Page 23 of The Killer's Prize

“Thank you, I know it wasn’t easy for you.”

She was talking about him letting her go out in town to get that job.

“This will make you happy,” he said.

She nodded. “I’ve always wanted to work at a bookstore.”

“Remember our deal? I’ll drive you there and come pick you up after your shift’s over.”

“Overprotective man,” she said with a huff, but she didn’t argue. She rested his head against his chest. “Don’t worry, Sergio. I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours, remember?”

“Mine,” he said smugly. That was right. He would hunt down and kill anyone who got in their way. If Victor still wanted Jessie, then he’d have to pry her from Sergio’s cold fingers.

****

“Jessie, do you need help with that box?” asked Ted, one of Jessie’s coworkers.

Ted flashed her a smile that would’ve charmed most women. She didn’t return it.

Puzzlement flittered across his handsome face, but only for a moment. Ted was tall, lean, in his early twenties, which made him about her age. She never failed to notice the interested looks customers and their other coworkers gave him.

Maybe the disinterest she showed only encouraged him to flirt with her even harder. Ted might be the version of the perfect man to most women, but he seemed so young and immature to her. Besides, Jessie had Sergio. Ted didn’t hold a candle to her hitman.

“I’m good. I can handle unpacking this set of books on my own. Miranda looks like she might need some help,” she said, referring to another coworker at the bookstore. Jessie hefted the box and exited the storeroom. She walked to the fantasy section of the bookstore and began shelving the books from the box.

Halfway through her task, Jessie had the distinct impression someone was watching her. She glanced out the bookstore’s windows. She rubbed at the goosebumps on her arms.

Two months. That was how long she and Sergio had been living together in Hillcrest Pine. Somedays it was too easy to forget the past Sergio and she had left behind.

They’d made a new life for themselves here. Jessie loved her job at the bookstore. To her surprise, Sergio had also taken a job in town. He now worked for a security firm. She suspected he took up a job there because the firm’s office was located only two blocks from the bookstore. Then again, that was just like her man.

She smiled as she returned to her task. That was right. Jessie could call him that now. Sergio was hers, and most of the time, he remained in her thoughts. Even though she woke up that morning with his dick buried inside her, she already missed him. His embrace, his voice, his presence. She could never get enough of him.

“Wow. You managed to unpack all those boxes by yourself?” Ted asked.

She blinked at him, then checked her watch. Almost close to 5:00 PM, the end of her shift, and Ted’s. She didn’t even realize he was standing there.

“Uh, yeah.” Jessie grabbed the empty boxes and carried them back to the storeroom. She flattened them and dumped them on a stack of emptied boxes. Ted was still hovering behind her.

“Is there something else?” she finally asked him, unnerved by his attention.

“I was wondering if you wanted to get a drink at Carver’s.”

“Oh. I don’t know.” She’d been invited by Miranda and her other coworkers for drinks before, but she always refused. Sergio always picked her up from work and besides, even though Jessie was in a new town and working a new job, aspects of her remained the same.

She still preferred being on her own. Well, of course she didn’t mind Sergio’s company. Jessie could tell her coworkers were curious about her. When asked why she moved from the city to Hillcrest Pine, she lied and told them her boyfriend got a job here. Technically, it was true. Realizing Ted waited for her answer and still gave her a hopeful look, she let out a heavy sigh.

“Pass. Sorry, Ted.”

Jessie grabbed her purse from her locker and clocked out. She wanted to grab her favorite romance author’s latest book, so she stopped by the romance corner of the store. Ted still dogged her steps.

“I’m not a bad guy, Jessie. Why don’t you give me a chance?” Ted asked.

He tailed her all the way to the cash register, which Miranda was manning. The perky twenty-something blonde looked from Ted and back to her, then shared a knowing look with Jessie. Miranda knew Jessie was taken and Jessie knew for a fact that Miranda had a crush on Ted.

“Jessie? Come on.” Ted grabbed her hand. He frowned, looking down. He’d touched the scars on her wrist. She pried her hand away.

“I have a boyfriend, Ted.” She remembered telling him this before.

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