“I don’t have it anymore,” I said. even though I was sure that wouldn’t make a difference.
“Oh, I know you don’t.” Her laugh was sharp. “You could’ve sold that egg for millions, and what did you do instead? You gave it away. That was our retirement plan. We would’ve been rich. But now Karim has disappeared out of the country, and my brother took the rap. Did you know they made it look like a suicide?”
She stepped closer, the gun unwavering in her grip. "I’m not here for the egg, you idiot. I’m here to ruin your life because you ruined mine. Now drop the bag, turn around, and march your ass toward the back door.”
I glanced over at the concierge but didn’t see anyone there. Shit. With the gun pointed at me, I did as I was told, dropping my bag of leftovers even as I tried to rack my brain for a way to get a call out to someone, anyone.
Owen was waiting for us next to a black sedan with the engine still idling. He leaned against the driver’s side door, arms crossed. He sneered as he pushed off the car.
“So there’s the bitch who fucked us over. I was supposed to get a cut of that. Watch them try to garnish that for my ex-wife and her brat. You really thought you could just walk away from this, huh? After everything we set up? After all the favors I called in?" He shook his head, his laugh dry and humorless. “You don’t get to just give away our fortune and walk away clean. That’s not how this works.”
I looked up at the cameras and found them missing. Owen must have noticed because he laughed. “We’re not stupid like you. Noone will know about this.” His hand shot out, gripping my jaw hard. “You cost us, bitch.”
His grip tightened, his fingers digging into my skin. “You think you’re so smart, don’t you? Playing hero, giving away what wasn’t yours to give.” His other hand balled into a fist, and before I could react, he drove it into my stomach.
The air left my lungs in a rush, and my knees buckled as pain exploded through my abdomen. I doubled over, gasping. My vision swam as Owen stepped back, wiping his knuckles on his jacket.
“Just making sure you remember who’s in charge here.” He turned toward the car, jerking his head toward the back seat. “Get her in. We’re done here.”
Michelle grabbed my arm, yanking me upright. The world spun, my stomach churning as she shoved me toward the sedan. But before I could take another step, a shadow blotted out the sun.
A deep, guttural growl rumbled through the air, vibrating in my bones. Owen froze, his head snapping up just as Graham landed in the alleyway with a ground-shaking thud. He was in his gargoyle form without any illusion, his wings spread wide. The look in his eyes was terrifying as he locked onto Owen.
The color drained from Owen’s face at the sight, and Michelle made a horrified sound.
One massive clawed hand seized Owen by the throat, lifting him off the ground like he weighed nothing, before an equally large fist slammed into Owen’s belly right where he’d punched me.Owen’s eyes bulged, his hands clawing uselessly at Graham’s iron grip.
“Never hurt what is mine,” Graham growled.
I turned away as Graham smashed him several times against the wall. I tried to mentally drown out the crunching sounds that made me feel physically ill. When Graham finally released him, Owen sagged to the ground like a rag doll.
My deadly gargoyle savior turned to Michelle, who had released me and now stood frozen against the car, her eyes wide with terror.
“Run,” he growled. “Before I change my mind about letting you live.”
The bitch ran, leaving the vehicle behind.
I found myself in Graham’s arms as he ushered us back inside my building. I was glad the lobby was empty because I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to explain all this to anyone. I wasn’t sure if Owen was still alive. If he wasn’t, did that mean I’d witnessed two lovers murder two different people in two weeks?
Fuck. I really had bad taste in men. But this time, I couldn’t find it in me to feel fear of any kind for Graham. I knew deep down in my soul that even if he were a monster, he wasmymonster.
“Meera, are you hurt?”
I shook my head because my voice refused to work. Robotically, I went to pick up my bags by the stairwell. Then Graham hadme in his arms, and he took the stairs three at a time up sixteen floors to my apartment.
Chapter 30
Graham
IsatonMeera’scouch with her in my arms. She was still holding her belly from where the asshole had punched her, though she claimed it wasn’t hurting badly. I was angry at myself for not getting there in time to stop him.
I also worried about what she thought of me and my violent outburst. It wasn’t my best look, but given the circumstances, I would’ve done it again without hesitation. The asshole deserved everything he got, and if I hadn’t heard the sounds of balconydoors opening from the units above us, I would’ve continued until he was nothing but a smear on the wall.
But we were behind Meera’s building, and I didn’t want anyone to recognize her. The assholes were nice enough to remove the camera for me beforehand.
All the options I’d reviewed in my head during the flight over on how I could apologize and tell Meera she was my mate suddenly refused to surface. Instead, I said, “You weren’t supposed to see that.”
She blinked up at me.
