Page 156 of His Virgin Romance Series

Abby gritted her teeth and said nothing. She couldn’t really look out the window anymore because I was blocking it.

“Devon said you work at a receptionist in some company downtown,” I said, glancing at her.

Abby pushed back the hair from her eyes. “I did.”

“You quit?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Walter knew where I worked,” I said. “I wasn’t going to risk going back there.”

“So that’s your plan?” I asked. “You’re just going to change your whole life because of one asshole?”

“One asshole?” Abby repeated. “He’s not just an asshole… he’s a fucking psychopath. That note was written in blood.”

“I’m aware.”

“Then why are you so fucking calm?” she demanded, as if my calm was offending her in some way.

“When you see enough of this shit… it loses its ability to scare you.”

Abby dropped her expression of anger, and once she did, I noticed that it had just been a mask for her fear. “I’ve heard stories,” she said, in a quiet voice. “I’ve heard the men talking and…”

“Yeah?”

“Is it true your father was murdered?”

“It’s true.”

“Devon told me that he died in a turf war and you lost five men.”

I stayed silent, and my silence was her answer. “Were you there?” she asked.

“I was there,” I nodded.

“What do the police do?” she asked. “Don’t they get involved?”

“Usually they do,” I said. “But this is a small town, and the gangs here are powerful. Plus… half the cops here are bought men.”

“What?” Abby said, as her head snapped up.

“The cops,” I said. “Godwin has a couple of ‘friends’ at the station. They protect him, look the other way, and give him information… they do whatever needs to be done.”

“Why?”

I smirked. “Politics… corruption… power… these are all old stories. Why are you surprised by them?”

“This is not the world I’m used to,” Abby said. “This life is alien to me. I don’t know how you live it. I don’t know why my brother chose it.”

She looked around her room as though she couldn’t understand why she was there in the first place. She looked lost for a moment, and there was an element of hopelessness in her eyes. Her blue eyes were sharp but unfocused, and her mouth was turned down in uncertainty.

“There’s beauty in this life,” I said. “You just have to open your mind up long enough to see it.”

“See it?” Abby repeated, standing up and walking in front of me. “All I see is violence, death, and power plays between men with big egos. There’s nothing real here.”

I gritted my teeth and pulled myself upright. I took a step towards her so that we were only inches apart. She looked uncomfortable with my close proximity, but to her credit, she didn’t back away from me. I could feel more than I bargained for, however. That kiss we had shared the night Abby had moved in stood between us like a third person. I wanted to grab her right now, but I resisted the urge and buried the desire.

---