I can’t even tell how big the room is. Lance carries me inside.Then he switches the light on, and it's just a red light hanging in the middle of the room… It's strange.The deep red glow flickers on, then off slowly. It feels like I'm being pulled into some kind of trance. My eyes keep adjusting, then losing focus, over and over again.I glance down. The floor isn’t hard, it looks like it's padded, with leather. My gaze travels up the walls. Same thing. Soft, wine-red leather everywhere, stitched perfectly, like someone spent years making it flawless.Then I observe the center of the room, a black velvet couch sitting alone at the middle and nothing else, except the small table sitting beside the couch.On that table…is a white box, a bottle of wine, two wine glasses.Lance sets me down. The second my feet touch the padded floor, a deep vibration crashes deep into my body.Not just under my feet, it hits deep into my bones. It feels like my bones are shifting.My muscles loosen wit
The sound of the elevator doors sliding open makes my ears lift, listening.Lance moves inside, the air is warmer in here, heavy too.I hear the sound of his breathing, the warm air brushing my face, which means he's looking at me.Even with the blindfold on, I know he's giving me that intense gaze.They don’t move away, not even for a second. I bite down on my lower lip, to keep the giggle from escaping my mouth. A faint chuckle vibrates his chest. “It’s sexy when you do that,” he says.The laugh I was holding spills out, and my cheeks heat up. I don’t even know why I’m blushing, but my heart feels a little lighter.The elevator keeps humming, and I realize we've been moving a bit longer.“Where are we going?” I ask, tilting my head toward his voice, a bit of curiosity creeping in.He doesn’t answer. Instead, his lips find mine, with a kiss that's deep, slow, careful, like he’s taking his time to learn every part of my mouth. His lips are soft, sharing the faint taste of smoke and
"So tell me, Ramona…” Lance’s voice is low, but so calm, the sound of it gives me a subtle wave of dread.He steps in closer. “Why exactly were you following me?”My feet start dragging back as he pushes forward. “I just…” I stutter, then my legs hit the front of his car and I land on it.The heat from the hood seeps through my skirt, pressing into the skin on my thighs. It’s hot but bearable.He moves in until his chest almost touches mine. His hands landing firmly on the hood, one on each side of me, boxing me in.His breath brushes my face. I can see the skin level and well-trimmed stubble on his jaw, his scent fills my nostrils again.“You think I’m blind?” His eyes lock on mine. “Creeping after me like I wouldn’t catch you? Huh?”My mouth opens but nothing comes out. My pulse is too loud in my ears, and my chest keeps rising like I can’t get enough air.“Tell me, Ramona,” he says, “what reason would you have to come out here, at this hour, putting yourself in danger? Are you bei
Ramona's POV Gigi and I are hunched over her phone, our eyes still observing Lance on the tracking app. “Move the car. Now! And do it fast!”Our eyes shoot up at the same time and we both freeze.We see a man in a black suit commanding Oliver through his window. His voice is firm, and his expression isn't friendly at all.My chest thuds instantly.Gigi whispers, “I’m beginning to not like this. Why is he telling us to move? Is something wrong?”Oliver doesn’t answer her. He just turns the key and the car jolts forward.My heart hasn’t even stopped pounding since we parked here.“What about Lance?” I ask Gigi. “Where is he?”She looks back at the screen. “Wait! I think Lance is pulling right into our lane. He’s behind us, Mona.”My eyes fly to the tracking app. I spot the blue dot moving and realize she's right.“Oh my God! Oliver, can you speed up a bit?” My voice is tighter than I mean it to be.“You’re kidding me,” Gigi says under her breath. “He’s really fast.”I lean forward, “O
“Fucking hell, Lance,” Drew mutters, eyes still glued to the binoculars, viewing the safehouse. “We should've clipped him days ago. We wait any longer, Carl’s gonna sniff something’s off and ghost us.”“He doesn’t get to ghost us,” I say flatly. “I need answers before he eats my bullet.”Drew sighs, dropping the binoculars to his lap. “Why risk it? You think Carl’s the only one who knows the next target? He’s got lieutenants. Soldiers. Anyone in that circle can give us shit. Why gamble it all on one sick bastard?”I cut him a look. “Because Carl was the next target until he flipped. You think I’m gonna let that slide without knowing who the fuck bought his loyalty?”My heart is hammering like a drum in a cage. I'm trying to focus but something just doesn't feel right tonight.I feel the tight coil in my gut that always shows up when blood is close. My hands are itching to get dirty.Drew leans forward again, scanning the building, while we wait for Carl to step out of the safehouse.
"I don't think we should keep doing that, Gigi," I say as we get into our room.My feet are already sore from standing for hours, serving Ma Alysson’s impatient customers.I throw my bag on the floor and start pulling off my shoes. “I’m talking about the tracker.” I continue.She already fixed it to Lance’s car, and it’s been eating at me.Gigi yawns, then pulls her top off, like she didn't hear me.“I need fruit juice," she mumbles. Walking straight to the freezer, not even caring that her breasts are out. I follow her to the freezer, still feeling uneasy.“Gigi, how do we get it out?!” I ask, my voice a little too loud. She grabs a juice box, pokes the straw in, and turns to me. “You know what’s funny, Mona? This was your damn idea,” she says, slurping like she has no care in the world.She’s right. I’m the one who wanted this. I was obsessed with Lance. The way he knows things, appears out of nowhere when I need him. It drives me mad not knowing how or why. But now… now I feel