Page 15 of Worth the Heat
Blowing through a red light, I speed up to double the limit as I tear across Eternity Springs. I should have fucking followed her home. She’s finally getting more comfortable with me, and if something happens to her now … I should have followed her home.
I peel into the parking lot of her complex, barely slamming my truck into park before tearing down the sidewalk and up thestairs. Panic fills my blood when I see her door slightly ajar, and I cautiously push it open.
Isabella’s living room is completely destroyed. Couch cushions ripped open, picture frames broken, and books ripped apart. I can’t take it all in because I hear a scuffle in the back of her apartment, and I stalk toward it. I can hear a deep grunt, and I know whoever is in there is male. When I peer through the door and find a man on top of Isabella on her bed, trying to undo his belt, I fucking see red.
I take two steps before grabbing the guy by his hair, yanking him up.
“What the fuck?” he stutters, but I don’t let him say anything else as my fist meets his mouth over and over again. I vaguely recognize hearing Isabella scream, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop.
“Who are you?” I snarl. “Who sent you?”
“What’s it to you?” the guy spits out, blood spraying my clothes and face.
I laugh mockingly. “You have the audacity to touch my woman, and you think you’re walking away from that? You touched what is mine, and now you pay the fucking price.”
Grabbing him by the neck, I push him into the wall, lifting him so only the tips of his shoes touch the floor. His hands grasp my arm as he gasps for breath. I study his face, noting this isn’t the same man who confronted Isabella at her bakery. “Tell me who your fucking boss is, or I won’t stop until you’re dead.”
His eyes widen as he attempts to kick me. “Go fuck yourself.”
I smile menacingly. “I get to fuck her, so I’m good.”
“Fuck … you …” he sputters, and I release him. He falls to the ground, taking long draws of air, allowing me the opportunity to crouch down and pull his wallet from his pants.
“Devon Carlisle of Denver.” I pull out my phone and take a picture of his license. “Think I’m gonna hold on to your information for a bit, Devon. Got a crew of guys who would just love tomeet up with you to tell you in person what a fucking bad decision it is to fuck with a rider’s old lady.”
“You’re MC?” he stutters, his voice labored as he struggles to breathe normally.
I nod, finally looking over at Isabella. Her eyes are the widest I’ve ever seen, with an expression that is new to me. “I’m gonna let you go, Devon. But you need to realize this as a gift. I held your life in my hands, and I could just as easily take it away. Tell your boss to leave my woman alone, or you’ll be dealing with wrath like you’ve never experienced before. You understand?”
Devon nods frantically as he rubs his neck. Before letting him go, I pop him in the nose, enjoying the crunch of broken cartilage as I watch bright red blood stream from his face. Nodding toward the bedroom door, I say, “Get out of here before I change my mind.”
Devon spider crawls out of the room, finally standing and running as fast as his lungs will let him, and I turn to Isabella as I stand.
“Are you alright?” I ask quietly, dragging the hem of my shirt up to swipe at the splatter of blood across my face. I’m not prepared for her to launch herself at me, wrapping her arms and legs around me. “Fuck,Naranja. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” she mumbles, her face buried in my neck. Her arms tighten around me, and I turn to sit on the edge of her bed. I force myself to breathe evenly, focusing on slowly rubbing up and down her spine.
“I should have escorted you home,” I admit. “I knew your ex was out there, and I shouldn’t have left you alone.” I tighten my arms around her, acutely aware of how close I’d been to losing her … when she’s not even really mine. Yet.
“Shit,” I hear muttered from outside, before Luca charges into the apartment. He stops when he sees us, and his eyes widen dramatically. “Belle … fuck. What do you need?”
Isabella shakes her head against me, a ragged inhale against my neck making me relax a little.
Luca drags a hand through his hair, then grips his neck in obvious frustration and helplessness. “Alex is waiting for a police buddy of his outside. He can’t take your statements because —”
“No!” Isabella shouts, her head popping up, watery eyes whipping to mine. “No cops. He said if I got cops involved he’d come after everyone.”
“Everyone?” I ask quietly.
She turns to look at Luca. “He named your kids, Luca. Everyone’s kids. He said they’d disappear, one by one.”
Luca’s eyes turn murderous, darker than I have ever seen them. “Do we know who this guy is?”
“I took a picture of his license. Name’s Devon,” I tell him.
“If that’s even his name,” Luca says as he pulls out his phone. “I’ll tell Alex to send the cop away, at least for the moment. Hopefully we can figure out who this Devon guy is, and who he’s associated with.”
“Oh, I’ll find him,” I say with a deep voice. “Don’t you worry about that.”
