CHAPTER 2

Danzel's POV

I stared at the woman lying next to me. Her face was covered in sweat, and she seemed completely exhausted.

I smirked.

After all, I did wear her out. I fucked her rough and hard until she couldn't help but fall unconscious as soon as she finished. I stared at her, frowning slightly when I couldn't come up with a name. Shit, I don't even remember her name.

It wasn't because I didn't ask her, but because my mind had been busy imagining someone else the entire time. What was I supposed to do when my head was so fucked up by the black-haired girl?

Angelina.

Oh God.

Just the way her name fell from my lips made me want to say it out loud all day.

I still remember the day I saw her for the first time.

I had gone to collect my money from a shop owner who had refused to pay back a loan to my men. He denied paying even after two strict warnings, so there was only one method left. It also happened to be my favorite one.

To kill him.

Yeah, I loved to kill. I loved to see the raw fear in their eyes when I had their lives in my hands. It seemed to boost my pride. It made me feel a sickly sense of satisfaction.

Not wanting to waste any more time, I decided to end the owner's life. If a man tried to play games and mess with me and my crew, he didn't get to live. I was going to kill him when nobody was around to avoid unnecessary chaos. I didn't want to draw attention to our business or scare the public.

I waited in the coffee shop next to his store for the customers to leave. As soon as the last one was gone, I stood up and made my way over. Time to die, big guy. You've lived a long life.

The store was empty when I walked in. I scanned the area to make sure there were zero witnesses. Once I was sure the route was clean, I motioned for my men to follow and started walking. As I made my way toward the back office, I heard a noise coming from the other side of the store. I stopped dead in my tracks. I reached for my gun, holding the grip but not pulling it out yet. I signaled my men to stay silent and then moved toward the source of the noise.

The sound was coming from one of the closed changing rooms. I stared at the door for a moment, then pointed my gun forward and kicked it open.

As soon as the door swung back, my breath hitched.

There stood a scared girl with beautiful, long black hair shielding her face, full pink lips, and a tiny body. By the look on her face, I could tell her panic had just turned into relief.

I was too busy observing the beauty in front of me to react, but then she did something that made me freeze. She let out a happy squeal and threw her arms around me.

Christ!

"Thank you, thank you so much for opening this damn door. It was stuck, and I thought I'd have to spend the entire night in here!" she babbled, tightening her grip around my torso.

I didn't say a word, nor did I hug her back. Instead, I just stood there, letting my body absorb the warm feel of her pressed against me. But it didn't last long. A moment later, she realized what she was doing and suddenly let go of me.

I held back a sigh of disappointment and cocked my head sideways. She looked up at me and blushed deeply.

Oh my...

My thoughts were turning wild as I took in every inch of her body.

How would it feel if I held her properly against my body? How would it feel to take her right here against this wall and—

Fuck! Get a grip, Danzel.

My dirty thoughts were interrupted when Creed cleared his throat behind me. "Boss! Our task is not done yet."

Task?

Oh hell, yes.

I dragged my eyes over her one last time, narrowing my gaze. The girl blushed even harder and took a step back. "Well, thank you again. I—uh—have to go." And she rushed past me like a storm, running straight out of the store.

My feet automatically started to follow her, but she was already gone too far down the street.

I turned and ordered Phoenix to gather every piece of information on her and have it on my desk by tomorrow morning. He nodded curtly and walked out to make the calls. After he disappeared from view, I turned my attention back to my men. They were looking at me as if I had grown two heads.

"What?" I snapped at them.

"B-boss, the owner..."

I blinked, pulling my mind back to the job. "Well, about the owner—" I processed the situation, then continued, "—give him a final warning. Tell him if he fails to come up with the money, he won't be able to see his family alive."

I barked the order and immediately walked out of the store. I didn't want my men to know their boss was walking around with a hard-on just because a random girl had hugged him.

I sat in the back of my car and took deep breaths to calm my pulse. Once I finally distracted myself, I saw Creed walking toward the car with a knowing smirk playing on his face.

I glared at him through the window, already knowing what he was going to say. He opened the door and got in. "What happened back there?" he asked.

"Nothing." I shrugged.

"Don't avoid my question, Danzel. I know you. You never think twice when it comes to killing someone, and you never change your decision," he said, turning around to look at me. "And I saw the way you froze when that girl hugged you! Dude, it's not like you haven't seen a girl coming out of a changing room before. Hell, you've had plenty of naked girls throw themselves at you. So what was it about her that tied your tongue?"

I just shrugged again, looking out the window. I wasn't sure how to answer his question. He sighed heavily.

"Don't forget, Danzel, we aren't allowed to go down that road. And that girl seems way too innocent for your lifestyle. Don't drag her in," he stated plainly. "If you just want to hook up, there are plenty of chicks out there." He chuckled and started the engine.

I thought about his words, knowing he was right. I couldn't fall for a girl like that. But still, the way her deep black eyes had stared up at me, the way her little hands had gripped my shirt—it left me craving more.

I needed to see those eyes again. I needed to feel that body again.

I needed her.

Phoenix gathered all the information about her within a week.

NAME: Angelina Patrick

AGE: 18

MOTHER'S NAME: Lucia Patrick

SIBLING: Alexandria Patrick

BEST FRIEND: Lexi Swartz

SCHOOL: St. Andrew's Public School

And since that day, I kept watching her from a distance. Call it pathetic, call it stalking, or whatever you want, but I needed to see her at least once a day. For the past six months, I had my morning coffee while she sat right in front of me with her friend at another table. She never once noticed me watching her.

But I admired every little thing she did. The way she would bite her nails when she was deep in thought, the way her lips wrapped around a Coke straw... I couldn't help but think about all the ways I could use those lips, and the different things I'd let those teeth bite.

Last week, my agent Sam informed me that Anthony Xander, one of my rivals, had somehow noticed my obsession with Angelina. Knowing him the way I did, I knew he would try to reach me through her. So I immediately ordered my men to keep guard over her from a safe distance. I had to keep her safe from him.

Today, I was stuck at work when my men informed me that Angelina had gone shopping with her friend. After hearing that, I couldn't help but drop all my paperwork and hurry toward the mall, just to watch her try on different dresses. I watched from the shadows as she debated over every dress she liked. She looked extremely hot in everything she changed into. Seeing those tiny clothes clinging to her body made me hard all over again.

Damn this girl.

My possessive thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing. I picked it up and sighed in annoyance when I saw it was Creed.

"Hey, man!"

"Speak!" I ordered.

"Dude, you don't need to be so bossy this early in the morning," he sounded offended.

I rolled my eyes at his tone. "Why did you call, Creed?"

"Well, Agent Sam just informed us that Xander is going to meet Ethan William today. He mentioned something related to unfinished business. It might be a plot against us."

"Okay, Creed, I got it!" I said and hung up.

I clenched my jaw, my teeth grinding in anger. Ethan William. The one person in this world I wanted to see dead. If he was planning on meeting Xander, then I knew exactly what Xander would be telling him about.

My Angelina.

He was planning on hurting her, just like he did to my family. I shook my head violently to get rid of those terrifying thoughts. I had to keep my head clear if I was going to keep her safe. I needed to keep a closer watch on her and increase her security. She needed to be kept in a safer place, and I knew exactly where she would be safe.

With me. In my arms.