Page 58 of Collide

Tears welled in my eyes as I snatched the phone and read the policereport. Joe had been accused of countless offenses against young girls aged between ten and fourteen. Not just accused, the evidence gathered against him was there in black and white in the police report Kai had accessed.

It didn’t take a genius to work out that when we met Joe, Angel wouldhave been too young for his preferences, and I would have been too old. But had he survived to see another year, Angel would have been the perfect age. The thought sickened me to my stomach.

All this time I had been thinking Joe was a hero, taking two younggirls off the street to give them a better life, all the while ruining the lives of other young girls. Fuck, what if he had hurt Angel? I never would have been able to forgive myself.

My stomach churned, the nice steak I’d not long devoured lookedlike it was going to make a reappearance. I turned to look at Kai who was watching me intently.

“I….I can’t believe this,” I whispered. Kai took his phone out of myhand and repocketed it.

“I’m sorry, Riley. But I thought you ought to know. He wasn’t the manyou thought he was, and he certainly didn’t deserve to have your affection.” There was some emotion back in Kai’s voice, a mix between anger and regret.

“I didn’t know. There was nothing that made me think he wasanything but a kind man helping us. How did I not see it?” The shock was beginning to wear off, but instead of feeling anger orbetrayal, I felt numb.

“He was a clever man. It took the authorities years to find out whatwas going on. He moved his victims around to different places, he was never caught with them, that’s why it took so long to gather the evidence against him. There’s no way you could have known.”

The tears that had been threatening finally slid down my cheek. Kaitook my hand again and pulled me against his firm body. I went willingly, needing to feel something other than this numbness. He dropped my hand and instead cupped my face with both of his large palms, tilting my face up to his. With a thumb, he tenderly brushed away my tears.

“I wish I had the opportunity to kill that man with my bare hands,Riley, his death was too easy.” He sounded murderous again, but this time, I couldn’t blame him.

It surprised me when the thought thatIwanted to kill Joe popped intomy head.

“I remember when the case broke, Theo and I took care of some ofthe other dirty cunts in the ring, but I’d love nothing more than to bring Joe Mason back from the grave and inflict the sort of pain he inflicted on innocent girls,” Kai whispered.

He was so close to me, all I could focus on was the touch of histhumb on my cheek and his words that shouldn’t have been comforting, but they were. They really were.

We stared at each other for a minute, neither saying anything. Hewas so close that I could smell the champagne on his breath, and I was suddenly overwhelmed with wanting a taste.My eyes drifted to his lips and I found myself silently begging him tomove closer, wanting to feel them pressed against mine,needingto know how he tasted.

He swallowed and ever so slowly, he inched forward.

My eyes drifted closed when his mouth was mere millimeters awayfrom mine.

And then his blasted phone rang.

Chapter 17

Kai

“Thishadbetterbefucking good,” I snapped at the cunt who had justinterrupted my moment with Riley. I wasthisclose to finally getting a taste of that perfect mouth.

I’d answered in such a hurry I didn’t even take the time toacknowledge who was calling.

“Boss, we have a problem down at warehouse 4. You need to getover here now,” Miles rushed down the phone.

Warehouse 4 was my weapons warehouse and I knew Miles wouldnever disturb me unless it was something serious. Talk about the worst fucking timing. I looked at Riley before stepping away, her beautiful face etched in disappointment.

I knew the fucking feeling.

She looked absolutely breathtaking tonight. The spa had donewonders for her, and she was glowing when she stepped out of the car.

And that dress,fuck me,it clung to her like a second skin, showing offevery single curve and flashing her luscious toned leg. It had taken every bit of willpower not to storm over to her, bend her over the car, and fuck her into oblivion.

I’d made a promise to myself after Miles’ little pep talk that I wasgoing to do whatever it took to win Riley over and recover from the fuck up of the ultimatum I’d given her over Blaze.I couldn’t tell her I would never force myself on her, I needed tohave something to hold over her, I was a manipulative bastard after all, but I was determined more than ever to win her over, and if that meant playing nice and making her think I was a decent guy, then so be it. Hence why I’d arranged for her to be treated like a fucking princess today.

The way she looked at me when she got out of the car, I knew I’ddone something right.

“What the fuck is the problem?” I growled, still fucking furious mynight was being interrupted, and not at all understanding why I paid Miles to do a job when he clearly couldn’t fucking do it.

“It’s bad, Boss. Luis attacked one of the workers, one of the women.Apparently, it’s not the first time, but the girl is threatening to go to the authorities.”

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