Leah clearly was one. Knox left the bathroom, remembering to put boxers on. He usually slept nude but slipping into bed with her naked wasn’t such a wise idea. Knox was barely holding onto his self-control as it was.
Knox’s phone started to ring from somewhere in the apartment. He was loath to leave Leah, but it must be something important. It had to be or someone was going to lose a finger or a more important body part. He found his cell phone in the living room. It was Patrick. Knox answered, mood foul.
“What? This better be important. It’s past midnight,” he reminded his second-in-command.
“It’s bad, boss. One of our warehouses was looted. Don’t know which group did it.” Patrick sounded worried as hell.
Knox clenched his jaw. “Which warehouse? Be specific.”
“Warehouse G. The one by the Davenport docks.”
Fuck. That warehouse contained a large shipment of weapons and ammunition they intended to sell in a black-market auction in two months. The losses would be significant.
Worse, if word got out that his organization couldn’t even prevent the theft of their own merchandise, their reputation would take a serious dive.
“Where were the guards?” Knox demanded.
He hired expensive mercenaries, ex-military, to guard that place night and day.
“All dead.”
That wasn’t good news.
“How bad is the damage?” Knox asked.
“It’s hard to tell. We haven’t assessed the losses yet,” Patrick answered.
“I’ll be there soon.” Knox ended the call and returned to his room.
Leah remained tangled in his sheets, looking cute as fuck as she hugged one of his pillows against her chest. Knox noticed with some amusement that she had put her panties back on. As if that would stop Knox if he was really serious.
Knox dressed in one of his favorite suits, remembering to put on a Kevlar vest. He took two of his favorite handguns with him and a knife he was fond of.
He didn’t use the blade often, but it was handy in close-combat. He wasn’t the kind of boss who hung back and let his men do all the work. Knox had to be in the thick of the action. He wanted his enemies to know he was coming.
Knox left another kiss on Leah’s cheek before exiting the room. Leah stirred slightly but she didn’t wake. There was a high chance he wouldn’t be here in the morning when she woke. Knox made a mental reminder to himself to text Greta, his housekeeper, to make Leah breakfast.
Rory and Aiden tensed when Knox opened the door. News traveled fast in the organization.
“Stay here,” he told them. “Don’t let anyone but Greta in. Keep a close watch on Leah. She’s very important to me. Keep her safe.”
Both men failed to hide the surprise on their faces. “Of course, boss,” Rory said. “Your car’s waiting downstairs.”
“Good.”
Knox took the elevator to the ground floor. He knew he should be more focused on his stolen shipment, but he couldn’t wait to get this shit done and over with so he could return to his woman.
****
Knox studied the busted metal door for a couple of moments before entering the warehouse. Four of his men stood guard outside. Knox had sent out another team to scout the docks.
It was pretty unlikely that the intruders would still be around, but Knox wanted to be thorough. He nodded to his men and entered the warehouse. Knox steeled himself for the worst.
The thieves had managed to empty out almost half of his merchandise and that pissed him off. The men working under him only had to take one look at the black expression on his face and scurried away, but Patrick walked right up to Knox.
That there was the reason why Patrick was his second-in-command. He was never afraid to call Knox out on his bullshit and Patrick always went right to business.
“They were smart,” Patrick said with a grimace. “Took out the security cameras first. Killed the watch dogs and the guards.”
“Show me,” Knox ordered.
His men piled the bodies in one corner. Knox looked over the corpses. They weren’t messy kills. There were neat bullet holes on each one. No signs of excessive force. Their enemies had a talented sniper on their team and that worried him a little.
“Get rid of the bodies. Discreetly,” Knox told Patrick. “Provide a generous compensation for the families of the men that died.”
The mercenaries weren’t part of his organization, but they died while doing a job for him. Knox treated his people fairly. That usually ensured loyalty. Loyal men wisely kept their mouths shut but there were rare exceptions.
How could the thieves know about the cameras or the guards and dogs?
Knox kept a tight rein on his territory. His group frequently monitored the comings and goings of potential threats and enemies.
This was an inside job. The thought sickened Knox to the stomach. Whoever the traitor was, he was a walking dead man.
Patrick and he took a walk around the warehouse, searching for some trace of evidence and finding none. Knox quit smoking a couple of weeks ago but as he stepped out into the fresh night air once again, he hunkered for a cigarette.
“You got a smoke?” he asked one of the men keeping watch outside.
Knox didn’t recognize him, so he was probably new. Patrick was in charge of hiring new recruits but Knox trusted Patrick to find men who kept their silences and who would take a bullet for Knox.
The new guy fumbled for a cigarette and a lighter. Knox took the stick and he lit it for him.
“I thought you quit?” Patrick asked by his side.
He nodded with the cigarette. Knox inhaled, then exhaled. Once Knox finished his smoke, he crushed it under the heel of his shoe.
“Just having one to calm my nerves.”
Otherwise, Knox would’ve murdered someone already. He had a short fuse but at least he knew how to control his temper when the time called for it.
“They hired professionals,” Knox finally said.
“Yeah,” Patrick said. “A rival gang wouldn’t be able to pull a job this squeaky clean.”
“If they knew about the interior and the dogs and guards, then we have a rat,” Knox said.
Patrick turned pale. “Leave the investigation to me, boss. I’ll find who the fuck the traitor is and wring his scrawny neck.”
Knox nodded. “I’ll leave the detective work in your hands then.”
They lacked information and that was a fact. Knox didn’t like being in the dark, but they’d have their answers soon. Now that Knox had a smoke, he studied the site again.
“There’s one upside to all of this,” Knox pointed out.
“What’s that?” Patrick asked.
“They left in a hurry, look.” Knox pointed to something he hadn’t noticed before earlier.
Black tire tracks were left on the road leading to the warehouse exit. In the distance, Knox could hear police sirens wailing. Someone must’ve called the police. That meant witnesses.
Good. The police were in Knox’s pockets. With very little persuasion and some monetary incentive, the cops could assist them in their investigations.
“Boss?” Patrick asked blankly.
“It means our thieves aren’t as thorough as we thought.” Knox walked around the warehouse, with Patrick following quietly behind him.
Knox studied the cameras positioned outside the warehouse doors. Unlike the ones on the inside, the cameras here were discreetly hidden. They were intact. The thieves managed to mess up after all and whoever betrayed him didn’t know about these cameras. Knox chuckled.
“Boss, can I ask what’s so funny?”
Knox finally spoke, “They busted the security cameras inside but not the ones outside the warehouse. We’ll find out who robbed us sooner or later and the traitor who ratted us out.”
“This is a fine time for us to get robbed. Once the other gangs in the city find out—” Patrick began.
Knox cut him off. “If they did, it won’t fucking mat
ter, because we would’ve dealt with our thieves and our little rat before that happens.”
Patrick took a deep breath. “You’re right. I easily lose my cool, but you always have your head on your shoulders, Knox.”
Knox clasped Patrick’s shoulder. “We’ll get through this like we always do. The fuckers who hit us tonight don’t know who they’re messing with.”
Chapter Seven
Leah woke up surrounded in unfamiliar dark-blue silk sheets. Silk? She opened her eyes and noticed she wasn’t alone. Someone was watching her. For a second, panic speared thorough her entire body. Leah took a deep breath, then another. The events of last night returned to her. Larry’s betrayal. Knox Carter unhinging her entire life. Knox putting his talented mouth to her pussy.
She blushed, remembering she had an erotic dream of him. One that didn’t end with Knox eating her pussy but with Knox finally taking his fill of her.
“Good morning, kitten,” Knox stepped away from the windows. He was undoing his tie. Leah noticed the way he was dressed and frowned. Wasn’t he dressed in that same suit last night, before he bade her good night?
“Did you just come in?” she asked. “Were you out all night?”
“So many questions.” Knox took off his jacket. “But, yeah. Had some business I needed to take care of.”
Leah didn’t ask him for any more details because she didn’t like to know. She remembered Knox telling her the same about his mother, how she didn’t want to know what went on in the family business. Except Leah wasn’t Knox’s girlfriend or wife. She didn’t even know what she was to him. Not knowing her place in his world made her a little uneasy.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. He patted the space next to him. Leah scooted down the bed and considered her next words.
She summoned the courage to ask him the most important question. “What are you planning to do with me? Keep me here? Am I your prisoner?”
Leah doubted he would let her go, but it wasn’t like she wanted to return to the apartment she shared with Larry either. She didn’t know or understand her brother anymore. The awful thing was, Leah knew Larry wouldn’t change. She had tried to ween Larry off his gambling addiction, but Larry never wanted her help. Given the chance, her brother would sell her off again.
“I’m not a caged bird you can keep,” she finally said out of desperation.
Last night, Leah allowed herself to get lost in Knox. He was a beautiful distraction. When Knox put his mouth and hands on her body, it was easy to forget about the real world. Reality was ugly. Messy. Leah didn’t want to think about Larry or the fact she had nothing going on in her life. She was just going through the cycles, never thinking of the future. Merely living one day at a time.
Knox began drawing circles on her thigh with his fingers.
Leah didn’t tell him to stop. She welcomed his touch and didn’t understand her attraction to him or why she felt so calm around him. So safe. His apartment felt like an impenetrable fortress and she was the princess trapped in the tower. Larry couldn’t reach her here. Nothing and no one could touch her because Knox ruled these streets, this city.
She could pretend to be Knox’s captive for all she wanted but that wasn’t what Leah really was. Someone who truly wanted to be free would attempt an actual escape, would fight to her very last breath. What exactly was she fighting against? All she did was have dinner at Knox’s apartment and sleep in his big bed.
“Is it so awful being with me?” Knox finally asked. He sounded and looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes. He smelled like cigarette smoke.
“Yes.” A heartbeat later, she told him the truth because Leah couldn’t bear to lie to him. “No.”
Leah didn’t like seeing him like this. The Knox she met last night had been cocky, so full of himself. His arrogance was part of his charm, his appeal. Must be hard being him. She shouldn’t feel any sympathy for a dangerous man like him but right now, he looked like he could use a friend. Resting her head on his shoulder, she wrapped her arms around him and gave him a hug. Not the easiest thing in the world to do considering Knox’s size.
She had no clue what she was doing but it felt like the right thing to do.
Knox gathered her close and rested his lips against the bite mark on her neck. He didn’t say a single thing, which was fine with her.
“You’re a gift, kitten,” he finally spoke. “But don’t tell anyone about this.”
“That I hugged you?” she asked, skeptical.
Knox seemed reluctant to pull away from her. He stared at his hands as he spoke. “That I have moments of doubts, of weakness.”
“Everyone does.”
“Not me.” Knox sighed. He finally looked at her and answered her earlier question. “You’re staying here. You have to. I’ll have my men bring your belongings from your old apartment.”
She had to? Knox should know by now she didn’t like being given orders.
“Wait a damn second. You can’t just make those decisions for me,” Leah said.
Knox’s gaze darkened. “I can and I will. Leah, hours ago I just found out there’s a traitor in my organization.”
Leah began to open her mouth, to tell him to shove it, but he placed a finger on her lips. The concern in his eyes gave her pause.
Knox spoke again. “That’s not the only thing I’m worried about. Last night, I wasn’t discreet. Everyone, including my enemies, would find out how important you are to me sooner or later. They’ll use you against me. You’re in danger.”
“I didn’t ask for this,” she blurted. Leah was just a normal girl a day ago. A waitress struggling to make ends meet. She was a nobody. Now she was Knox’s—whatever, and a walking target apparently.
“Remember that I saved you,” Knox said, brushing his knuckles over her cheek. His voice was gentle, which made the situation a lot worse. “If your brother didn’t gamble you away last night in a game of cards, he would’ve put you in danger eventually.”
Leah hated it when Knox was right. She punched him in the arm. Once. Twice. Again, and again. He didn’t defend himself. Leah let out a frustrated growl. The sound frightened her a little. It reeked of desperation. Leah had never felt angrier, more alone her entire life. She let out another scream. That made her feel a little better.
Knox finally gripped her wrists, stopping her pathetic assault. “Stop it. If you keep this up, you’ll just hurt yourself.”
“Not my fault you’re built like a stupid tank,” Leah whispered. He cracked a smile. “It’s not like my life’s worth anything anyway.”
Knox frowned and jerked her suddenly close. Leah thought he would kiss her. She was hoping he would because that would make it easier for her to suspend reality again. To let herself be swept away by him. Knox rested his forehead against hers.
“Never say those words to me ever again. Leah, I’ll be devastated if you’re gone,” he whispered.
To hear someone tell her that they cared, that she mattered, it was something else. Leah couldn’t speak for a few moments. It was his turn to envelop her into a tight hug.
“I’ll make the same promise to you again and again because you need to hear it,” he whispered in her ear. Knox worked his fingers through her hair and gave it a little tug. The quick bite of pain startled her awake. Made her realize how foolish she’d sounded a moment ago. “I’ll never betray you or hurt you. I protect what’s mine.”
Leah stilled. She could talk again. “Why? We’re practically strangers. We just met yesterday.”
“You belong to me,” Knox said simply, like it was obvious. “I knew the moment I saw you at that poker table that you were made for me.”
Knox’s confidence blew her away completely. God help her, but she was falling hard and fast for him. For this dangerous monster who seldom showed his vulnerable side to the world, but he wasn’t afraid to let her see his flaws.
Leah knew Knox was dangerous. Dancing with him was like playing with fire. He w
as bad news. She didn’t believe for a second this man was in love with her. It was lust at first sight, maybe. Obsession might be the better word, but she wasn’t cowed, wasn’t daunted by Knox anymore. Leah knew for certain Knox would hurt himself first before harming a single hair on her head.
Nothing good could come out of this, and yet the unexplored wild side of Leah wanted to find out where it led.
“You said I couldn’t leave because my life’s in danger.” Leah took a deep breath. His expression turned hard, unreadable. All his shields were back up, but she wanted to test him. “Once that threat is eliminated, what then?”
“We’ll talk about it when that time arrives.”
There was no arguing with his firm tone. This conversation was over.
Chapter Eight
Knox took a shower right after his conversation with Leah. He needed to feel clean again after mucking around in the warehouse.
Patrick had volunteered to deal with the cops. His tech team was probably going through the video surveillance right now. Knox needed to be back in the head office, resume everyday operations. Pretend everything was normal.
His organization was hit hard but the losses wouldn’t affect him in the long run.
Knox mulled over Leah’s question as he let the hot water cleanse his body. He punched his fist into the wall. Of course, Leah wanted to walk out. No woman in her right mind would want to remain in his world. She was an unnecessary complication in Knox’s life right now, but he’d already decided last night that she wasn’t going anywhere.
He could still feel her warmth, smell her captivating scent when she’d hugged him. A hug. Such a simple gesture and yet Leah would never understand how much it meant to Knox.
Knox seldom let anyone get close to him. His men all depended on him. Looked up to him. To them, he was a force of nature to be reckoned with. Immovable. Untouchable. With Leah, Knox let himself be weak. It wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Some days, he needed to remind himself he was only human.
She didn’t see him as the enemy at the very least. They were more like wary allies at this point. Barely even friends but he intended to change that soon.
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