Page 51 of Invisible String (The Underground #1)

RAINEY

T he chatter of the patrons fills the room fluidly.

“Thank you, Rain. That means a lot.” I swear I see a tad of red on his cheeks.

“To answer your question…” He sighs. He puts his hands behind his head, his arms flexing.

“I was in a bad place all around. I mentioned to you I didn’t have a home.

All I had was what was in my car—just clothes.

I lost my apartment and my job. My dad stopped being a parent the day my mom died.

My phone line was cut off mid-driving back.

When I arrived in Vegas, I stayed with Carlos, my trainer.

I’m not sure if I spoke to you about him.

He’s like a father figure in my life. He’s been there for me since the age of sixteen. I don’t have a family, Rainey.”

A wirelike compress between my chest and my heart is suffocating the air out of me. He doesn’t have brothers or sisters like I do. “Did your father pass?” I whisper.

He leans forward, pressing his elbows on the table.

“No, the bastard is still alive. My father is a drunk, and I don’t know my relatives.

We were never close.” He takes a sip of the smoothie and continues.

“Back to when I returned. I found a job that didn’t pay much.

I enrolled in a couple of college courses.

I’m pretty damn good with my fists, so when I heard someone talking about the Underground fighting ring, I gave it a shot.

The amount of money increased with every fight.

It paid for my schooling, and I rented an apartment.

Over time, I built my company. Then I bought a house.

I still did amateur boxing in order to go pro.

I needed a fight record. This is what I’ve been doing,” he says, averting his gaze toward the window.

“Why a security company? I thought you’d open a gym.” I tuck my hands between my legs to keep myself from wrapping my arms around him to comfort him. He said he didn’t have a family, but he had me. Didn’t he see that he had me?

His leg brushes mine, and the heat in his touch makes me weak. His lips tip up into a smirk while my eyes soften in dreamy lust. “You really want to know?” He laughs.

That gets me out of the dreamy state. “Yeah, now I really need to know.”

“To find you. We install surveillance systems in store parking lots, in stores, and in hotels. You get what I mean. I’m not a man of social media, but I made an account to find you.

At least look at your photos and know you were okay.

But you didn’t have one, or I couldn’t find you.

Opening my security surveillance system seemed like a great idea. ” He stares at me, waiting…

Not what I was expecting him to do in this profession, to search for me.

I’m unsure if I should be flattered into awe or strangle him.

He let me go. This man confuses the shit out of me.

Why did he have a change of heart? It doesn’t matter, anyway.

I said I would hear him out and keep my wall until I could trust him with my heart. His gaze searches my parted lips.

“You’re telling me that for the past several years, you’ve sat and watched every camera day and night? That’s a lot of snooping.”

His shoulders relax. “I don’t have that kind of time. And I don’t have access to all the cameras, only the ones they use from my business. And I would glance at the places I would think you’d be at.”

“Didn’t you say you would need permission to access their cameras? It’s a violation.” I raise a brow at him, my lips curved.

He licks his lips, lowering his head closer to mine.

“You don’t understand, tesoro. When it comes to you, I’ll break any violation.

Fuck the law. They fucked me over. You’re my law.

The only one I want to oblige. My temple .

There is no one above you or below you. There’s only you .

I’d tear the world apart until I find you. ” His thumb caresses my cheek.

I close my eyes to hold the tears in. He’s revealing all his emotions to me. They are the hottest and most seductive words. Crack. A narrow stone wall collapses. It’s too late; I’ve let it slip. I keep the surrounding walls from falling.

“I…I don’t know what to say.”

He kisses my knuckles. “It’s okay. Save those words for when you’re ready.” His phone buzzes. He checks it and sighs. “I need to go. I’m needed in the office.”

The bitch in the office that works for him, is that who’s texting him?

Hot blood rushes in waves throughout my body.

He pulls a card from his wallet and a pen from his dress shirt pocket.

He writes something, then hands it to me.

“My cell number and home address are on the back. In case you need anything. Thank you for having breakfast with me. For the talk and the omelet. You have always been a great cook and baker.” He winks.

When he stands, I do as well. I glance up at his tall, bulky frame.

“I want to kiss you so bad,” he mutters.

My breathing quickens. We are in a place with people surrounding us. As much as I want to kiss those soft lips, I can’t. A little at a time, I remind myself. I swallow hard.

Instead, he leans to kiss my cheek and whispers, “Remember, you have my number, if you want to talk or need my address, or…if you want something else.” His loud, husky laugh vibrates against my skin, the stubble of his chin brushing when he lifts his head to meet my eyes.

“If I want something else? Keep dreaming.”

His gaze eats up my body, and his eyes darken. “I’ve been dreaming, baby. For way too long. My hand has been getting tired.” His gaze does another roll over, then he winks. He walks out the door, leaving me with my mouth unhinged.

Who is this man? He’s not the same person I left four years ago.

His hands getting tired? Pfft. I’m sure he had someone doing the job for him.

For the last two days, I’ve been staring at Max’s number.

Did I call him? Nope. Do I want to call him? Unfortunately, yes.

It’s Saturday night, and I’m at the café preparing for Monday. That way, I can have Sunday off. Calling Max tonight has crossed my mind. In fact, I’ve called and hung up before dialing the last number. It sounds ridiculous, something a teen would do with her crush.

The vibration in my pocket startles me. It could be Max. No, he doesn’t have my number. Wiping my hands on a hand towel, I answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey, you, how’s your night going? I thought I’d check in on your love life while I’m on break.” Lana’s voice muffles through the sound of an ambulance in the back.

“Not so great. I’m here at work prepping.” I shove a tray of raised cinnamon rolls in the large fridge.

“We have turned into mid-twenty-year-old workaholic single women. How pathetic are we? I miss those college nights.” She laughs. “Remember the professor who was obsessed with you? Man, he wanted you.”

I groan. When I returned from summer that year, he kept asking me out. I was drowning in my heartbreak with Max; I shouted at him to leave me alone. He did, considering I dropped out months later.

“He was cute, but he wasn’t who I wanted.”

She yawns. “He was hot. I’m sure all the girls envied you. Anyway, back to Max. Have you called him?”

I did tell Lana he gave me his number, but certain conversations about Max’s private life, I keep to myself.

The last two days we’ve talked at the café, nothing personal.

Small talk, like two people getting to know each other.

It was short. He laughed when he saw my new menu item: Max’s Protein Special.

I felt it was fitting, and it has been a popular item for the last two days.

He had to head back to work, and so did I.

“No, not yet. I’m thinking of calling him tonight.” Suppose I can stop being a chickenshit.

“Grow some balls like you once did, Rainey. You were always so brave when it came to Max. You’re the one who forced him to hang out with you in high school. Don’t forget you reached for his hand. Who does that the first time they meet a guy?” She snorts. “Only you, Ney. He was a magnet to you.”

In high school, Rainey didn’t understand heartbreak .

I mean, yeah, devastation hit me when he never came back. But in the second round, the blow was even harder—I was completely crushed.

“Okay, okay, thanks for the pep talk.” I roll my eyes sarcastically as if she could see me.

“I get off in two or three hours. If you don’t call him and fuck him, then let’s go for drinks.”

We end the call with both of us laughing. Fluidly, I move around the kitchen with the radio on. The last tray of cinnamon rolls goes in the fridge. Now to get started on the cream cheese icing.

A loud, thunderous knock has me jumping, one after another. I pick up my phone in case I need to call the police.

“Rainey,” I hear a man’s voice. “Rainey!” again.

My heart is lurching out of my chest. My pulse quickens. I turn off the radio and move to the dining area. Pound. Pound.

“Baby, it’s me.”

The beating of my heart steadies.

I rush to open the door. A gasp leaves my lips, my breath hitches, and I feel my soul leave my body. Blood. So much blood. Blood streaks his skin, fresh cuts marring his face and knuckles. One eye is half-closed, with ugly purple bruises surrounding it. My hand slams on my trembling mouth.

“M-max,” I whisper, my voice barely steady. The adrenaline rushes through my pulsing veins. Without thinking, I rush to him, grasping his soaked tee, and I pull him to me.

“Are you okay?” he asks, searching the space around us. Max clutches my waist. His gaze then moves to my face. He then twists the knob, locking the door.

“What happened?” I ask as I lead him toward the back, my hand shaking beneath his grip.

“Are you okay?” he asks again, panic in his green eyes, searching for answers with mine.