Evil stared up at the man who had already pissed himself multiple times. Wearing a noose around his neck, precariously balanced on a plastic crate, would do that to a man. According to his informants, this piece of shit was paid to spy on him. This man here was solely responsible for feeding the information to his enemies about Noelle’s existence.
It had come to him a week ago. The night he first fucked Noelle. He couldn’t believe it had already been a week. Noelle belonged to him.
She was currently back at his casino with Arnold and a couple of his men he did trust. The bruises on her face were healing fast, and it pissed him off how determined she was to carry on with life, working for him.
The past week, he had barely left her side, but that first night, she had fallen asleep in his arms, and he’d looked at her. The bruises were a reminder of what he’d seen. What she had been through before he was able to get to her. The damage that could have been caused if he hadn’t been deep in stalker mode when it came to this woman.
He couldn’t shake the feeling and wondered how his enemies knew. Noelle was his secret. He hadn’t been careless with her life. He’d gone out of his way to make sure she was taken care of. That all of her needs were met.
Yet, someone had found out the truth. That someone was going to die today, but not before he made sure they wished they’d never met him or Noelle.
He stared at the man who was fighting to stay on the plastic crate. One had already broken, as had a second. This was the third and last.
Once this was broken, the man would die.
Evil wasn’t affected by his flailing or the pleas for his sorry life. Forty-five years, Evil had been alive. All those years, he had rarely met someone he would consider innocent. Noelle was the only exception.
He did see the darkness in her eyes. Her story wasn’t that of a woman who had loving parents and a life to go back to. She was alone in the world, but he also saw she’d been alone for a very long time. Probably even before her time with him.
His own story wasn’t good. Jumping from foster places. Abusive women and men, only in it for the money. There had been a few nice people, who’d been in it for the kids, but something had always gotten fucked up that meant he couldn’t stay with them. He’d seen how upset they’d been when he’d been taken from the care and moved elsewhere.
It didn’t take him long to run, and he never looked back. No one had sent him back to the foster system.
He’d learned to survive in that world. The streets hadn’t been much better, but this time, he was able to earn a living off of being beaten. In the beginning, he’d lost a few fights, attempting to earn some cash. That hadn’t lasted long.
His life had been at stake and he hadn’t messed around. He had fought to survive. That was his history. Beating, working hard, and fighting every single day to get to where he was now.
He didn’t care that people feared him. To him, this was a job well done. A good job. One he was damn proud of as well.
He whistled. “I don’t think that crate is going to hold you much longer.”
“Please, Evil. I swear. I swear, I don’t know anything. I didn’t tell them about her. I swear. I made sure no one knew about her.”
And that was what he’d been waiting for.
He stepped toward the man, masking his face with real concern, like he believed the story he was telling.
“You’re certain?”
“Yes, I’m certain. I wouldn’t do that to you. I promise. I never, ever, would. You can trust me.”
Evil nodded and then shook his head. “I never said this was about her.”
The man whimpered. His lip quivered.
“Who else did you tell?” he asked. “I can’t do anything if you don’t tell me.”
“I-I sold the information and the images.”
Evil listened as the man told him how he’d taken pictures of Noelle. Sent them to his boss, who was already dead, but had also seen a meal ticket and had shared that information with the mafia as well.
That was it. He’d been about to contact the cartel when people started turning up dead. He’d been on the run, trying to get away, but hadn’t succeeded.
Evil had heard enough, kicking the crate from under him. The man dropped and then started to claw at his throat. Evil stayed and watched.
He never allowed anyone on his shit list to survive.
Noelle’s life was in danger, and this piece of shit was responsible.
“Sir, what do you need?” one of his men, Richie, asked.
“I want more men on Noelle’s detail.” He should have known there was a reason the mafia had gone quietly. How they’d stalked back to their own little cave even after he killed one of their capos.
Did the information die with the capo?
Evil had no way of knowing, but he was going to find the means to protect Noelle.
The man shook, trying to fight it, and Evil watched the life drain right out of him. No one ever brought his woman into this.
****
Evil had gotten rid of her apartment. All of her belongings were now in his place, and seeing the boxes that possessed her life, it was rather pitiful. The apartment hadn’t been great. It had been what she’d been able to afford, which wasn’t a lot.
Her grandmother would often say it wasn’t what you had, but what you were made of that was valuable. Noelle hadn’t wasted money on trivial items. She had kept a good apartment and rid it of the roaches. She had also been friendly to the neighborhood cat, and she believed that kept the rat population down. Keeping her apartment clean and preserving the items she’d been able to get at second-hand shops, as well as charity ones, had been important to her. Keeping old items well.
Two boxes. That was the extent of her life.
Evil hadn’t allowed any of her furniture. Not that she blamed him. It would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
She ran her fingers through her hair and felt so incredibly tired. It had been a long day of doing nothing. Checking out the casino’s books hadn’t been part of her job, but that was what Evil had her doing. He’d been off, and she’d once again been under lock and key with a couple of his men that he trusted.
She felt so exhausted.
Evil was off doing evil things, she just knew it, but there was no way to tell. He tried to keep that side of himself hidden. She didn’t want him to hide or pretend to be someone he wasn’t.
After taking out the couple of mugs she owned, she moved into the kitchen and placed them on the counter. Then she pulled out a couple of kitchen items and put them in place.
The rest of the box held her bathroom items, and the box underneath, her clothes. It didn’t take her long to finish unpacking, and by the time she had neatly folded the boxes, Evil walked through the door.
She had guards on the door to keep her inside.
“You do know this is no different than living in your castle, right?”
“Castle?”
“Your country home. You’re keeping me here under lock and key again.”
“It’s for your protection.”
“Is it, really?” she asked, struggling to believe him.
“Noelle, I have a lot of enemies.”
She smiled. “I know.”
His jaw had a tic.
“You know, if you’re honest with me from time to time, I might be able to help.”