Page 36 of Into the Blue (Shades of Vengeance #1)

I’ll be the first to admit that being Rapunzel in this tower was getting old. I missed my friends. I missed my family. I missed my freedom most of all.

After another trip to Colorado, Blue was back with big changes to recover from the most recent near-loss.

I say near-loss because Thane, a plant of ours, passed away in a car accident due to winter weather.

Like I said, men are so easy. Nina made sure that she could entice him to work with us.

From what I heard, it wasn’t that difficult to get him on our side since his loyalty was to his friend, Kitty, who was rising up Dupont's ranks. Not to Blue, or Dupont, in general.

That was going to be our package to keep, but there was no one to intercept with no directive from me or my knowledge until after the fact.

One of the changes Blue made was to replace Kitty, who was injured in the same accident that killed Thane.

It’s amazing what you’ll find out just from listening to the guards talking when they think you won’t know or understand what they’re saying.

Lonny got moved up to take Kitty’s place running, and now there are only three men on protection duty in the house.

Today, Blue says that there will be a new guard to replace him.

I’m nervous.

Over the past few weeks, I had gotten somewhat used to the guys patrolling in the house.

That seems more intense than it was. It was usually just them in all the corners of the house, occasionally walking around.

Probably to keep me out of the office, but mostly to make sure if anything were to get past the men outside, there would be no way for them to get to me on the inside .

I had to admit that a part of me enjoyed how precious Blue made me out to be to his men.

But I hated how closely I was watched because of it. I could spend time in the yard, practicing routines, working out, and taking my fill of all Blue’s favorite food places that delivered to the property. But, that wasn’t living how I wanted. I miss people and socializing. And working.

I’m stuck playing the long con and my patience is fraying.

From everything I could tell, in the tiny bit of communication I’ve been able to have, Blue doesn’t know who or what is hurting his business right now. All he knows is that it’s in danger.

Before, when I was only here because of what Junior did to me, I was in obvious danger. A danger that I know could still be very real, but not being able to leave this house is extreme even given the circumstances.

There is no doubt that Blue is both possessive and crazy.

Logically, I know it’s because he doesn’t trust me—which I don’t blame him for.

Can’t blame him for.

However, I haven’t had an opportunity to get to my burner phone and talk to Lee in the past week.

He’s gotten me a phone to replace the one he smashed, but we both know that it’ll be monitored.

With how frequently he's been taking trips, I know that she must be doing what we talked about and set up. If there is anyone who could hold things up in my absence, it’s her.

I miss her. God, I miss her so much it hurts. But I know that I need to bide my time.

Sometimes, things work in your favor and I’m hoping this new guard will. It’s not difficult work, but they will still need to get the hang of it. In that time, I hope that I’ll be able to have a conversation without someone listening in.

I sit on the couch in the sitting room at the back of the house. When Blue comes into the house, a wave of his energy expands and expands until it finally fills the sitting room. One by one, his guards follow him into the space, making it even smaller.

Trying not to appear anxious, I flip through streaming channels on the TV.

This is it. New guard incoming.

“Aight. Everybody, this is Lidia. She’ll be takin’ Lonny’s place in the rotation for the time bein’. She came highly recommended so treat her with respect.” Blue cuts a look towards me, but I’m too stunned to make any sort of smart comments right away.

It’s Lidia.

I blink several times and yes, it’s Lidia! The other men introduce themselves to her and exchange their introductions or whatever.

Poker face, Rocky.

Finally, I get my shit together and snark, “Great, another guard. Should I jump for joy?”

“You know what I need from you and it ain’t jumpin’,” he says.

I roll my eyes and continue flicking through my options on the screen. “I’ll have my ass planted right here until I’m ready to work out tonight. Like usual.” My head tilts to the side with my sarcastic smile.

The obnoxious ringtone for Redd blares into the room, cutting him off from responding in a meaningful way. Instead, he kisses my forehead before walking off to take his call.

I don’t know how he fucked this up, but I’m never been more happy to see anyone in my life. The other men are still talking amongst each other when Lidia sends me a sly smile.

Oh yea.

This is gonna be good.

Several hours have passed of me watching a couples dating show before I finally get off of the couch and go look for Blue. I wanted to talk to Lidia but I’ve come too far to blow whatever purpose she’s here to serve. I have time to investigate that in the future.

Walking down the darkened hallway, it doesn’t take me long to find him. The smoke room was empty and there is no light coming from the front of the house.

He sits on the bed without a shirt on. Only a loose pair of grey joggers. He’s leaned forward with two of his locs in hand. It doesn’t get easier for me to see his scars on display. Knowing what I know. I feel like shit in more ways than one.

“What are you doing?” I ask from the doorway.

“Retwist,” he says, wrapping a rubber band around the ends of the two locs he had in his hands.

“Oh.” Taking the few steps to the bed I sit next to him. “You’ll probably think it’s silly. But I thought you went to a salon or something.”

“Why would I think that’s silly?” He looks at me a beat and I pick at my cuticle, instantly regretting what I’ve said. “Ah,” is all he says. His smug grin making my own turn down.

“What is that?” I say, pointing to his face.

“Should really get your jealousy under control.”

“Me?” I scoff. “It’s a… safety thing.”

He gives me a look and I’m taken back to the night he saw my first glimmers of jealousy flare. In an attempt to divert from being found out, I had let it slip. I wasn’t normally a jealous person, but Blue was mine.

Mine?

My mark.

Of course.

“Uh-huh,” he retorts. After securing his final twist with a rubber band, he grimaces. Holding his hand, he starts to massage them.

Sitting on the bed, I instinctively reach for his big hand. “Do they–”

“It’s fine. Just been overworking them.” He doesn’t pull his hand from mine.

Following the line of his scar above the most prominent of them, I apply pressure with my thumbs to the tension there. Slowly I make my way up his forearm to his thumb.

His head falls back and he rolls his neck, locs splaying behind his head. “Fuuuck that feels good. How do you know how to do that? ”

“Pole dancing is a sport like you wouldn’t believe.

Our grip strength is important in many ways.

This is a recovery massage we learned pretty early on.

” I press into his palm where the thumb connects, moving my thumbs away from each other.

Over and over again until I reach the top of his thumb.

Repeating the massage for each of his fingers.

He’s relaxed back onto the bed before I finish, boneless and relieved.

“This next one, is really gonna get you,” I preface before I interlace my fingers with his. It takes both of my hands intertwined with one of his to be able to stretch his palm and fingers. The groan that rolls out of him makes me press my thighs together.

When I release his hand, he scoops me up into his arms, hands on my ass. “You know I’m never lettin’ you leave me now, right?”

I manage to tap my chin as I ask him. “When were you letting me leave again?”

His eyes gleam before he kisses my forehead. “Wanna take you somewhere.”

With my hands on his chest I hold his downward gaze. “Like a date?”

“Somethin’ like that.”

It had been weeks since I left this property. Tonight, I’m going all out to finally stretch my legs.

We arrive at a restaurant that I could only describe as luxe.

All four guards come with us to the restaurant, but we leave in two cars.

Both Marcell and Lidia sit in the front of Blue’s night black Maybach in their standard guard clothing, so I didn’t have many clues to where we could have been going.

This though, was far more luxurious than I was expecting, I’m happy that I had dressed for a true date.

Another thing I was able to do with few limitations was shop online. At first I bought silly things that I thought might irritate him, but he never said anything when the obnoxious flamingo inflatable pool float chair arrived. Even though it's the middle of winter—and he has no pool .

Then I really started buying things I liked. A few new outfits to replace the ones that he had shredded with his knife.

Then I found designer ateliers that would take your measurements online for custom orders.

This one I bought on a whim because the model looked fantastic in it.

The fabric shimmered like my club clothes but not nearly as cheap looking.

Thankful that I was able to have it tailored now because I’ll actually be able to show it off.

The slinky black dress hugged my every curve until it reached my ankles.

Brand new red-bottom spike heels let the long line of the dress shine without me tripping on every step.

I absolutely looked the part of a woman who would be eating at a place like this.

I had also purchased a smaller clutch for the evening that was just large enough for me to slip my burner phone into it along with my other things.

I hadn’t worn makeup for a long time with nowhere to go, but tonight I was primed, blended, lined and highlighted to perfection.

Using the highest setting on my flat iron, I straightened my hair and added an elegant curl to the ends.

I needed so much humidity-proof serum to make sure it didn’t expand as soon as we walked out of the house.

A little bit of edge control gel finished my look off, swooping my baby hairs back into the straight style.

She cut zero corners, is what I’m saying!

She is me.

If looks could kill…

Marcell opens his door but Blue is the one to open mine. I step out of the car and take in the sight before me.

When Blue had come out of the bathroom, hairline edged up and crisp down to his beard that had been trimmed… I knew I was done for. His hair was twisted up neatly and he smelled like my legs were going to spread or maybe I needed to bend over right then and there.

It took me a little longer to realize he was in a pressed black shirt and slacks. I had never seen him in anything other than lounge wear or the tactical clothing he wore when he was working. This look… was… lethal. He looked much too good for my ovaries to take .

Standing in the mirror with him behind me, I knew I need to get a picture of the two of us. I pulled my dummy phone out of my bag and snapped a few. We looked good together.

Better than good.

We looked right–like we belonged together . It's the same thought I had in room five all those weeks ago. It felt inappropriate then and now it feels even more so.

In my heels, our height difference was a little less pronounced so he didn’t have to bend as long as he normally did. Blue’s lips pressed to my neck as his hands rested on my hips. I snapped the photo at the moment my shoulders relaxed.

Looking back at the picture, I couldn’t help but confirm—we look like we belong together.

A King and his Queen.