Chloe (Made Men, #3)(50)

Chloe rolled down the window, letting the warm summer air whip across her face. Taking a deep breath in, she felt the last chain break.

I’ve finally reached freedom.

It was going to be close, but she would make the plane. Most of her time was spent trying to find the correct parking area.

Chloe parked her car in the desolate-looking parking garage. Pulling out her suitcases and backpacks, she locked her doors then went to her rear wheel. Her fingers fumbled as they searched for the hidden key box that was stuck to the underside of the car.

Bending down farther to look for it, her fingers finally grasped the box.

“Got i—”

A hard body wrapped around her, along with a cloth covering her mouth and nose. The hand behind the cloth stifled any screams or protests she could have made, and the strong body kept her in place.

Stay still, little girl.

There was no fight to be had. Her vision went blurry as it all started to fade away.

Or it’ll just hurt worse.

She had known it was too good to be true. Her soul belonged to the devil …





Thirty-Nine





The Story Behind the Scar, The Story of Sadness, Grief, and Torture





Seven Months Earlier




Pulling his classic black Cadillac onto the side of the street, he positioned himself perfectly to watch the house. Then he looked at the clock and saw he had timed it perfectly. School’s out.

He flipped his lighter off and on, off and on, waiting for her return. Lucca had never been good at sitting still, nor was he a very patient man when he was tired. The night before had been a long one, and his body still felt it this afternoon. Regardless, he had enjoyed every second of it.

Last night, he had lain Mr. Johnson to rest and held up his promise of f*cking the blonde until she regretted it. Both things had satiated his dark side … for now, anyway.

Lucca flipped his lighter closed as a stuck-up BMW pulled into the driveway. He had never trusted a German car. The only thing good about it was its black paint color.

A strawberry blonde exited the car. Elle Buchanan. He couldn’t help the sneer he pasted on his face. His little brother was in big f*cking trouble.

Watching her walk to the front door, he believed the girl only got prettier the more you looked at her.

It’s going to be a shame when I have to strangle the life out of her.

One thing was for sure, the girl was going to die, and nothing was going to save her. It was unfortunate she had been there when the trigger had been pulled, but some girls were just born unlucky, this one in particular. She was only going to make it another month to her eighteenth birthday.

The stuck-up looking car reversed, drawing back his attention. He wondered who would drop off a girl in this neighborhood. Truthfully, he was a little shocked this was the address, considering the girl had come from a prep school.

Looking at the clock again, he noticed there was a bit of time before Elle went to work. His gut told him to follow the car. Anyone she hung out with could possibly be collateral damage if her f*cking mouth blabbed too much.

Lucca started his car, deciding to follow the BMW. He kept a good distance back, following it in a direction he hadn’t been expecting. This part of town was mostly owned by the city, along with some expensive restaurants and shops.

Watching the car pull into one of the most expensive shops in town, he parked on the street and pulled out his cell phone to text the license plate number to a friend. He waited in anticipation, the curiosity slowly eating away at him, only growing worse when the car door opened.

Immediately, he knew it was a woman when tall, black boots and black jeans hit the ground. The next thing he noticed was her long, silky hair. It was the blackest hair he had ever seen.

He desperately wanted a glimpse of her face, but she never turned around.

Lucca found himself turning off the car and getting out, wondering how this was more important than anything else he could do with his time. His instincts were what kept him going, following her into the store.

Lucca prided himself on being able to go unnoticed. His appearance of dark jeans, black shirts, and black sweatshirts allowed him to do that, plus his scruffy face and hair. He could go places no one in the family could go. Made men demanded attention with their suits and immaculate grooming, whereas he didn’t need that kind of attention. I have other ways to get the attention I demand.

Entering the store undetected was easy with all the expensive shit it held. He navigated the store, finding the girl in all black who seemed to be looking for a particular piece. A slight glimpse of the left side of her face revealed her soft porcelain skin. He stalked closer.

Have I seen her before?

Another small glimpse revealed her young age.

Stopping, he was about to turn around. She’s too young.

The girl turned then went back to a table she had missed.

His heart stopped a beat when he saw the whole left side of her face and a striking gray eye. The other half of her face was covered by a veil of hair. He wished he could reach out to feel the pure black strands of silk and move it to reveal the rest of her face.

Leave now. Nothing good would come of this. He should have left the moment he had noticed she was just a teenage girl.

He was unable to place it yet, but something about her called to him. It kept him from looking away from the girl and leaving.