I stood there looking down at her hating that in a few minutes I was going to be leaving her in this place. She didn’t belong here either.

Isn’t it strange that the one I wanted to take care of would fight me tooth and nail, while so many others had wished for me to show them even an ounce of this care?

Don’t rush Max. I knew that with her I’d have to take things nice and slow. That she had as many barriers as I in place. We’ll have to see whose will is stronger.

I realized that I was already thinking of her as mine. And because of that it was hard for me to leave her here. The shit is going to fuck with me all night I’m sure.

With one last peck on her lips I stepped away, but found it hard to take my hand away from her face where I’d been holding her in place.

This time I let her lower her eyes, fascinated by the changes in her. When I’m touching her she seems

to become a whole different person, going up in flames in my arms. But once I let her go she reverts back to form.

Already I could see the fire in her eyes as she got ready to blast me with that tongue of hers again no doubt. I couldn’t help smiling at the thought of how much fun it was going to be getting to know her and all her many sides.

I looked around the squalid surroundings one last time before turning to the door. Yes I hated leaving her here, but knew she’d never agree to go home with me, not yet.

As I turned the flimsy door knob in my hand, I promised myself that I was going to get her out no matter what she had to say about it. This was no place for her.

“Lock the door behind me and don’t open it for anyone. I’ll see you tomorrow.” I left before it became too hard to do so, and waited until I heard the chain slip into place and the lock turn, before jogging back down the stairs.

All the way down I had to fight the urge to turn around and go back. I even played around with the

idea of sitting downstairs in the car to watch over her. I really had it bad if I was contemplating that shit in this hellhole.

I could handle myself fine, but since I went pro I never forget the words of my manager at the time. He’d warned me about the shit I would face now that I was a man of means.

The fact that people would go out of their way to start shit just so they could get some judge to lighten my bank account.

Growing up it was my life I had to protect and worry about. Something I took care of by staying the fuck out of trouble. Now I have to worry about people just fucking with me to get paid.

Tony the worrier was waiting for me right outside the main door to the building instead of sitting in the car like I’d asked him to.

“At least you made it out in one piece. I don’t see any knife wounds. What, she was feeling mellow?” He looked me over with a grin.

“Shut up Tony and take me home.”

“Yes sir. You leaving her here?” Another reason we’re so close, we can practically read each other’s minds. He didn’t like this place any more than I did. Maybe he too was remembering what it was like to live in a place like this.

“What do you think? If it was anyone else I’m sure I would have them out of there in seconds, but this one’s going to take some work. I have to come up with a plan though, this place is even worse than where we grew up.”

“Yeah, I kinda got that feeling about her too. She won’t give in too easily.” We went back to the car and I looked up at the building one last time before we drove away.

I felt more than a little bit uneasy as we pulled off of her street, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

As someone who’d grown up in this city, I knew there were some who had spent their entire lives in places like this without coming to harm.

But she stood out here and I knew very well how that shit could lead to danger. She’d already been accosted and I was convinced it hadn’t been a random act of stupidity.

What if someone else found out where she lives and made trouble for her here as well? I can’t let that happen. But first I have to find out why she’s here in the first place.

Tony’s voice broke through my inner musings just then. “I got some info for you by the way on Ray Morrison; the guy from the restaurant.”

I didn’t need him to tell me who that was. I had a feeling that for the next little while that asshole was going to play heavy on my mind.

“What did you find out?”

“He’s a low level skell on Wall Street. Didn’t do too well in college, so it looks like someone might’ve put in a good word for him and got him the job.”

“I didn’t find anything that he’s done here lately but he has a sealed record from his teens. I’m thinking someone like him didn’t stop being an asshole all the years in between, so I’ll keep digging.”

“You know what to do.”

“Already on it Max.” Of course you are. I may not be able to use the information we uncover from the sealed indictment for any legal purposes, but at

least I’d know what I’m dealing with.

Whatever it is, I’m sure not to like it. I just need to know how dangerous this fuck is before making my next move.

If he’s just your garden variety pervert, I’ll leave it to the cops. But if I find that he’s more than that, I’ll take him out myself.

Either way it didn’t sit well with me to let someone else handle the situation, but Tony was right. I had to be careful here.

Too many people had seen what happened at the club, and with my reputation it wouldn’t be hard to guess who was responsible if something happened to him now.

“What about the other thing, are we on the right track there?”

“I haven’t found the connection yet, but I’ll keep digging as I’m sure you will as well. He bonded out an hour ago by the way.”

“I expected that. I’ll keep on it. I’m not going to let this one go. I just hope for her sake that I’m wrong. Why would an intelligent person like her fuck up her whole life by doing some shit like this?”

“I didn’t think you would and you’ve known for a while that she was on your shit. It’s not the first time she slipped up, it just so happens to be the first time you’ve cared.”

He was right about that. It wasn’t the first time Arlene had warned off someone she thought was getting too close to me, but in the past I brushed that shit off. Now that Annabelle was involved things were a whole lot different.

“He picked the right time of the evening to pull that shit. Any later and he’d be picking up his teeth in the alley.” I folded my fists as he watched me in the rearview.

“I’m barely restraining myself from going after him now, so I can only imagine what your crazy ass must be feeling.”

“Don’t worry, he’ll get what’s coming to him sooner or later. I want the one who put him up to it first though. I’m thinking I should put someone on Anna just in case. I didn’t like that look he gave her earlier when he was being dragged away.”

“You think he might come after her?”

“I don’t know what the fuck to think. Everyone knows that bullshit doesn’t fly in my place. Why would he just show up out of the blue and ask to sit in her section only to do that filthy shit?”

“Yeah, that’s the sixty-four thousand dollar question. Not to worry. If he’s that dumb they’re bound to have slipped up somewhere. If she really is the one behind it we’ll find out the truth before long.”

“If she’s the one behind this, I’ll bury her ass next to him.” I’ve had women pull some stunts in the past to get my attention, but this was beyond evil if what I’m thinking is true.

For one female to set up another to be assaulted like that shows a whole other level of depravity. I don’t need people like that working for me. No fucking way.

“You have any plans on how you want to deal with this going forward? You’re not just going to confront her are you? You know you’re not good at that shit. Plus this one’s a female.”

“I give a fuck what she is. But no, I don’t plan on confronting her just yet.” He was pulling up to my door just then and the doorman came over to open the door.

“I’ll see you in the morning.” I said goodnight to the doorman and got my phone from my pocket as I headed to the private elevator.

“You in bed?”

“Geez, yes, I am, what do you want?” I couldn’t help smiling at her attitude. I hope she never changes.

“You sure you’re okay after what happened?”

I hadn’t even remembered to ask earlier when I was with her. Just goes to show how muddle headed she makes me.

“I said I was, didn’t I?”

“I still don’t understand why you didn’t want to get the cops involved.”

“Because they’re not going to do shit. He’d get a slap on the wrist maybe. Meanwhile, I’ll have to miss school and maybe a day’s work for nothing.”

Was she that much in need that she couldn’t lose a day’s pay? Just what kind of trouble was she in anyway?

I knew better than to bring that shit up over the phone. I was still leery of her pulling a runner if I came on too strong too soon.

“What about the fact that he might be a repeat offender? That he might do that to someone else? Wouldn’t you feel guilty?”

“I might’ve in another life, but these days I can’t afford that kind of guilt. Now if there’s nothing else, I have an early class in the morning.”

She hung up in my ear again. No phone etiquette whatsoever. I smiled as I walked through my penthouse feeling lighter.

She didn’t have to answer the phone and even though my number doesn’t show up, I was sure she knew it was me calling. Who the fuck else would be calling her this late at night?

Well fuck, I’m not going to get much sleep if I go to bed with those thoughts in my head. Jealousy is a warped bitch, because now I was pissed at the idea that someone else might be calling her.

I hadn’t forgotten that crack she’d made earlier. She was right. It never entered my mind that there might be someone in her life. I have no idea why that might be.

It was as if I’d already made up my mind to claim her. When something’s yours it doesn’t matter who else wants it, the shit’s off limits.

I could well imagine she had a slew of admirers, but deep down I didn’t believe that she was the type to let me kiss her if she was involved with someone else.

The thought brought me some peace and I was able to settle down some. I was still a bit uneasy because I was here in my luxury penthouse while she was in that dump.

There was a story there for sure and starting tomorrow I’m going to get to the bottom of it. Hopefully she won’t hand me my ass when she finds out that I went digging into her past.

Wishful thinking I know, but I’m not going to let that stop me from doing what I have to. It’s like dealing with mom. Sometimes I just have to do shit for her own good no matter how much hell she gives me.