Page 5 of Graves

“Well, you can have them all since you’re about the only person I trust in this place,” he says gruffly.

I raise an eyebrow at him as I shake my head.

“What poor life decisions did you make to land you in a position like this? Me, your only trusted ally? Yikes.”

A throaty laugh escapes him as he scrubs at his silver beard.

“Tell me about it.”

I grin at him before I start the opening process. The nice thing about closing last night and then working the next morning is that I know the closer did all the closing tasks, and I’m ready to start my shift. Only fourteen hours to go.

Chapter Three

ZAYDEN

Something was off. I knew it before I even got to her block. I couldn’t feel her near me anymore. The heavy sensation I feel in my chest when she’s not close was in full force. Like an elephant sitting on my chest, not allowing me to fully catch my breath until I at least see her. Though it doesn’t fully go away until I press my skin to hers.

When I got to her apartment to walk her to work like the gentleman I am, I saw her car there, which is normal. The piece of shit Nova is on its last leg, and there is no parkingat her work, so it makes sense why she leaves it. I’ll need to buy her a new car soon, though, something nice. I think she would like something red.

From there, I climbed up the fire escape to her balcony and let myself into her apartment. The bathroom was in disarray, just how she always leaves it when she sleeps in a little too much. She wasn’t supposed to meet with Gabrielle today. The last time they texted was two days ago about getting together on Saturday. I only have her text messages wired to come directly to me, but maybe I need to set up another tap so I can get her phone calls too. Dominic is more of the tech wizard in that aspect, and asking him for help with something as important as this is too risky. I’ll figure it out.

With the most likely places of her whereabouts crossed off the list, I went straight to Hooked & Sinker. I flipped up my hood, acted like I was texting, and walked past the dive bar. The window gave me only half a second view of my angel behind the bar, but it was enough to allow oxygen to fill my lungs for the first time since I left her this morning.

Nodding to myself, I move across the street, taking up residence at my spot in the alley across from the bar. It gives me just enough visualization to watch through the window without being noticed. She’s not ready to meet officially just yet. I need more time with her first.

My phone suddenly begins buzzing in my hand, and I can’t help but groan before answering it.

“What could you possibly need now?”

“Where are you? We were having a discussion. You went tothe bathroom, and now you’re gone.”

I shake my head as I pull out a cigarette, putting it between my lips before pulling out a lighter.

“Oh, did I forget to say goodbye?”

“Knock off the attitude, Zayden. What are you up to? Have you been prospecting without me? Do you know how dangerous that is? You don’t think, you just kill. You have to be smarter than that, or you’re gonna get us both locked up.”

I roll my eyes at that as I take a large inhale of my cigarette.

“I’m not prospecting a job.”

The phone goes quiet for a few seconds before he speaks again. “Whatareyou up to then?”

I stay silent as I watch my angel smile at a man in his late forties. She hands him a beer, and he gives her a wink in return. My jaw clenches so tight that my molars begin to crack under the pressure. I feel the familiar rage begin to tingle every nerve ending in my body. These men shouldn’t even be looking at my angel, let alone winking at her. I memorize everything I can about him, so it’ll be all the easier to hunt him down later and pluck his eyes straight from his fucking head.

“Zayden?” Dominic asks.

“Watching over an angel,” I snap before ending the call and turning my phone off.

She needs to get the fuck out of that place. I won’t allow it anymore. She can finish her shift tonight, but after this, she is fucking done.

I’m flickingthe blade of my favorite knife open and closed when the back door of the bar opens and my angel steps out, headphones on as usual, as she makes her way to her apartment. I pull out my phone, tapping into hers with ease before the familiar sound of Frank Sinatra rings through my ears. I love watching the way her hips sway to the beat, like the old music physically moves her.

I’m a good hundred feet away from her on the other side of the street, but she wouldn’t notice if I was right on her as she practically dances her way home. The way her body moves so freely has my cock hardening to a pipe. I’m always hard when she’s around, and the way her lips feel against the head of my cock is like touching fucking heaven.

I can’t lay in bed beside her and not get turned on. I usually just rub it out as I rest my head against her neck, but a darker side got the better of me the other night. I rubbed myself against her lips for just a moment. I hoped she’d wake up. I hoped she’d taste me and see how perfect we are together, how destined we are. Unfortunately, she didn’t. Doesn’t mean I didn’t come into my hand in front of her face so hard I blacked out.

For a moment, I’m so lost in the memory of her, her scent, her skin, that I don’t see where he comes from. There is a man walking behind her, a sinister smile on his face and dirty clothes on his body. The look he has as his eyes rake over her sends white-hot anger searing through me. He’s too close to her, and I’m too far away.

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