The Dark Protector (Kingpin's Property 1)

I give her as little privacy as possible, forcing Antonio to keep watch at all times of day and night. I smirk at the thought. I love depriving her of things she thinks belong to her.

I haven’t forgotten what today is. It’s the first day of summer. Her birthday is only a few months away. This is my last chance to get my hands on her before she officially becomes my property.

So why have I stayed away all day? I forced my secretary to put me in meetings, ones I wouldn’t even attend usually. But I’m more concerned than ever that Tallulah is going to make me break my promise. I need to keep reminding myself she’s too young. My mind spins every time I lie in a bed in the same house she’s in. My cock is permanently fucking hard, every step, every breath reminding me of who grips it between her little fingers.

I thought I was obsessed with Rain. I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Rain was a symbol for me, an object I wanted to own so I could yield its power.

But Tallulah is… not. She’s got as firm of a grip on my heart as she does my cock. This is an addiction they’ll never find a cure for. The only way to escape her clutches is to fucking end my life, which clearly isn’t an option. Not unless I get to take her to the underworld with me.

“Distracted yet again, Xavier?” Manuel raises his eyebrows at me from across the conference table we’re all seated around. “I have to say, while it’s nice to have you around more, it feels like your mind is constantly somewhere else.”

“You’ll just have to excuse me for being a little preoccupied,” I mutter, groaning as I run my hands through my dark hair. “The business is running smoothly, isn’t it?”

“After the bloodbath downtown…” Manuel pales, and I wince at the thought of all the men who died at the gallery when someone tried to kill Tallulah. “We’ve been recovering. We have new men. Business is running smoothly. But we’ve taken in a lot of new people.”

“Trustworthy people?” I hiss, my eyes scanning the conference room for faces I don’t recognize. I’m shocked by how many there are. “Can I trust you all?”

My roar echoes in the room. Some men look back, some don’t. I label the ones who can’t meet my gaze as weaklings. They won’t last long.

The ones who stare back are ferocious. One of them glares with a heated intensity I recognize in myself. He’s angry. I’m often angry, but not to the point this guy is. His eyes burn with hatred. He wants to kill. I’ll put him on a mission soon.

“You can trust me, padron,” the guy speaks up with a toothy smirk. “Bernardo Cristobal, at your service.”

“Thank you, Bernardo,” I smile, holding his gaze. “I can see your anger. It comes off you in waves. Why are you here?”

“To put a bullet through your skull.”

I duck moments before disaster strikes. I feel the bullet whizzing above me before Bernardo is taken down. Several men beat him to the floor while I pick myself up, buttoning my blazer.

“Don’t kill him,” I hiss. “Let me deal with him.”

Bernardo snarls and hisses incomprehensible things as my men drag him away. Manuel is beside me, worried, as he checks for a bullet wound.

“Who let that piece of shit in?” I hiss. “I thought you’d done background checks, goddamnit.”

“Our numbers are low,” Manuel mutters, dusting off my spotless shoulders as he clears his throat. He won’t admit for a second how worried he was. It’s even harder for him to show emotion than it is for me. “I’m sorry, Xavier. We’ll kill him.”

“No, we won’t.” I glare at him. “I’ll get some information out of him first. And then I’ll make sure he suffers. This can never happen again.”

“It won’t,” Manuel mutters with some shame. I’m surprised he let me in close enough for me to notice it. I clap him on the shoulder and he meets my eyes.

“It won’t,” I repeat. “Because if someone else you hired tries to kill me or puts Tallulah in danger, you’re a fucking dead man, Manuel.”

His eyes widen while I walk away. I don’t have time to deal with the pain my statement caused. I’ll break any bond to save my angel. Even if it means killing my partner.

Following the guards to the basement of the Casa, I wait for them to chain up the offender while he snarls insults at everyone crossing his path. I can tell the prick is fearless - he’ll die for his cause. Which is likely finishing me. I doubt I’ll get a confession out of him. Still, I’m going to enjoy torturing him until he breaks.

“How do you want to do this?” I smirk at the pendejo. “The easy or the hard way?”