She felt uneasy. In the quiet dark of the night as she waited for the Uber to arrive, her heart thumped in her chest. The tall brunette shivered in her short long sleeved dress. She hugged her arms to her chest, as if to protect herself from the cold. Why did he have to leave his phone with her? Why did he involve her in this mess? She should have cut off all contact with him a long time ago. As she checked her phone again, she felt the presence of another, staring and watching. She punched in the emergency number, prepared to dial the moment she saw something out of the ordinary. Shifting from one foot to another, she swallowed hard. As soon as she heard footsteps approaching, she stopped moving. Was it them?Shaking all over, she began to walk down the street, rummaging through her purse for her keys. On seeing the headlights of an approaching vehicle, she waved her hand hoping it would stop. The vehicle pulled up, tires screeching against the asphalt, much to her relief. The pa
"I thought we had an agreement." Lightly tapping his feet against the floor, Maddox Black felt his patience gradually slip from him. He leaned back in his seat, lazily assessing the situation in front of him. His gaze swept down to his pocket knife, wondering if he should end it all with a swift kill to the man's jugular. "Mr Black, it wasn't me. I swear," the man pleaded, still on his knees. He couldn't be more than twenty-six which annoyed Maddox more. "Why do you bother denying it when you were caught?" "Someone is trying to frame me. I promise you, it wasn't me. I never went back on our agreement." "It would be better for you if you confess now, Kingsley." "I swear on my life…"Maddox chuckled. Why would anyone bet on such a feeble thing? "Alright." He exchanged a knowing look with Bryan, his bodyguard, and beckoned him with his index finger. Bryan stepped closer with a Galaxy Tab in his hand. Collecting it, Maddox stared at the paused video Bryan copied from the security t
At the sound of her ringtone, she sat up straight. Her hair flopped over her face as she looked around the unfamiliar room. Rustling under the sheets drew her attention to the man beside her with an arm over his face. Her cheeks bloomed a shade of pink as she recalled what she had done the night before. What was she thinking, taking a detour on the job? She grabbed her screaming phone and declined the incoming call. In a hurry, she pulled on her clothes and ran her hand through her hair in an attempt to look less-thoroughly-fucked and more professional. Charlie took one last look at the sexy man she managed to bed the night before and felt a shiver travel up her spine. As she slipped on her shoes, the bed covers rustled again. She looked up and met his gaze. Green eyes that seemed to bore into her soul and unmask her. "I'm sorry. Did I wake you?" She asked. Keeping her gaze on his face, she tried not to be aware of the way the sheets slid down his chest as he sat up. "It's no probl
"So what can you tell us about Diane?" Noah sat down in the armchair and clasped his hands together. "We dated for three years. She's a pretty girl, a nice one too. Diane would come over for dinner with my family. We'd go on a date every week. She really likes going to Sin City on the weekends and I'll always pick her up after."Charlie kept her expression suave, noticing his use of present tense. This is the reaction of someone who lost his beloved. But then, it could be all a trick. "In the last few weeks, did she act out of ordinary?" Charlie asked, meeting his gaze. "No. Not that I would know. We had a falling out right before she disappeared."Charlie leaned forward. "What happened?""My sister caught her with some guy at Target like two months months before. When I asked her about it, she brushed it off or changed the topic entirely. Then after work one day, my friend, Harry, and I were going home from work when we saw her with the same guy my sister described. I waited until
Maddox could not believe his own eyes. What was he doing? He never went on dates. He never does dates. Closing his eyes, he pinched his nose and reminded himself that it was nothing but two people going out to eat and hang out. Two friends. That sounded even more foreign. Why was he even excited about meeting up with someone he fucked the night before? He even dressed up! Crazy. Maddox thought of Charlie and her charming smile that managed to keep him on chokehold. But last night, in his bed, she was an exquisite partner. He remembered the feel of her soft body against his and how responsive she had been to everything he did. If he had not thought with his head, he would have made her his. Moving back to New York came with one goal; to live a simple life. That involved making money, debauching himself every chance he gets, doing nothing illegal and raising that kid. Speaking of kid, Maddox eyed the girl raiding his fridge. Hailey made herself sandwich and uncorked the bottle of wi
Jake gave her an ultimatum. Well, he did not say so explicitly but after that call with Galloway, Charlie had to find a way to kill two birds with one stone. Ever the helpful, Jake reminded her that they were on a job to catch a murderer who may or may not be in an international gang, and to use a condom. Despite her many thanks, Jake did not seem pleased with her 'newest project' as he called it. She rented a car and had driven down to Mr Black's place, nervous. When she picked him up, her anxiety grew. She could not tell if it was excitement, the need to please him or his uncharacteristically handsome that made her want to fold. When she pulled up across the street, Charlie picked up on the disbelief in his tone. Perhaps it was a terrible idea to take someone to dinner opposite the nightclub they had first encountered. But she had to compromise. One eye out for Joel Peters and the other eye on the beautiful Mr Black. Even she had to admit she fucked up. What was she thinking asking
"That's your 'friend'?" Maddox looked up from his table after he paid for dinner. Charlie had been too flustered by his request, that she dashed out of there like a thief caught. Her saved contact sat expectant on his bright screen, bringing a smile to his lips. He was well on his way to leave for Sin City when he found Hailey spying on him. "What are you doing here?" He hissed under his breath, leading her by the arm out of the restaurant. "I told you to go home.""I was curious." Hailey hugged him, giving him a pout. "Are you satisfied? Now, go home." He peeled her off him, growing annoyed with her giggles."Can I have your number?" She mimicked. "I can't believe you plan on getting me a mom that way. If you must know, she's way out of your league.""I'm not getting married. I'm not getting you a Mom and what do you mean she's out of my league? If you don't go home, I'll cancel your cards.""And if you cancel my cards, I'll be stuck with you even more."Maddox closed his eyes, ho
"Are you okay? If you frown deeper, you would give the puffish a run for its money."She rolled her eyes at Jake's comment as he drove down the street. Charlie could not get Maddox and Hailey out of her head. She expected a lot of things but him being a father was not one of them. He did not even look like one, no offense. Biting her nail, she thought harder. She would have seen the signs if he had been married. He didn't wear a ring and she doubted married men wore rings to nightclubs. Maddox Black could be separated or divorced for all she knew. Besides, his home was void of familial pictures. It lacked the feel and comfort of a home but he lived in it. It was weird. Did he expect to move out of his penthouse soon or was it a personal preference? And his daughter, oh, was such a pretty girl. She swept her hair in a ponytail, mirroring her father. Hailey barely reached his shoulder and the only similarity was the black hair and a fit figure. The teenager had bright brown eyes, a st