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I halt immediately, rooted to the spot as I turn and stare back at Alto kneeling on the floor and wiping his bloody nose. Something about the twisted glee in his eyes sets my heart racing, and a deep sense of dread pulls through my gut.“Alto…what did you do?”

He cackles again. “Checkmate, you little cunt.”

15

JASMINE

“This is the lounge. The kitchen is right there, as you can see, and through that door is the bedroom with an adorable en suite.”

Smiling brightly, I turn to Catherine and hold out my arms to emphasize just how amazing this new apartment is, but it’s not working.

Not entirely.

My father made it clear that Catherine couldn’t stay with us for long, and with her parents out of town, the only option was to get her a place where she would feel safe and secure, and away from Seth.

Far away from Seth, actually. He’d be dead but that’s against Catherine’s wishes.

For now.

So, thanks to the clerk who called the cops after he hit me with his car, he’s still out in the city claiming he’s being stalked and harassed with the cops on his side instead of Catherine’s. He’s technically correct since I have one of my men tailing him like a shadow with orders to fuck with him every so often justso he knows that he’s not alone. And he will never be alone. Not after what he did to her.

“Are you sure about this?” Catherine’s hands come together at her middle and tangle her fingers. “I can’t imagine what a place like this costs.”

“Don’t worry,” I assure her, stepping forward and taking her hands in mine. “I told you, this is to help you recover, and I want you safe. I’d keep you at my house if I could, but you know my father.” Rolling my eyes, I pat her forearm and then draw her in for a swift cuddle. “Here you will be safe. Seth is never coming near you ever again, and I’m going to keep one of my guys outside for a while, okay? I promise you will be okay. This is a fresh start for you.”

Cupping her face, I briefly kiss her forehead.

Catherine looks at me with shining eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Shut up, yes you do. Now go and unpack your bags while I cook us some dinner, and then I’m going to tell youallabout how crazy my mother has become about this wedding.”

The guilt about what happened to Catherine still weighs on me. It’s a glimpse at how powerless I am despite my best efforts. Protecting my friends is supposed to be easy, but I never clocked that Seth was a twisted little bastard. I want him dead, but until I can do that without losing Catherine, I just have to torture him countless times in my mind.

She scurries off to the bedroom to unpack, and I take over the kitchen cooking up some cheeseburgers and hand-cut fries that crisp up beautifully in the air fryer. By the time the food is ready, Catherine returns in comfy clothes and already looking much more relaxed than when I first brought her here. Settling in will be hard, but I will make sure this place becomes her home. We eat on the couch, and I fill her in on every exhausting story about my mother and her obsession with the wedding.

From dress shopping to hiring expensive designers to build something from scratch, arguments with florists over color schemes and plants, table designs, cake tasting, and more; she’s become a bit of a monster, and through it all she’s been furious with my father over his lack of interest since in her eyes, it’s his fault. Catherine drinks up every detail like my family is her latest daytime soap and expresses her sympathies that my mother has turned into a bridezilla. But as crazy as she is, it’s nice to have her focused on something like this.

She hasn’t been floaty in at least a week, which is a new record. I keep the conversation as light as I can and we talk long into the night until Catherine starts to yawn, signaling the end of my night.

“Do you want me to sleep over?”

“No,” Catherine yawns, patting my thigh as she stands. “You’ve already done more than enough.”

“If you’re sure.”

She turns to face me and points at the door. “I’m sure. Now, go home.”

“Well you’ll call me if anything happens.”

“Yes.”

“Even if you just want to talk.”

“Yes.

“And you have the number of the bodyguard.”

“Yes. Jasmine. I love you. Get out.”