“Nobody likes a snitch.”
I toss the bloody muscle to Alrick, feeling the wetness and stickiness against my fingertips. He catches it effortlessly, tucking it away in his pocket as if it’s the most normal thing to do.
“Send it to my father. Gift wrapped. And let him know it’s from me.”
“Ja, Odjur,” Alrick says.
Asva tosses me a wet towel and a bottle of water. I rub my hands, trying to remove the crimson stains clinging to my skin. I hate that I don’t have time to get clean, but I have to get to Belle. She’s mine, and I’ll protect her even if it costs me my life.
Hugo informs me he’s made it safely to my penthouse and secured Belle in the safe room. Although she’s unhappy, he let her know it’s for her safety and that I’m on the way and will explain everything once I arrive. Hopefully, she won’t hold this incident against me. It’s hard gaining someone’s trust, and with her not knowing me, something like this could make it harder for me to get anywhere with her.
In less than thirty minutes, we pull up to my building, the familiar sight of its tall, imposing structure greeting us.The thirty-story, all-glass building was my first purchase after getting completely out from under my father. It cost a pretty penny, but it was well worth it because it houses most of my men. Despite the healthy cost, I looked at it as an investment in my organization and me.
Of course, all my men and their families love it. The majority of them don’t come from money. Like me, they grew up hard and way too fast on the streets of Uppsala. And anything is better than living on the streets. But I made them a promise. They and their families would never want for anything again if they swore their loyalty to me. In exchange for their loyalty, they live a life most dream of.
Asva, Alrick, Daniel, and two additional members of my team form a protective perimeter around me as we navigate toward the exclusive entrance of the building. I stand in front of the retina scanner, its red laser beam scanning my eyes. The laser moves in a vertical and horizontal pattern, tracing my face.
“Good evening, Mr. Larsson,”Megan, the artificial intelligence system, says in her smooth, melodic voice.“Welcome home.”
The doors to the private elevator slide open, and we all step in. The private elevator and Megan are not accessible to everyone in this building. Only the men with Hugo and me have access to this elevator. Although this isn’t the only way to access the twenty-ninth and thirtieth floors, it’s the only one that directly opens into the penthouse. I only trust these men with me to give them direct access to my private residence.
“Twenty-ninth floor,Megan.”
Megan starts at my command, and I shift from foot to foot as the elevator slowly rises. Too slowly. I’m usually the calm one out of all of us but not now.
I can feel all their eyes on me because of the anxiousness sitting in my gut. I know Arabelle is safe because the state-of-the-art safe room in my bedroom is impenetrable. But I need to put my eyes on her myself. Hugo and all these men with me are highly trained, especially Hugo, and every one of them will die protecting her. However, I know in my heart and soul that no one can protect her better than me.
“Calm down, Florian,” Alrick says. “This place is a fucking fortress. Nobody can get to her. And by any chance they do get past all the security features you have in place, Hugo’s a damn one-man army.”
I release a breath. “My mind knows this, but I can’t relax until I see her and hear her voice for myself.”
I catch Alrick’s gaze, and there’s a hint of confusion in his eyes, yet he says nothing. My closest men understand my obsession with Arabelle, including Alrick, but they don’t understand how deep my feelings are for her. The feelings that go way beyond obsession.
The elevator stops, the doors slide open, and we’re greeted by the barrels of two guns.
“Put the fucking guns down, Hugo,” Asva hisses from in front of me.
Hugo chuckles, the sound echoing through the room as he holsters both weapons. I’m the last one to step off.
“How is she?” I ask, making my way to my bedroom, where the safe room is located.
“She’s fine. Scared and pissed,” Hugo replies, chuckling. “I’ve never heard so many curses come out of someone so beautiful.”
So, my beauty isn’t as innocent as she seems.
While they make themselves at home in the living area and kitchen, I walk into the master bedroom, where the reinforced and fireproof safe room is hidden behind a false wall. This isn’t the only safe room in this penthouse, but it’s the most technically advanced and closest to me. Every condo in the entire building has at least one safe room.
After inputting the code known only to me, which changes every hour, I push the steel door open. As soon as I step inside the room, her pacing comes to an abrupt halt, and her gaze pierces me. The brief look of fear in her eyes infuriates me to no end. It wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for that bastard I share DNA with.
As I stalk toward her, a wave of relief washes over me when her shoulders sag and a frown creases her beautiful features. Angry or happy, it doesn’t matter. At least she’s okay.
“What the hell, Florian?” she asks when I wrap my arm around her.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.” I trace my finger down her jawline, then across the vein pulsing erratically in her neck. Her eyes flutter before she looks up at me with her beautiful dark brown doe eyes. “But I’m going to need you to stay here with me until the threat is neutralized.”
As she steps out of my embrace, the warmth of her touch lingers on my skin.
“You think they’re going to come after me? Hugo said there was a threat.”
