It was noon.

Christopher was coming by my office to pick me up for lunch. Even though we lived together, we didn’t see each other as often as I thought we would. So when he asked me to get sandwiches for lunch, I agreed.

The bell rang overhead, and I immediately stood up and grabbed my purse. I had a short lunch break because I had a meeting with a donor at one. We were organizing a canned food drive all over the city. Several department stores had agreed to participate. “I’m in a hurry today, so let’s save the chitchat and get going—” My mouth shut when I came face-to-face with Hank.

Great.

He was handsome in his suit and tie, but the look was deceptive. He came in a pretty package, but he was an evil monster on the inside. As the DA of New York City, he had more power than any single man should have. And he used it to his advantage—in the cruelest ways. “Hey, honey. You look nice today.”

I grabbed my purse and reached for the bat I kept under the table.

“Oh, no. Not that again.” He moved his massive body in my way, leaning against the desk and crossing his arms over his chest.

“I don’t need a bat to kick your ass.” I kept my arms by my sides and tried to think of other things to grab. Thankfully, Calloway had sent me a large vase of flowers that would be perfect to smash over his head. “I can do that just fine on my own.”

He grinned, but it was utterly disturbing. “I’ve always liked that fire in you. Sexy—”

When his eyes were locked on mine, I kicked him between the legs.

He turned his knee and blocked it, slightly wincing from the tip of my heel. “Nice try, sweetheart. You’ll have to step it up.”

“Get out of my office.”

“No.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m inviting you to dinner tonight. There’s something I want to talk about.”

“You can have dinner with my answering machine.” I snatched my purse and headed for the door. I didn’t care enough about my office to defend it from a sick motherfucker like him.

“Oh, I don’t think so—”

The bell rang overhead, and Christopher walked inside. “You ready for lunch? Dude, I’m starving—” The words died in his mouth when he spotted Hank behind me, just about to grab me before I got through the door. Still shocked, Christopher stood there as he took a moment to absorb what he was looking at.

I knew he was about to snap.

“You wanna die, you piece of shit?” Christopher charged him, using his size and strength to barrel Hank down.

But I got in the way. “Christopher, no.” I pushed him back then grabbed him by the arm. “He’s not worth it. You know the second you touch him, he’ll sue your ass and get your license taken away.”

Christopher pushed me back. “Couldn’t care less.” He darted for Hank again.

I grabbed Christopher by the shoulders and pushed him toward the door. “No. He’s not worth it for you or me.” I managed to get him through the door and to the sidewalk. “Now, let’s walk away.”

“No. Let’s call the cops.”

We could’ve done that, but no good would’ve come of it. “We know that’s not gonna get us anywhere.”

“So we do nothing?” he asked incredulously. “Is this not the first time he’s shown up at your work like this?”

I pressed my lips together tightly.

Christopher blew up all over again. “Rome, this is unacceptable.” He kept eyeing the door, waiting for Hank to come out so he could rip his throat out.

“We’ve been down this road many times. Nothing we do works against him. He’s too powerful. All we can do is go about our lives and not let him drag us down. So, let’s go eat.”

Christopher twisted out of my grasp and walked away, too pissed off to even look at me. He walked up to the stop sign and punched the pole so hard he left a dent in the metal. Everyone nearby stopped and stared, looking at him like he was a loose cannon. Christopher eyed them. “What the fuck are you looking at?”

* * *

Christopher ordered a sandwich, but for the first time, he didn’t eat his food. He leaned back into the booth and stared out the window, his mouth in a permanent grimace. Bloodlust was in his eyes, his hands desperate to strangle Hank until he stopped breathing.

I picked at my food, not very hungry either. I wished Christopher hadn’t witnessed the ordeal at my office. He was playful and humorous all the time, but he had a serious temper problem that derived from his childhood. When he was worked up, he made a lot of stupid decisions—like hitting people. While I thought Hank deserved an ass-kicking, he could do some serious damage to Christopher if he felt like it. Being close to the police department, the judges, and other lawyers allowed Hank to monopolize the entire justice system.

“Christopher…” I reached across the table and rested my hand on his.

Christopher yanked it away. “Don’t fucking touch me right now.” He kept his voice low so no one else would hear us. “Does Calloway know about this?” He finally looked at me, the hatred in his eyes obvious.

God, no.

Absolutely not.

I could only imagine what would happen if he did.

“No,” I finally answered. “And he’s not gonna know, so keep your mouth shut.”

“Fuck no. Calloway is rich, and he knows people. Of course I’m telling him.”

That was something I couldn’t let happen. “Christopher, this is my business and not his. Do not tell him.”

“Watch me.”

“I’m serious.”

“And you think I’m joking?” he snapped. “He needs to know you have a psychotic ex following you around.”

“Hank left me alone for a long time. I’m not sure why he’s made a resurgence.”

“And you better not find out,” he said through gritted teeth. “Thank fucking god you’re living with me. I’m not letting you move out unless it’s with Calloway.”

The thing I loved most about Christopher was his innate calmness. He was always carefree and easygoing. He was never overprotective of me, especially after we became adults. He encouraged me to go out and live my life. But the second I was threatened, disrespected, or in danger, he flipped out. “Please don’t tell him, Christopher. It’s important to me.”

“Why would you not tell him? He’s your boyfriend, right?”

“Yes.” He was more than just my boyfriend. My heart was twisted so hard around his fingers that I could never get free. “But Calloway is…” He was difficult to put into words. “I really think he might kill Hank.”

Christopher smiled, but it was in a ruthless, terrifying kind of way. “Good. Then I should definitely tell him.”

“I don’t want Calloway to ruin his reputation and his company over this. I really believe Hank will leave me alone. I’m not afraid of him. If he lays a hand on me, trust me, I’ll kick his ass.”

“But not before he breaks your arm again.”

Sorrow washed over me with the memory. Christopher had sat beside me at the hospital, so angry he cried. I didn’t want to relive that moment, to see Christopher feeling so bad for me that he felt bad too. “Everything will be okay. There’s no need to get so worked up.”

He shook his head.

“We need to keep this between us.”

“I think you’re being really unfair to Calloway. He should know what he’s dealing with. It’s wrong to keep him in the dark like this.”

“I’ll tell him.” My feelings for Calloway were undeniably clear. The second I gave myself to him, I knew how I felt. He was the man I’d been waiting all my life to meet. He was the male version of myself. I wanted to share everything about my soul with him—but not all at once. “I just don’t want to drop this on him right now. We’re still getting to know one another.”

“You’ve been dating for three months,” Christopher hissed. “You should know everything about each other by now.”

“Not us. We’re taking it slow.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’ll say…”

“So, please keep this to yourself. I’ll tell him when I’m ready. I know there’s stuff he’s keeping from me too. It’s not like this is a one-way street.”

Christopher finally picked up his sandwich and took a bite. “Fine. Whatever.”

That was the most I was going to get out of him. “Thank you.”

“But we need to figure something out with Hank,” he said. “Maybe you should move your office.”

“Like I can afford to just move my business.”

He finished half his sandwich in a few bites, obviously starving since we spent most of our lunch hour yelling. “No offense, but your business isn’t really a business. You don’t make shit, and the company is hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt. Maybe you should just walk away from it.”

“And do what?” I asked. “That place is my life.”

“I’d bet my right hand Calloway would give you a job in a heartbeat.”

He would. There was no doubt about it.

“You can do what you love and actually make a living while doing it.”

I shook my head. “I could never ask him for a handout.”

“Why not? He wouldn’t mind.”

“I’m not with Calloway because he’s rich and wealthy. I like him for him—nothing else.”

Christopher rolled his eyes. “That’s not what this is about. And he knows that.”

“He offers me a lot of things, but I never take them because I respect him too much. If I asked him for something, it would seem like I’m using him. And if I really want a job, I can apply for one all on my own.”

“His company rejected you twice,” Christopher reminded me. “Still not sure how a Harvard graduate gets ignored, but whatever.”

“Education isn’t important to Calloway. He never went to college.”

“He didn’t?” he asked, intrigued. “That’s so cool. He built that company all on his own?”

I nodded.

“Badass,” he said. “I wish I could be like him.”

“You are like him,” I reminded him.

“Not really,” he said. “I work for a boss. I get a commission. I have business hours. Not Calloway. That guy can do whatever the hell he wants, when he wants.”

“One day, you’ll get there. Building an empire takes time.”

“Anyway,” Christopher said, picking up the other half of his sandwich. “You should ask him. If you aren’t going to tell him the truth about Hank, you should at least do this. He may not realize it, but he’ll be grateful when you work in a huge building around other people so Hank can’t just waltz in there whenever he feels like. You’re totally vulnerable in that tiny little office.”

I knew I was vulnerable even with a bat behind my desk. There were no witnesses in the office. If Hank really had the energy, he might be able to pin me down. And I couldn’t afford a security system for surveillance.

“Seriously, think about it. Hank can’t touch you as long as you’re living with me or Calloway. And he can’t touch you at work either if you’re at Humanitarians United. It’s the best solution to get Hank to leave you alone.”

I knew he was right—and that was saying something.

“You’ll think about it?” he pressed. “Because I’m not gonna let this go until you make a decision—a smart one.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’ll think about it.”