Page 3 of Imperial: The Corvidae Family

Chapter

Three

Baylyn.

The past couple hours had me stressing. My thoughts spiraled through the rest of the event circling back over and over again to that one moment…

I watched a man get shot.

And his body was still here cold, stiff and undiscovered while I smiled at people like I hadn’t been there when it happened. I witnessed a murder, and the man who pulled the trigger saw me…

My feet were rooted to the floor and my fingers were frozen around the edges of my iPad.

My lungs refused to function properly and my heart was still slamming against my ribs like it was trying to break free.

I knew something was off about that man when we locked eyes in the alley earlier and fuck, now I had physical proof.

He was a killer…

I saw him do it then his sexy ass walked right past me like I didn’t even matter. Like literally no warning or anything. Just that damn smirk and shit, it was sexy.

Why do I keep acknowledging how sexy he is? What is wrong with me?

I closed my eyes briefly, trying to force my brain to find some damn sense. I witnessed a murder and was crushing on the man who pulled the trigger.

Because why the hell wouldn’t I?

I was damn sure feeling the arrogance of how he adjusted his suit jacket before walking away like he had simply finished a business meeting. Yep, I need to seek professional help…

My stomach twisted but for the wrong reasons.

I focused on the voices that drifted from the ballroom and pulled my life together.

I stepped back into the main event space, moving toward the staff entrance, trying to control the way my fingers kept clutching my iPad like it would ground me.

No matter how sexy that man was, he was a walking red flag.

People were still doing their thing inside because they had no idea that down the hall in a private access area a man was lying in a pool of his own blood.

I damn sure wasn’t going to be the one to tell them and have to answer questions about how he ended up there.

I didn’t know shit and wasn’t saying shit.

That’s a lie, Baylyn. You know his face, those intense eyes, those pretty lips, and that damn beard that had my fingers itching to drag through it.

Exhaling a sigh, I rolled my shoulders back and looked around the event space. Cami was near the catering station so I crossed the room needing someone to keep my mind off him and she frowned as soon as her eyes locked on my face.

“You look like you just saw a ghost.”

Close.

Fake it. Pretend nothing happened.

“I’m fine. It’s just been a long night.”

“We do this for a living, girl. Long nights are our thing but you look like you’re about to tap out.”

“I’m tired, hungry and these people are aggravating as hell. I’ll grab some of these overpriced hors d’oeuvres in a second and I’ll be fine.”

She nodded and grinned. “Yeah, I’ve been killing those damn sausage balls.”

I was about to make sure she was being discrete because the last thing we needed was complaints about us eating instead of working but, a waiter interrupted us. “Ms. Andrews, the guest at table eight is asking for you.”

I nodded automatically. “I’m coming.”

I moved on autopilot. Smiling. Handling last-minute requests. Checking in with the catering team but no matter how busy I was my mind kept circling back to the same thought.

Him…

I had no clue why he killed that man but what bothered me the most was the way he looked at me.

Amusement . He found the entire situation entertaining.

I was a puzzle he was considering playing with later and my crazy ass wanted that.

I was caught in the gravitational pull of something dark and reckless.

A sexy ass man with a gun. I groaned in annoyance and focused on getting through the rest of the night.

The moment this event ended I was going home to lock my door and pretend none of this happened.

Things wrapped up around one in the morning. After finalizing the night’s closing details and ensuring everything had been cleaned up, I left feeling exhausted. The staff parking lot was mostly empty and too damn quiet which had my mind spiraling again.

I pulled my keys from my bag and paused for a second before glancing over my shoulder. What if he was out here?

Girl, stop tripping. That man is long gone and damn sure not worried about you. But…

That uneasy feeling was still there, like I was being watched however it was likely just me being in my head.

Stop it, Baylyn. You’re freaking yourself out.

I got into my car and locked the doors, feeling a little more settled. Tomorrow I planned on waking up, going to work, and convincing myself tonight never happened. He didn’t exist. A man like that didn’t show his face twice. There was no way he would ever show up in my life again.

And that made me sad because my crazy ass wanted him too.

The next morning I woke up groaning at the sunlight that crept through my blinds. For a second, I was back to my normal boring life and then it hit me. The hallway. The body.

Him .

I smiled into my pillow with his unfairly handsome face burned into my memory.

He was lethal and relaxed and so damn arrogant.

I forced myself out of bed and into the shower, hoping hot water would wash away the insanity I was currently existing in.

It didn’t and by the time I left for work I was distracted as hell.

The drive was typical with me singing loudly and badly to my favorite songs.

Luckily traffic wasn’t too terrible because I made it to work half an hour later.

Haute Events’ was a standalone building with office spaces in the front and an attached event space in the back which we occasionally used for smaller functions, so there was a massive parking lot to accommodate when necessary.

I found a spot near the front knowing my heels were going to give me hell today.

I had been at Haute for three years and loved it. I put in time, built my skills, earned Tae’s trust, and finally reached the point where I could plan smaller events on my own.

After locking my car, I was on my way to the door, already mentally planning my day. I moved through the building greeting people but when I dropped into the chair behind my desk my mind was still scattered.

Get to work, Bay. You have shit to do…

I did just that and managed to survive my morning. Barely…

Hours later I hadn’t done a damn thing productive. Most of my time was spent staring blankly at my laptop screen. My iced coffee sat untouched with condensation pooling on my desk next to my planner and stack of sticky notes.

My moral compass was unbalanced.

I felt like shit because I should have called the police. A man died, but calling the police wasn’t going to change that. I had walked away and pretended it didn’t happen because the man who looked straight into my eyes and smiled daring me to react was not someone you called the police on.

He made people disappear. I was too damn cute to end up on his bad side so I decided it was best to mind the business that paid me. I shook the thought away because I had work to do and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about last night.

I dragged my laptop closer, logged into my schedule and decided to get some work done. I was mid-email when Cami peeked in, looking annoyingly relaxed. She dropped into the chair across from me, drinking a smoothie. “Okay. Spill. Why do you look like you need a confessional?”

I laughed. “Probably because you think that everyone else’s lives are just as sketchy as yours. I’m tired.”

She grinned. “I live my best life. No shame and you don’t get tired, Bay. You’re the ‘I function on three hours of sleep and caffeine’ type.”

“Last night was longer than usual and those people were doing too much.”

She still looked suspicious but let it go. “Tae wants us both on the Westfield Fundraiser. I don’t know how these rich people keep finding reasons to throw million-dollar dinners, but at least it’s in the city.”

I must have zoned out because she was calling my name. “Sorry. What?”

She hit me with an amused look. “Damn, I need whatever was in your wine last night. You’re completely out of it.”

“Yeah, I think I just need food and caffeine.” I pointed to my iced coffee. “I wasted that.”

“Then let’s get lunch. You know I hate eating alone.”

Normally, I would have agreed but today I needed silence and not her random thoughts clouding my own. More than anything I wanted to sit somewhere alone to regroup.

“You go ahead,” I said, grabbing my planner and flipped it open. “I have to finish a few things first.”

Cami rolled her eyes but didn’t push. “Fine, be selfish. You want me to bring you something back?”

“Nope I’m good. Thank you.”

I managed to focus and by late afternoon, I needed a break. I grabbed my bag and dipped out of the office, heading toward the Brewed Bean which was a block away. I just needed five minutes to myself and a caffeine fix but the second I stepped inside something was off.

It was that same feeling I had last night and it didn’t take long to know why. He was here, sitting in a corner booth, coffee in hand, legs set wide in a kingly display like he owned the damn place. And looking right at me.

His expression was amused, like he had been waiting for me. He lifted his cup but kept his eyes locked in like he was preparing for my reaction.

Turn around and walk away. Pretend you don’t recognize him, Baylyn.

Oh hell…

Nope, too easy. My feet betrayed me and I walked right to him. I stopped at the edge of his table, forcing myself to keep my posture confident. Up close, he was even more sexy.

Damn this man is fine, fine…