that.
I missed you too beautiful…
She looked good as hell, dressed in lounge clothes that made me want to close the space between us and get my hands on her but her pretty ass glared at me, blocking the doorway with an unimpressed expression. “You’re alive, I see.”
Damn she had either being praying I was safe or plotting on my downfall all week…
“Disappointed?”
She shrugged. “Maybe?”
“Been busy, beautiful. Wasn’t intentional.”
“Busy required you to vanish for a full week?”
I took my time raking my eyes over her, enjoying the way her posture tightened, like she was trying to guard herself.
