I spit on my hand, gripped my cock, and started jacking off as though if I didn’t come soon, I’d die. I closed my eyes and saw him. His green eyes, his muscles, that face a mask of secrets I wanted to unwrap…just as much as I wanted to strip him of every stitch of clothing and lick everywhere the fire had touched.
“Shit.” My orgasm tore through me as I thought about what he’d taste like.
My empire was being threatened, my power challenged, my family targeted, and here I was masturbating to thoughts of a stranger. I had to get it together.Everything that is mine will stay strong, and Penn will stay alive.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Pennsylvania
Ever since thenight Gideon Hendrix had shown up at Kaleidoscopes, I’d felt as though someone was always watching me. It was fucking annoying. That brother of his very well might have figured out who I was and mentioned something. Maybe I should have just been happy Gideon was letting me be and just watching me. Or, maybe it wasn’t him, and someone else was following me everywhere.
I sighed as I opened the door to the mini mart by my apartment. I had ten more days, and then I was out of here. I wouldn’t leave Alan high and dry—it wasn’t the right thing to do.
The store clerk glanced at me as I entered, but he went back to his phone. I grabbed a basket and started filling it with the few things I needed. I didn’t work tonight and would’ve stayed in if I wasn’t out of some essentials.
I stepped up to the counter as the bell chimed above the entrance. I peered up at the security mirror behind the clerk and saw three well-dressed men enter. Two of them I’d seen before. Fucking hell, this wasn’t my month.
“That’ll be twenty-seven eleven,” the clerk said. I gave him thirty while I kept my eyes on the mirror. The men hadn’t moved and judging by how nervous the store clerk was, he knew who they were or was bracing for a problem.
He gave me my change and placed the bag on the counter. Instead of grabbing it I turned toward the men.
“Can I help you?”
Lorcan smirked. “It’s like you knew I was here for you.”
I cocked my head. “Why are you following me?”
He took a step forward, and I lifted a brow.
“If you knew who I was, you’d be as scared as the pimple-faced teenager behind you.”
I peered over my shoulder, and saw his nametag read Ben. “Ben’s cool.” I met Ben’s gaze. “Right?” The kid nodded.
“You lied to me.” His fists were clenched and a small vein pulsated by his temple.
“How so?”
“You know exactly who went into that burning house…I heard Gideon Hendrix paid you a visit, and you told him who it was.”
That was a lie. “He did come by the bar and asked like you did. I said the same thing to him as I did to you—I have no idea who the fuck ran into that fire.” I grabbed my bag and made to leave only to be blocked. “Get out of my way.”
“You really are as dumb as a bag of rocks.” He snorted.
My brows furrowed. “A bag of rocks? You mean a box? If you put rocks in a bag, it’ll tear.”
That seemed to only anger Lorcan and suddenly my arms were being yanked back, my bag fell to the floor, and my face got up close and personal with his fist.
He hit me twice. I waited for more, but none came. I sniffed, spit blood on his shoes, and smiled. “Feel better?”
“Who are you?” He gripped my throat, his men holding on to me. “You should be pissing your pants. I’ve killed people for less.”
“Less than pissing their pants?” He squeezed harder, but I chuckled.
“I’ll give you one more chance. Who ran into that fire?”
No sooner had the question left his mouth than glass shattered and gunfire rained above us. I hit the floor once Lorcan’s men released me. They returned fire and while they were all trying to kill each other, I army-crawled along the aisle toward the emergency exit in the rear of the store.
Ben was by the emergency exit and when he saw me, he held it open. I jumped up and made a run for it.
