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He grazes my cheek with his fingers and rubs his thumb over my bottom lip. I keep my eyes fixed on his as he speaks.

“Just know that if you let another man touch you, it’ll be the last thinghe does.”

A tremble swims through my body from his chilling threat. He will kill someone. For me.

I nod, acknowledging his threat, and he steps aside to let me leave. I hesitate slightly, but decide to start walking. I make it to the main trail quickly, but I don’t miss the sound of footsteps behind me.

Oh, right. He has to hike down the trail too.

I cross my arms in front of my chest as I walk down the path. My thoughts are scattered. Guilt is taking over. I should never have come here. I should have fought harder. What the fuck is wrong with me? Then the voice inside my head, which I fight to suppress, grows louder.You like him. You crave the danger. Just give in. He is different.Fucking Hell.

We walk in silence for the entire hour, just before the darkness takes over the sky. I get into my car and lock my doors as if that would stop him. I look out into the deserted lot and see him getting onto his bike. Of all things, he would ride a Ducati. I roll my eyes and slide my bag onto the floor, but something lies in the seat next to me—a small package, wrapped in matte black paper.

I open up the package to reveal a velvet case. I carefully open the case, and inside it rests a dainty gold necklace with diamonds spaced apart every inch or so. It’s beautiful. There was no note, but I can only assume it is from him.

I slip the necklace out and fasten it around my neck. I don’t even know why I am wearing it. It’s not like he is being nice to me. He is trying to love bomb me or something. I’ll accept it only because he fucking owes me. The necklace sits almost snugly, leaving little room for my fingers to slip between the metal and my flesh—It’s damn near a choker. I shouldn’t be surprised. I start my car and begin my journey home.

I am drowning in a sea of danger, and the only person I want to save me isthe Devil— because the Devil knows how to make me feel good. Even if it’s only temporary, maybe it’s worth a shot.

7

The MaskedMan

She’s so fucking perfect. The moment I tasted her, I knew it was game over. This isn’t a game anymore. The way her body melted into mine, and her soft moan haunted the air around me. Fuck. It’s been a week, and I still can’t get the sound out of my head. She’s lucky I restrained myself, and I didn’t dismantle her right there on the forest floor.

She was too easy to follow, and it was the perfect place to show her who she belongs to now—me. She will worship me by the time I am done with her.But maybe you’ll never be done with her?The thought crosses my mind briefly. I have never had an obsession this strong before. She is a fucking drug, and I am the addict who will kill for it. I know one thing is for sure— I will kill any motherfucker who touches her.

She probably didn’t take my threat seriously, but she should. She should know that whatever man touches her will end up six feet under. That will weigh heavily on her conscience—but I don’t give a fuck.

I want to let her continue to infiltrate my thoughts, but work keeps me busy. I’ve become my dad’s right-hand man. Have been since the day he made me prove my loyalty. I’ve held our family name well, and I am proud to carry it. No one messes with a Voss. I have been staying in Colorado more frequently after some shit that went down in SoCal.

There are always rats to be killed. Lucien has been telling me I’ve been slacking on jobs lately, but I haven’t. If anything, he has. Astra constantly likes to go off on a bender, and he is right there to take care of her. He is so pussy whipped. He’s lucky his dad is more lenient than mine.

His family transports drugs across states, countries, and continents. My family kills anyone who tries to fuck that up. It’s a partnership where we all win. My family is essentially a network of hit men who aren’t afraid to do anything at any given time. Even if it involves killing our own. We have a handful of guys that work for us, but none of them are ever actually in our circle. We tell them the bare minimum and send them on their way. Lucien and I are the ones who address the most imminent threats. We can’t afford to have some stupid fuck mess it all up. I’ve really become insufferable as of lately.

I need a release. I stopped fucking with whores when I laid eyes on Evelyn 8 months ago. I saw her at the coffee shop near the outside of campus with Astra and Lucien. Her long brunette hair and fierce green eyes engulfed me. It’s not just superficial. It’s everything about her. The way she constantly keeps herself in check, never straying towards unknown territory. Until now. She doesn’t even know who I am, but I know her. I know everything there is to know about her.

I told Lucien that I was watching her on the cameras, but that’s not the worst part. The worst part is that I have to go out of my way every day to make sure she doesn’t do anything reckless. Not that she has before, but now, I have teased her. Now, she will crave more. The problem is that it can only be me. The second she thinks she can have anyone she wishes is the second I remind her who the fuck she belongs to.

There is, however, a small problem. I can’t pull in just anyone. My family name is prestigious, and my father wants me to marry some whorewhose dad has a lot of money, and also happens to be in our line of work. I said fuck that. I told him I had a better idea. My father knows I’d never do anything stupid, so he told me I had one year. That brings me to where I am today.

I have five months left to figure it the fuck out, and a part of me wants to keep Evelyn. I would rather wake up everyday to her innocent eyes than that cunt Lacey. She fucks anything with a pulse. Her standards are nonexistent.

I’ve been sitting in this parking garage for 2 hours now. We have a situation that requires investigation. So now, I wait with my camera open, ready to take photos of the dead man walking.

I see the door of a vehicle open near the opposite end of the parking garage. He turns his head, scanning the cars to see if anyone is watching. Idiot. He is fucking blind, but that’s the problem. He is careless. He thought he could kill our men and not get caught. He wants to be in charge of our operations, and that’ll never fucking happen.

Bastian Cross. I fucking knew it. Fucking bastard is always acting like the prodigal son when he’s nothing more than a rat. I take my photos, waiting for them to get in their cars and head off in separate directions. Then I pull out of the garage and head to my father. He’s going to love this.

* * *

I pull up to my father’s house and storm through the front door.

“Guess who is fucking with our money!” I shout.

My dad opens his office door looking pissed as usual. I enter, and he closes it behind me. Pacing the room, I tell him, “Bastian Cross, Dad. The motherfucker I told you was a snake four years ago.”

“How do you know it’s him?”