Page 50 of Runaway Bride for the Boss

Noah curses behind me, moving away from the fucker’s knees as I wipe my gloved hand clean on Richard’s shirt. “What is it?” I ask him.

“He fucking pissed himself,” he says in disgust.

I shake my head as I walk into the kitchen. I wash the remaining gore and blood off my gloved hands, then pat them dry with a dish towel. When I’m done, I remove the gloves,putting them into my pocket. I walk to the table in the living room and pack up my tool box.

“Come on, we don’t have time to dally. We have two more folks to get to,” I tell Noah.

“You’re taking the girl’s eye too?” Noah raises his brow at me as we make our way back to the car.

“No.” The Beaufort code draws the line at kids and women. We aren’t above threats, but I’d never lay a hand on either. Honor between thieves and all that. “I have something special prepared for her.”

Everly Smith, or rather Everly Morgan, is happily in love. She got married a couple of months ago and she’s pregnant too. So poor Mr. Morgan will have to take the punishment for her. A lesser one, of course, considering he’s likely innocent in her crimes, but something brutal enough that she will regret ever crossing paths with my Autumn.

I barely makeit back in time for lunch with Autumn since I have to go home to change. I wave a hand at Greg to stop him from getting out of the driver’s seat. I’ll get her door myself.

“You’re late,” Autumn complains as she gets into the back of my Rolls.

“I’m sorry, baby. I had something to take care of,” I apologize as I lean forward to help her pull on her seatbelt.

“I can do it myself.” She tries to slap my hands away, but I don’t let her. “Andrea is watching,” she finally growls. I don’t let her words stop me. I pull the belt firmly across her body and click it into place.

When I close the door, I glance at the balcony, where sure enough my sister is watching with a serene smile. I frown at heras I wonder if she’s sick or something. She waves cheerfully at me. I tilt my head.

“Go on,” she mouths to shoo me. I just shake my head at her. Maybe Ezra’s crazy finally rubbed off on her.

“How was the move?” I ask Autumn when I’m in the car and Greg pulls away from the curb.

She shrugs. “It was okay. We only had a few clothes at your place so it’s not like we had to do any heavy lifting. Plus a cleaning crew came in this morning.”

Yeah, the cleaning crew I sent. “Good.” It will be unsettling coming back to an empty house tonight. She and Andrea only spent a little over a week there, but somehow she filled it with her presence. She’ll be back there soon enough if I have my way, and I will. I always do.

Greg pulls into the parking lot of the Marina, a great restaurant with exceptional food and atmosphere. Although it looks unremarkable from here, the view inside is unparalleled. It rivals the view of the water I have from my room. Autumn follows me quietly through the front door. I nod at the hostess as I weave my way through the restaurant to the upper deck overlooking the water. Autumn gasps softly as she glances around.

“This is so beautiful,” she says.

“It’s one of the best restaurants in town. I hope you like seafood.” I take her to an enclosed private dining area toward the back of the deck with seating for two. I drag back her chair and nod for her to be seated. She murmurs a “thanks” as she sits down. I gently push the chair forward and signal to a waiter to bring us my favorite bottle of champagne. It’s cool out, but the overhead heaters and outdoor fireplace make it comfortable. I place a blanket over Autumn’s knees for good measure.

She can’t seem to take her eyes off the gleaming water and the trees with brown and burnt orange leaves tucked into thefoot of the hill just beyond the water. “You should see how it looks at sunset.”

That’s one of the main reasons I wanted to have dinner with her here, but I have to admit lunch works better for what I have in mind for today.

A young man approaches and wordlessly pours us two glasses of champagne before placing the bottle on ice. “Are you ready for your meal, sir?” He wisely keeps his gaze on me.

I glance at Autumn, who is still taking in her surroundings. “Yes, bring everything out as it’s ready.” She looks at me confused, as there’s no menu on the table.

“Very good, sir,” Daniel says, “I’ll be back soon.”

I lift my champagne in a silent toast. Autumn does the same as she narrows her eyes at me. “Trust me,” I say.

True to his word Daniel is back in a few minutes. He carefully places the dishes in front of us and then he’s gone.

“That was fast. What is this?” Autumn asks, frowning at her food.

“I called ahead with our order. I don’t like to wait. Lobster mac and cheese. It’s incredible,” I assure her. She nods. A gust of chilly wind blows and she shivers. The weak sun is no competition for the chill that had descended into the town after the hailstorm last night. I stand to turn up the heaters that surround us and wrap a second blanket around her back.

As my hands run gently over her shoulders, I notice the subtle move of her head to the side, exposing her elegant neck. I take the opportunity to lean down and place a delicate kiss on her soft skin. She gasps in surprise, clearly not realizing that she made the movement, but I take it as a clear sign of trust to expose such a vulnerable area to me. Her subconscious even knows she’s mine.

I move back around to my seat and watch her enjoy her food. Her hair is hanging loosely around her face and draped over oneshoulder. Her natural curls a little unruly – just the way I like them. She’s wearing a pair of tight jeans that cling to her curves and a thick sweater that is a bit loose but still grazes her ample breasts; breasts that I had my mouth all over last night. When my gaze moves back to her face, her cheeks are flushed and I can’t help the smile that pulls at my lips. Her response to my attention is addictive.

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