I wish I could tell you I maintained my confident arrogance upon exiting the warehouse and renting an Uber. 

Instead, I’m upchucking on the side of the road, and the Uber driver is cursing under his breath because I got some vomit on his seat. He’s getting a big tip, but the amount is getting smaller with every irritated sigh he releases. Seriously, man. It’s not like I can help that my stomach decided to flip inside out after murdering two pedophiles.

“Ok. I think I’m good.” I wipe my mouth.

“About time,” he grumbles and shifts the car into drive. 

My hands are shaking, and I’m afraid this whole situation has ignited the side of me I prefer to keep hidden. The side of me that keeps a man prisoner in a dungeon and forces him to eat his lopped-off nipples.  Because the truth is, I am very capable of killing without remorse. I’ve done it before today. However, it’s a darkness that terrifies people. Once they learn what I’m capable of, they no longer look at me the same way. Instead, I become a bacteria sample they study under a microscope. 

For the longest time, my ex-wife never judged me, but the moment I slammed my fist through her girlfriend’s coffee table, I saw the shift in her eyes. I saw the moment her entire soul decided she needed to fear me. And I don’t know what I’d do if Mindy ever felt the same way. 

By the time I return to her apartment, dusk has taken over the sky in streaks of scorched orange and dusty pink. Traffic is quieter, and TV screens glow against curtains in the neighboring windows. 

When Mindy opens the door, her beautiful hazel eyes land on me, and her mouth goes from a smile to a jaw drop. Then she yanks me inside and quickly shoves me towards a bathroom in the dark hallway. There’s a hum of conversation coming from the living room, which zaps to silence as soon as she locks us inside the small powder room. Mindy flicks the light on, and that’s when I see my reflection in the mirror. 

Holy shit. Blood is peppered across my face and shirt. I’m surprised the Uber driver didn’t say something.

“What happened?” Mindy exclaims and reaches for a hand towel on the vanity.

“Uh… um…”

“You look like a murder scene.” She runs the towel under the faucet and begins dabbing at my cheeks as lines of concern spread across her forehead. 

“I uh…” Think. Dumbass. Think. “A dog ran out into the street and got hit by a car in front of me.”

“Here?”

“No. Over at my place. It happened right in front of me. It was a mess.” 

“I can see...” She pauses from cleaning my face and takes my hands into her soft palms. “You’re trembling. You didn’t have to come here after witnessing something so horrific. I would have understood.”

“I’d rather be here with you.”

And I mean that. Mindy’s beautiful face and her kind sweetness are everything I need right now. Her hazel eyes search mine, and the creases above her brows soften at my words. I thread our fingers together, causing her body to sway closer. If only she knew how far I would go to keep her safe. If only she knew I would kill for her. 

However, at this moment, I don’t want to think about her stupid ex-husband. Because I get the impression she’s feeling the same thing I am right now—like I’d give anything for the rest of the world to dissolve so nothing else can come between us. 

Even as I stand here speckled in someone else’s blood, there’s no denying how this would be a great moment to kiss. So I lean in and nuzzle my nose against hers. The scent of her shampoo is intoxicating as I grip the back of her head with my fingers which slip through soft waves of hair. She leans in closer, and there’s the slightest graze of her mouth, testing to see if I’ll reciprocate. 

And I do. 

It’s just a brush of my tongue as my lips seal against hers—a request to let me inside. But then a knock at the door jerks her away from me. 

“Mindy, are you in there?” a man asks.

“Yes, Neal. I’ll be right out,” she says, but my heart rate has spiked.

Who the fuck is Neal!

As if reading my thoughts, Mindy glances back at me. “He’s my cousin.”

“Who’re you talking to in there?” Neal asks.

“No one!” she shouts.

“Mindy Maira Reddy, I heard you whispering," he says, and I stifle a laugh.

“He just called you out by your full name.”

“It’s not funny." She smacks my chest and furrows her brows. "I don’t go by Reddy anymore. Neal knows that!”

“Ok, you are definitely talking to someone in there,” Neal says and begins banging on the door. “Open up. Is it loverboy?”

“What!?” Mindy gasps, her eyes going wide.

“It is!" Neal exclaims. "It’s that guy you keep talking about. Are you having sex in there?”

Next thing I know, my sweet, calm, and collected Mindy is snatching open the door and grabbing a skinny guy by his black turtleneck. In one blink, she yanks him inside the tiny washroom, and we’re all staring at each other. 

“So I was right.” He smacks her hands away and waves an accusatory finger. “You are hiding him in here.”

“It’s not what you think,” Mindy blurts. 

“You could at least wait until we all leave before getting it on, you know?”

“We were NOT having sex in here, Neal.” Mindy smacks his chest, and he begins sniffing the air.

“Yeah, guess not. It doesn't smell like a brothel.” He places his hands on his narrow hips and stares at me. “So what the hell are you doing in here? It looks like you just murdered someone.”

Mindy grabs the damp towel again. “A dog was hit by a car right in front of him, ok? I’m helping him get cleaned up.”

“He needs more than some flimsy towel to clean him up. He needs an exorcism.”

“Neal!” Mindy snaps. “You are not helping at all.”

“Fine. Fine. I’ll grab him a clean shirt, but just FYI, everyone knows you’re in here with someone, so you might as well hurry up and introduce your pretty boy.”

“Pretty boy?” I snort.

“Ok, maybe not as pretty as Richie, but more muscular.” Neal pokes my bicep. “What are you, a bodybuilder?”

“Personal trainer.”

“Oh, that explains why Mindy is hitting the gym lately.”

“Neal!” She raises her arm and points to the door. “Go.”

The door swings open again as Mindy attempts to shove her cousin out, but it appears we’ve attracted an audience because several guests are standing in the hallway. Their gazes are narrowed on us, and through the throng of unfamiliar faces, I spot Evan and Chloe. 

“I thought I saw you arrive!” Evan says and bumps Chloe’s arm. “Didn’t I tell you?”

“What are y’all doing in there?” Chloe cocks a brow. “And what the hell is up with your shirt!”

“Mindy, who is this man?” another guest asks with furrowed brows as she gives me a once-over. 

“It’s Mindy’s boyfriend,” Neal answers.

“Boyfriend?” A few in the hallway gasp.

“He is not my boyfriend!” Mindy objects, but they’re not listening as they begin clucking at her.

“And you’re not going to introduce us?”

“Mindy Maira Arora, you didn’t tell us you have a man.”

“How long has this been going on?”

My eyes shift back and forth over the tiny crowd as we remain wedged in the bathroom. Jesus. This is a shit show. The microscope we're under is getting to Mindy, too, because she starts waving her hands frantically and barking at them to give us space. I’ve never seen her angry before, and it’s hot. 

If only she had this same energy for that shit ex-husband of hers, Richie Pretty-Boy Fucking Reddy.

“No need to get nasty, young lady.” Neal wags his finger as she shoves him into the hallway.

“I said, enough!” Mindy barks one last time and slams the door shut, locking us inside. 

“So…” I nod slowly. “Who all was that?”

“Just some childhood friends, a few family members, and, well, you know, Evan and Chloe, of course.”

“So, just a friendly gathering, huh? I feel like they’re a pack of wolves out there,” I chuckle.

“I’m so sorry.”

“Why?”

“Because of what they said,” she cringes. “I never told them you’re my boyfriend. My cousin is just being a dick.”

“I heard that!” Neal says through the door, and Mindy’s eyes widen as her back goes rigid. She spins around and begins shouting something in their language at him.

The two of them go back and forth for a bit, but then there’s group laughter, followed by quiet. Then Mindy turns back to me with a satisfied grin on her face. 

“Now, where were we?” she asks.

“What did you say to him?” I cock my head to the side, my eyes narrowing mischievously. 

“Just that if he doesn’t stop teasing me, I'll tell Chloe he has a tiny, crooked, uncircumcised penis.” 

“Oh…”

“Yep. He has a crush on her. It’s part of the reason I invited everyone over. I’m hoping the two of them will hit it off.”

“You little matchmaker.” I grin and step forward, sliding my fingers around her waist. “Now, where were we?”

“Um… we were…” she trails off. Her beautiful hazel eyes widen, and her neck rolls with a swallow as I press myself to her.

There's no doubt she can feel what's in my pants. For months we’ve teased each other with flirtation, but it’s time to stop playing and make a move. The pulse in her neck flutters beneath the skin, and her abdomen flexes under my touch. She’s nervous, but this has been a long time coming, and it’s just an innocent kiss. Before any other interruptions occur, I engulf her mouth with mine and taste the sweetest candy I’ve tasted in a long time.

Mindy, Mindy, Mindy. 

My sweet Mindy.

I don’t want to let her go or backtrack. I want to stop fighting this pull towards her—wrap my wings around her—protect this delicate creature who needs a real man in her life. A man who will never let the Richie Reddy’s of the world ever lay a finger on her again. 

She's mine.

Richie may have taken her virginity, but I'm taking her heart.

From here on out, whoever fucks with her, fucks with me, and Richie’s days are officially limited.

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Heyooo! For those of you who are Angie fans, I apologize in advance for the next couple of chapters 🤭

Also, NaNoWriMo starts on Tuesday, so my updates will slow to once a week as I "hibernate," aka write a backlog of chapters offline until completion. My goal is to finish this book 🙏🏽

Thanks for reading ❤