Page 47 of Ruined By a Devil

“They sent this to let you know they have power over you.” It’s not difficult to understand the box now.

“I don't need your pity, Jade.” His eyes harden into pure ice. “So don't look at me like that.”

“Pity?” A laugh escapes me. “I don't pity you, Malachi. You're a monster, and you're fully capable of tearing Nolan Devlin apart with your bare hands. I don't feel sorry for you. But I do hate what they did to you, and I hate that they think they can use it now.”

Malachi stares at me for a second, studying my face before he nods. He calls Milo back in. “Did the gate cameras catch the courier who dropped this?”

“No,” Milo replies, shaking his head. “It was a biker wearing a helmet, there is no way to identify him.”

“What about the plates on his bike?” I ask.

“There were none,” Milo explains. “He just dropped the package at the gate and pulled away before the guards reached the entrance.”

“He couldn't have gone far,” Malachi says as he closes the box with a quiet click. “Send Josh and Lucas with two more guards as a back up to sweep the south strip. Find the courier one way or another but make sure to drag him to Eden alive.”

“On it, Boss. They already went after him. I’ll keep you posted,” Milo says, turning and heading fast for the front doors.

When Malachi turns to face me, the cold, scary calm is still visible in his eyes, but beneath it, I can see the thirst for vengeance burning bright.

“We’ll find him,” I say even though I’m not sure Malachi’s men will find this mysterious guy.

“We?” Malachi raises an eyebrow, a small smile dancing at the corner of his mouth.

“I meant the guards…” I stutter, suddenly regret speaking in the first place. I should have remained quiet. “Whatever.”

“It’s nice to hear you talking about us as one already.” He takes a step closer to me, now close enough for me to feel the heat radiating from his body. “You should get some sleep.”

“What about you?” I can’t really imagine Malachi going to sleep after all of this. I don’t think anyone would be able to sleep peacefully knowing a psycho like Nolan is out there torturing you.

“I’ll head to bed soon too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Jade

It’s two in the morning and I haven’t managed to close my eyes for five minutes. The chain and the thought of Malachi being held captive and tortured doesn’t leave me and a part of me wants to make Nolan pay with my own hands, even though I don’t doubt Malachi’s ability to get revenge on his own.

The sound of the crickets is equally distracting as my mind keeps running in circles, no matter how hard I try to ignore it.

I wonder if Malachi is sleeping?

The thought of going to his room to check on him briefly crosses my mind before I brush it away. He wouldn’t react well to it, and besides, I don’t know what I would say to him. What does one say in this type of situation anyway?

After one of the crickets gets annoyingly close to my window, I throw off the covers and walk to the window. “Can’t you go annoy someone else? Maybe Nolan?” I close the window and pull a dark silk robe over my tank top and shorts.

I barely ate anything at dinner and after struggling for so long to get some sleep, I’m starting to feel hungry. Malachi probably packed the leftovers in the fridge and with a little bit of luck, after getting some steak into my stomach, sleep might meet me halfway.

My bare feet make no sound on the hardwood stairs as I walk down to the lower level, on my way to the kitchen. However, before I even reach the fridge, I’m distracted by the light coming from the cracked door leading to the basement gym. The corridor leading to it is also lit.

My curiosity takes over and I give up on leftover stake, heading downstairs. As soon as I push the cracked door open, the sound of boxing fills the air and I find Malachi bare-chested, his dark sweatpants hanging low on his hips. I never would imagined Malachi this messy and covered in sweat.

His leather hand wraps are wet as he drives heavy, punishing combinations into the leather heavy bag. Jab, cross, hook. The bag makes a loud sound under the impact, swinging wildly on its steel chain, but Malachi doesn't even pause to catch his breath. His shoulders are slick, while the muscles in his back are firing in rhythmic bursts.

My heart aches at the realization that he’s running himself into the ground trying to burn out the ghosts before they take over.

He doesn’t seem to notice me so I step inside, the cool air of the room hitting my bare legs.

“You ok?” I ask, my voice barely carrying over the squeak of the swinging chain.