Marshall*****There was much I needed to do today. Once my angel was set up on the outdoor sofa with her school books, I returned to the bedroom to prepare for the day ahead. I changed into a black suit and gelled back my hair. I strapped myself with two pistols, one in my waist belt and another over my shoulder. While I would be stopping at the office to get some files, I had other business things to tend to that I would never attend without my weapons.Such as taking care of the bitch who hurt my angel.I growled at my reflection in the full-length mirror against the wall. My face and posture remained the same, slightly hunched with an aggressive edge. There was something different in my eyes though. A clarity I'd never seen before.Shaking my head, I left the room and trotted back down to the back porch where I'd left angel. She was curled up between some pillows with a textbook fanned across her lap. She instantly smiled at seeing me. I still couldn't fathom her little break earl

Caroline*****The rest of my shift blinked by. I didn't even realize it was time to go until the next employee came in. I quickly packed my backpack and scrambled out of the chair. My thoughts were in a nervous clutter. I'd spent the last hour of my shift pretending to study while I stole glances at my stalker from where he stood outside.Marshall was just very distracting to begin with. He didn't need to say or do anything. Just stand there and glare out at the world. I could tell people pulling into the gas pumps were wary of him. Some are very obviously admiring. His face remained ever neutral through it all, eyes cooly roaming the vicinity.I had to be firm with him to get my way. I needed to see Freya and get more clothes. All my stuff was still at her house. He may not give me the choice of where to sleep, but I needed my shit. None of it was valuable or even sentimental—but God knew what Valentina would steal if I didn't get everything."Is that guy waiting on you?"My neck sh

Caroline*****"Ever played hooky before?"I looked up from my laptop to see Marshall walking towards me, two bowls of salad in his hands. He wore his usual classic black suit, a matching tie loosely hanging around his nape. His mouth just barely tilted upwards. I've learnt that his most genuine smiles are the smallest ones. Holding out one of the bowls, he sinks down onto the sofa beside me. I catch a whiff of strawberries and pecans and then a stronger scent of sandalwood and tobacco.Jesus, he smelled delicious. I accepted the salad bowl and glanced down at the leafy, green contents. There were apple chunks, orange slices, halved strawberries, spinach, diced pecans, cucumber slices, and pieces of baked chicken. I'd never craved a salad more than right then."Ah," I said, swallowing while I stabbed a few greens with my fork. "No, actually I mean, I've left for appointments and things but I've never just skipped."He smirked at me around his fork. "You're almost done with your high s

Marshall*****After I dropped off the Expedition at the house with all the shopping bags, I called Nuel."Boss," he answered."How are things at the warehouse? Any news?""Things are fine. The boys are sending out the arms shipment to New York. No news on the cousin yet."I raked a hand through my hair. "I'm headed to a meeting with some of Marcel's men. Send me an ETA for the shipment once it's out the door. The Italians appreciate transparency.""Yes, sir."I arrived at the popular Italian restaurant, LA PENTOLA, after a brief drive to the town over. This bistro was just one of many that Marcel and Raphael Gambo ran as part of their larger operation. Like myself, they dabbled in various industries to launder money from other illegal activities.As I entered Pentola and bypassed the hostess, I moved through the dining area and then kitchen. The staff eyed me warily until I disappeared behind a door with a keypad. A plume of cigar smoke hung in the air while I descended the dimly lit

Caroline ***** I slurped on my near-empty iced coffee and earned a look from Nuel. Flashing him an apologetic smile, I opened the passenger door of Marshall's SUV and jumped inside. Nuel closed it after me and walked around to the driver door. My body and brain were truly exhausted. Shopping was not for the weak. I fastened the seatbelt over my lap and rested my head against the headrest with a sigh. Nuel slid in beside me without a word. He cranked the ignition and music played softly from the radio. I'd noticed today, during our last few hours together, that Nuel didn't like me. It was nothing he said or anything. I was sure Marshall would have his head removed if he was rude to me. But his face made this shape whenever he looked at or talked to me. Like my presence just annoyed the ever loving shit out of him. I didn't want to be annoying and I didn't want to waste his time. In general, I was used to being as invisible as possible to avoid attention of any kind. So it bothered