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They rushed to her side and she smiled at me. Uncertainty and mistrust were shining clearly from her eyes. I didn’t blame her in the least. “Sorry if they were bothering you.”
Shrugging at her, I moved past them and hit the button for the elevator. I couldn’t help but smirk when the little girl‘whispered’to her mother, “That man is rude.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be talking to strangers, like I told you? Then he wouldn’t have been rude to you. Huh? What are you going to do when someone snatches you up one day?” The groans of the kids were loud in the hallway and were a sure indication that they’d heard the lecture many times before.
I stepped onto the elevator and shook my head. Maria had always wanted children. I would have given her anything. She’d have made a good mother. Me? I doubted I had the ability to be a good father, but I would have tried.
I was still distracted as I left the building and turned the corner, heading toward where I’d left my car parked. It was unusual for me to run into a problem that I couldn’t solve, and while I knew I would eventually track down Maria’s killers the temporary roadblocks were a nuisance. There was someone within the NYPD that was working against me and I was determined to find out who.
My thoughts scattered as someone came barreling around the corner and slammed directly into me. It happened quickly and I grabbed their upper arms to keep them from bolting. A lot of kids who grew up on the street would use that trick to take off with a man’s wallet. I’d done it plenty of times myself when I’d been young.
My gaze zeroed in on the beautiful woman in my arms. She looked up at me in shock, recognition sparked in the depth of her blue eyes. I noted the grocery bag she held and the one that’d been knocked out of her grasp upon our collision. She must live in this building and since I didn’t know her it stood to reason she thought I was my brother.
She tried to pull herself out of my hold and for some reason I didn’t want to let her go. Something within me felt a possession toward her that didn’t make any sense. I was a man who listened to his instincts—they’d kept me alive and had never led me astray—and they were screaming at me that this woman was mine. I tightened my grip and tugged her forward. She gasped as I won the game of tug-o-war and her body ended up molded against mine.
She was a tall, athletically built woman, and her curves fit perfectly against me. She’d gone still when I’d yanked her against me, as though she realized it was a bad idea to keep struggling. I ran my hand down the length of her braided hair, her tresses silky against my skin.
Once I was only hanging onto her with one hand she sprang into action, jerking away from me and breaking my hold. I watched in amusement as she hurried toward the building, shooting me glances over her shoulder. She’d left her bag of groceries on the sidewalk. A smile tugged at my lips and satisfaction filled me. Knowing that she would rather abandon her groceries than stay in my presence longer than necessary stroked my ego. I liked when they ran from me.
I allowed her to go, content with the knowledge that I knew where to find her. Continuing on to my car, I slid in and dialed a number on my phone. “Chet. Is there a new tenant?” I listened as he babbled on about the woman I’d just met outside the building I owned.Havoc.I let her name permeate within my mind as Chet continued speaking. “Send me over her renter’s file. Also, put up a security camera on level three.”
“Sir?” he asked hesitantly.
“I want to keep a closer eye on my brother,” I said. I didn’t make a habit of explaining myself to my employees, but I also tried to be a little less domineering in my legitimate businesses. Keeping the monster contained wasn’t easy and the way my men tiptoed around me told me it was barely repressed.
“Yes, sir. I’ll see that it’s done today.”
Being able to watch over Dante was just an added benefit of the camera. I was putting it up for Havoc’s sake, but that wasn’t something Chet needed to know. As soon as I hung up with him I called my underboss, Luca.
“Boss?”
“Get Carlo and Mario down to my apartment complex on Spruce. Have them keep an eye on the place.”
Luca paused before asking, “For how long?”
"Indefinitely." He was fairly used to my cryptic ways, but this was out of character, even for me.
“Sure thing, Boss.” He hesitated again, then asked, “Is there something up with Dante?”
“Just get it done.” I hung up and tossed my phone on the seat next to me. Drumming my fingers on the wheel, I stared up at the building in front of me. It was unusual for me to take this level of interest in a woman. If I wanted to fuck them I offered and then it was over. Before Maria’s death, I’d been faithful. Women had thrown themselves at me, but it was a point of pride. I expected loyalty from the woman I committed to and I reciprocated. It was one of the few decent things that could be said about me. Luca had made the off-handed comment recently that it seemed like I was drowning my sorrows in women. He knew me well.
I’d known Luca Russo since his father was a newly made man and had come to work for my father. My brother and I were close in age to him and the three of us had quickly become friends. Luca and I had more in common than I ever did with Dante, but we never held his high level of morals against him. We mercilessly teased him for them—as young boys do—but we never truly cared.
My father used to compare us to the three musketeers. When the time came and I needed a right-hand man, one I could trust with my life, it didn’t surprise anyone that Luca was my first choice. It also left him feeling as though he could get away with saying shit that very few could. The fact that he was still breathing would seem to indicate that he was right about that. He also wasn’t far off base with his comment about the women. I couldn’t appease the monster inside with blood—not yet—so I’d been settling for fucking.
Something about Havoc interested me, though. I felt this overwhelming need to know more about her. I planned to handle her the way I did everything else. I’d find out what I wanted to know, then I’d take what I wanted.
Chapter 7
Havoc
Once I got inside the building I leaned against the wall and let out a huge breath of relief. I hadn’t expected to run into my neighbor outside on the sidewalk. In fact, I’d taken my time at the store to give them a chance to settle in at home so I hopefully wouldn’t have any more run-ins with them today. What kind of shit luck would have me moving in next door to two NYPD Officers?
My plan hadn’t worked, though, because I’d slammed into him outside. I’d wanted to ask him where he was going dressed in a fancy suit so early in the morning—probably had to go to court—but he was so fucking quiet and intense I lost my nerve. When he pulled me up against his body, and I felt every muscle hiding beneath his clothes I decided it was time to beat a retreat. My pride was a little bruised, but I was willing to deal with that.
The last thing I needed today was to deal with a cop—especially a cop like the one I’d met outside. Something told me I could handle the man I met at the elevator, that was easy for me to shrug off and avoid. The way he’d been outside, though, was too much for me to deal with right now. If we were keeping score, I won the elevator round and he’d definitely taken the points from the sidewalk match.
The elevator announced my arrival at my floor, and I quickly walked to my apartment. As I pulled out my keys and went to unlock my door, I heard another open.
