Page 31 of The Daredevil

Beauty can’t be bought, bitch.

The energy of those awful words pierced me like a twisting knife until I doubled over with a stomachache. I stumbled to the couch, rubbing the side of my stomach to ease the anxiety.

Who would do this? My first thought shot to Fiona. Could it be her? It wouldn’t be hard for her to find out where I lived. She probably lived around the area, too, since it was close to NewYou Beauty Headquarters.

Fiona could be vindictive. Was this her way of scaring me away from the project?

Anger bubbled in me. This childish act motivated me to finish the project, making it shine so brightly that it dulled hers.

My phone rang and startled me.

Royce’s name flashed on my screen, and I picked it up.

“Hello?” I said with a shaky breath.

“Are you okay?”

“Someone just threw a rock through my window.”

“What? I’ll be right over. Don’t touch anything.” He ended the call.

Too late for that. I stared at the rock and the crumpled note. Placing the phone down on the coffee table, I tried to calm my breathing so I could notify the landlord about the damage. The chilly night breeze entered the window, and I shivered.

A few minutes later, a knock sounded on my door. With caution,I walked over and peeked through the peephole. Relief bloomed when Royce’s face stared back at me.

I opened the door, and he filled the space with warmth and safety.

In his black sweatshirt and gray pants, he stepped inside and placed a gentle hand on my arm, soothing my nerves.

“Are you okay?” His gaze searched my face, then down my body.

“I think so. It just surprised me.”

He stepped inside. “Show me where.”

I led him to the living room window, and he looked out into the street like I had done.

Grabbing the broom from the kitchen closet, I prepared to sweep up the shattered glass, but Royce stopped me. “Don’t touch it. I’m calling the police, and they’ll need to review the crime scene as is. I’ll help you clean up after.”

Royce pulled out his phone and called the police, speaking in Icelandic and then English. I watched as he moved around my living room, glancing at the other windows and giving details to the police. As I studied how he took care of things, I realized no man had ever done that for me. Not with this much efficiency.

I didn’t even need to ask him. He heard my fear through the phone and rushed over.

He glanced at the rock on the coffee table and reviewed the note beside it.

Reading the note, Royce turned to me with furrowed eyebrows while still in conversation with the police. “See you soon. Thanks.”

Then he called someone else. “Oskar, how you feeling?”

His adaptability, readiness, and focus told me he was a man in charge. He was used to multitasking and delegating. I shouldn’t be surprised since he owned a successful excursion company. It still baffled me that I didn’t know this about him in all the years I’d known him.

Oskar said something that made Royce smile, and something warm blossomed in my chest.

“Since you can’t leave the house and want to work, I have a job for you. Can you get the maintenance team to repair the window in Michelle’s apartment as soon as possible? Some asshole just smashed it.”

While listening to Oskar’s response, Royce pursed his lips and peered outside again.

“She’s okay. I’ve got her.” He whirled back to face me, and our eyes met. I swore the insides of my stomach shifted at the power of his gaze. “Thanks. Keep me posted.”

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