Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32755 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 131(@250wpm)___ 109(@300wpm)
“Callie, what we shared was real.”
“How can I believe that? How can I trust what you’re saying is true?” she asked. “You’re the Bogeyman. You work for Aldo Giordano.”
“I work for myself, Callie. I’m no one’s tool.”
“Yeah, well, you’ve made me feel very much like a tool. Please, let me go.”
“Do you seriously think I can let you go now?” he asked.
“Does it really matter? This thing is over between us. You were sent to kill me and you lied to me. How can that be the start of anything good?”
Chapter Eight
Work was mundane.
Callie went through the motions for the next week. Each night, she didn’t go to bed but stayed in her chair, staring at her apartment door. Waiting. She didn’t trust Aldo Giordano to not kill her. When she thought about the risks, he had every right to kill her.
No one came.
One week without sleep left her tired, exhausted, and just empty. Not only that, some of the women at work had wanted to know about Ruin. She had told them it was over, that he wasn’t who he claimed to be. Once they realized she didn’t have a hot guy waiting for her at home, they soon left her alone.
She was aware of Ruin as well. He was … everywhere.
When she left her apartment building, he stayed a couple of feet away, but he made no attempt to hide. He made sure she got to work, was always there at lunchtime, when she went to the grocery store, and he’d even been present as she did her laundry. This had all happened within one week.
Another little shock was that the codes and security on the apartment building were back up and running. She nearly had a panic attack when she tried to get inside, only to find the doors were locked. Ruin had been close, telling her to use her codes. She wanted to tell him to go hell, but of course she ignored him. This is what she planned to do—ignore him in the hope he’d get the message and leave her alone. That was the plan. She had no idea if he’d even listen to her.
The knitting group was on Sunday. She had her bag ready and it was sunny outside. The world was carrying on as usual. Everyone acted the same. No one in the past week knew she had a freaking hit man after her. She stood at her door and wondered if she should just knit at home today.
“Sweetheart, you’ve got to learn to mingle. To get out there. To be part of the big bad world. It’s not a scary place.”
“Damn it, Mom, it is a scary place. Someone was sent to kill me. Someone nearly did.” She rubbed at her temple and the guilt of ignoring her mother was too much. She left her apartment and stepped out of the building.
Ruin was across the street. She glared at him, but started walking toward the park. A moment later she glanced across the street to see him following her. She held onto her bag tightly and sped up. The walk took about twenty minutes. Usually, she enjoyed taking her sweet time, taking in the sights, and being outside on the weekend. Not this time. Her heart raced and tears were so close to making their escape.
You fell for a man sent to kill you.
You gave your virginity to a man who was going to kill you.
What did that say about her love life?
Stepping into the park, she saw several women were already enjoying some conversation and knitting their latest projects. Her bench was occupied by an older man reading a newspaper. She stumbled, a little unsure of what to do.
“Callie,” Ruin said.
She turned to look at him and shook her head. “No, not today, Ruin. Not today.” She slumped down on the ground.
She thought maybe he’d stop talking to her if she joined the women and introduced herself. To her, that seemed even more terrifying. Sitting on the hard ground, she pulled out her knitting, and her heart raced as Ruin sat down too close.
So the guy who was sent to kill you still makes your entire body aroused. Nice, Callie, real nice. Why don’t you just lie back, spread your legs, and tell him to fuck you?
In her mind, she saw them together. Ruin between her thighs, licking her, touching her. This was not going to help her stay mad at him and it was important for her to be.
He was going to kill you. Everything he said to you was a lie. The man is a liar. A killer. The Bogeyman. The freaking Bogeyman.
“Callie?”
“Please don’t talk to me.”
He’d already sat on the ground. She hadn’t noticed the bag he’d been carrying.
“You don’t have to knit, Ruin. You don’t have to keep up the pretense of not being who you said you were. I get it. It was all a lie. A ruse. Job well done. I had no idea. Congratulations.”