Chapter 75Katie's POVThe glass is cold under my fingers, and I pull my hand back, finally catching a glimpse of my face in the mirror. I look like a five-dollar whore. Fingertip markings can be found on my legs, hips, and arms. My hair desperately needs brushing, and my lips are red and chapped as if I have been kissed for hours.At least my bruises from the night at the club are gone.I run my fingers through my hair, hissing at my sensitive scalp. The memory of the hours before swarming me. The way he had taken me, the way he had possessed my mind and body… It was all about him and me at that moment. The mafia, the money owed, debts, nothing mattered. Everything fell away, leaving him and me behind. Cephus may be a lost cause to most, dark and dangerous to others, but I have never felt closer to anyone like I do to him.Stopping myself from thinking of how his cock tastes in my mouth, I head to the shower. My mind turned my blissful thoughts into shit almost immediately. He is
Chapter 76Cephus’ POV“Go get her,” I said firmly to Eli. His eyes bore into mine for a moment longer than I would like before he goes upstairs to my room. Katie has found a way under my skin, and each day that she is here, I feel myself losing my grip on things. I’m not soft, I can’t be. In this world, there is only strength or weakness. Being weak is certain death, and strength is power, something necessary when you have men breathing down your throat and people shooting at you.Speaking of which, I’m going to kill Luccio tonight if he doesn’t give me the answers I need. Someone sent one of his men to my home for something. Something which is unknown to me, but I am going to find out. When we had last spoken, he seemed so intent on helping me find my mother’s killer, now it seems as if he is the enemy, just wanting to weasel his way further into my life, hoping I’ll expose any and all secrets.My fists clench with anger, isn’t that what everyone wants? Katie, too? To weasel her
Chapter 77Cephus’ POVI clench my teeth together as sweat forms on my hands. This is the part that gets me, the part where someone wants to know about my family, or what happened to them. No one asks because they already know, yet looking deeply into her eyes, I can tell she deserves at least a smidge of the truth.“I know more than you think, piccolo…” My words are soft as she looks at me with concern. This is the hard part of what I do. Not allowing myself to get close to anyone. It’s always easier if you shut yourself out from the world. If I make the rules, I control the outcome. With Katie, I’m starting to wonder if I can control the outcome of all of this.“Why do you call me that?” Her voice is hushed, and there’s a sense of warmth that fills my bones. She’s too innocent for her own fucking good.I reach out, placing my hand on her thigh. Her skin is warm against my hand, and I stare deep into her eyes. “You’re a little one. Or at least you remind me of one.” She won’t unde
Chapter 78Cephus’ POV“You don’t have to stick up for me. I can do that myself. I mean, you’re the one who was just holding me by the throat, after all,” she growls, pushing the food away that had been placed in front of her. I feel myself growing feral with every word that slips from her mouth. She’s mouthy, she’s sinfully sweet, and she’s extremely dangerous to my sanity.I frown at her but continue on with my meal. I won’t waste my food simply because she doesn’t like hers. She’s not in control.I think about telling her more about my mother and father, about what happened to my mother, but I don’t. I know it might make her understand me more, but I feel like if she understands me more, she won’t fear me. Once the fear is gone, I have nothing to use against her.Time passes as I finish my meal, and she sits there with her food untouched—what a waste. The server comes and removes our plates without a word said. I leave the money on the table and stand, pulling Katie to her feet.
Chapter 79Katie's POVI smile smugly at his comment. The knife on my ankle feels heavy, as does the gun on my back. Heavy with the need to release bullets in this lying fucker’s ass.“That’s not why I’m here, actually. See, a very fat and short man came to my house. Unwanted, of course. You know how I get about people who trespass, right?” I watch the blood drain from his face, and I know he had something to do with it. Someone such as him can’t hide from me. He is out for something, and I want to know what it is.“It wasn’t me,” he immediately claims. My attention slides from him to Katie, who is sitting in one of the chairs. She looks clueless to the whole situation.“Really? Because the moment before I slit his throat and watched him bleed out, he told me he was a member of your group…” I say, looming over him. He is sitting behind his desk, attempting to look dumbfounded, it’s not working, though. I’m not a dumb man, and I won’t be made to look like one either.I reach down and
Chapter 80Katie's POVHe laughs gruffly. “The one you fucking killed.” Releasing him with a shove, I walk away. I’m angry—no, I am livid. I need him. I need to know who the pig is if there even is one. Now I have no connections because I acted too soon. Fuck. It’s her fault. My mind is playing games with me. I know it isn’t her fault, but I still want to take my rage out on her.“You killed another person?” She acts as if she is in shock, but at the same time, wants to scold me for my ill-mannered behavior. Like I’m anything aside from this fucking monster.“Yes. I did.” I hiss. “And I’ll fucking kill many more, sweetheart, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” I’m crude, and I’m slightly unhinged. Her behavior is not helping.“You’re digging yourself deeper and deeper,” she murmurs under her breath. She isn’t afraid of me, or at least not at the moment. Moving from my position, I go to sit on the stool near the window. The FBI could be on our asses, and I need to figure out who it is
Chapter 81Cephus’ POVThe doors in front of us push open. I pull myself from Katie’s side and push her behind me, shooting the two men before us directly in their chests before they can even raise their guns.They’re so young. Their blood seeping onto the gold flaked marble, reminding me that it doesn’t matter how many nice things you have. In the end, none of it matters if you’re not alive. I need to stay the fuck alive.I pull my phone out, handing the gun to Katie as I pull her along and down the hall. The rest of his men will be on alert. They will come, I know it.I push Jared’s contact name, and the phone starts ringing.“Sir.”“We need to leave, we’re on our way out. I will meet you by the road,” I huff out as we push down the hall.“What happened?” he asks. He knows better than to not assume something has happened. Maybe it is the way I sound or the fact that usually when things like this happen, it isn’t good.“I’m shot. I need you to contact Felix and Eli, let them know. We
Chapter 82Katie's POV“Is he going to be okay?” I ask Jared over and over again as I look at Cephus’s lifeless body. My body is still shaking. I’m scared to death. Never in my life have I been shot at until I met Cephus. I’ve only shot a gun a couple times with my dad. He wanted me to know how to shoot in case someone ever attacked me. I don’t think this was the type of attack he meant when he taught me, though.“He’ll be fine. We need to get to the cabin, then I can remove the bullet, so he can heal.” Jared is calm and collected, acting as if I haven’t just told him Cephus has been shot.I’m about to hand Jared the gun, so I can help him get Cephus in the car when tires screech behind us. I turn and raise the gun at the same time.“It’s Eli and Felix,” Jared yells. “Don’t fucking shoot them.”I do as he asks and lower the gun, even though I wouldn’t mind shooting Eli in the knee. Felix and Eli jump out of the car and run toward us.“Come on, get in the car,” Felix says and ushers