Page 7 of The Monster’s Weakness

It was getting late and she didn’t want to be in the bar until closing. Time had flown by.

“I should probably be heading out soon,” she said.

“How about we exchange numbers and go from there?”

There wasn’t any harm in a phone number, but she was already afraid he’d never call her and she’d be left wondering what she’d done wrong. Something inside her really wanted this to work. It was like a dream she swore she’d wake up from.

“I’d like that,” she said. “I had a great time tonight.”

They exchanged numbers, then she headed back the way she came, up the long hall and into the night. There was a sharp chill in the air now and a wind blowing the leaves on the few trees planted along the boulevard. A piece of newspaper tumbled along the sidewalk.

Her nerves fired off a bit as there wasn’t much life out at this hour. She wanted to get to the safety of her apartment. It was only a five-minute walk, she told herself.

She was about to step onto the road when a hand grabbed her upper arm, making her yelp. Gemma whirled around, her heart racing.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I thought I should call you a cab or something.”

It was Caleb. The adrenaline drained down to her feet.

“I live really close. It’s okay.”

“Can I walk you then?”

She swallowed hard. He was probably just trying to be a gentleman, but part of her didn’t think she should let him know where she lived. As comfortable as she felt, the man could be a killer, for all she knew.

“I’ll be okay,” she said.

“I insist.” He winked again and held out his bent arm.

The man was impossible to resist. He had such a commanding presence. Before she could think straight, she put her arm through his and they were crossing the street together like an old married couple.

When they got to her building, she stopped. “This is me.”

He looked up at the building and then at her. “You have a good night, Gemma. We’ll talk soon.”

Then he kept walking up the street—a slow, casual pace. No weird awkwardness. No attempt to come in or kiss her. It made her trust him more but also left her feeling a little bereft. For the first time in a long time, her major thought wasn’t her job search.

****

He was well and truly fucked.

The curvy little redhead had become an obsession. And there was no fighting it. Nothing and no one could convince him to put her out of his mind. But he had to play his cards right. She was a good girl, and he didn’t want to scare her off. In his line of work, even his personal life, everyone feared him. It may look like respect, but he knew exactly what it was. Fear.

Gemma was different. She treated him like a regular person, talking and laughing without a care in the world. It was addicting seeing himself through her eyes.

She hadn’t shared a fraction of what he already knew about her, though. Not even about her MS. He wished she would have. But it was smart of her to be cautious. It was bad enough she’d come into a dive bar, so at least she hadn’t overshared with a virtual stranger.

He wanted to scold her, to make her see the world was a dangerous place. But there was no need any longer, not with him looking out for her. He’d make sure she was safe and cared for.

His car was parked just up the street near her apartment. He got in and checked his messages before tossing his phone onto the passenger seat.

This contract out on Bastian was a temptation, but as much as he prided himself on not giving a shit, it felt wrong to snuff a guy he’d fought beside. He supposed hit men had a kind of unspoken law between them to watch each other’s back. If an old target put a hit out on Bastian, the same could happen to any of them.

But the money...

He bit his lower lip as he fought the urge to take the contract. If he didn’t do it, someone else would. Caleb took a breath and decided he had better things to focus on tonight.

Gemma Miller. She needed him, she just didn’t realize it yet. When he’d needed someone, there was no one. Caleb had only been twelve years old when he learned the bitter truths about the have and have-nots, and the evil of the insurance industry. Not a single person reached out to save his mother, and he had to watch her die.