Page 119 of Coveted By Cupid

“I know,” I say softly, lying through my teeth. “It wasn’t okay, but I forgive you.”

Relief washes over Boden’s face as his eyes come back to mine, swimming with hope. “You do?”

“I do,” I say with the most reassuring voice I can muster. “Promise you won’t do it again?”

He nods, a small smile forming on his face. “I promise.”

“Can you put the gun away?”

His smile falters, tension returning and tightening his jaw. “No.”

“Okay,” I say nonchalantly, trying my hardest to play it cool and not give him a reason to doubt my intentions. “I just didn’t want an accident to happen.”

There. My response seems reasonable.

Conflicted, Boden frowns. “I won’t point it at you again, but I need to keep it out for now, in case anyone shows up here.”

“Okay,” I say again, pretending not to take it personally. “Can I see my friend now?”

“Um, yes, of course,” Boden stammers, thrown off by my acceptance of his behavior. “I’ll take you to her.”

He takes my hand firmly in his and leads me to the back of the funeral home, where an elevator is located for transporting the bodies from what I can only assume is the prep area.

We enter the elevator, my heart pounding haphazardly in my chest with being in a confined space with Boden when his behavior is unpredictable.

He hits the button for the basement before looking at me with a stern expression. “Vanessa?”

“Yes?” I ask with a lump of dread in my throat.

“Don’t try anything funny,” he warns me. “You won’t like what happens if you do.”

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

CUPID

Rough hands shake me awake.

“Cupid! Cupid, wake the fuck up!”

Alarmed by the sudden wake-up call, my eyes spring open. I blink rapidly to adjust to the morning light, shaking my head to make myself more alert.

Cookie and Crypt stand over my bed, appearing anxious. If it were only one of them, I’d be slightly annoyed to be awoken in such an aggressive manner. However, the worried looks on their faces, especially Crypt, who normally shows no emotion, are enough to shock me out of bed.

They should be with my woman, but she’s nowhere in sight.

“What’s going on? Where’s Vanessa?” I ask, ripping open one of the dresser drawers and yanking on a pair of jeans.

“That’s why we’re getting you up,” Cookie says, his voice tense. “She’s gone.”

“GONE?!” I whirl around on my men. “What the fuck do you mean she’s gone?”

“She didn’t come out of the apartment when we were supposed to leave for her classes. I entered, looking for her, but she wasn’t anywhere,” Cookie says quickly. “I was coming in here to get you up when Crypt came running into the apartment to tell me someone spotted Vanessa sprinting up the block.”

“Who saw her?” I ask Crypt, my body shaking with adrenaline.

“Kenny—the drug dealer,” Crypt says. “He’s downstairs in your office with Oaks right now.”

Shoving my feet into my boots and yanking a t-shirt over my head, I grab my gun from the nightstand before the three of us run downstairs to my office.