My new boss was beyond hot. Everytime he walked near me it took so much for me to not just reach out and run my fingers along his chest. I never did though, so I was very proud of myself. I’d never been very good at impulse control, so me not doing that was definitely progress.

  I watched as he leaned across an engine, his white shirt riding up and showing off the expanse of tanned flesh that was covered in bck ink. Just how much of him was covered in tattoos? I wanted to find out so badly, but he was my boss, and there was no way that was ever happening.

  As it was, Cynthia—the woman that worked reception—seemed to have a vendetta against me. I had no clue what I’d done to her, but from the moment she id eyes on me that had been such vitriol there that I’d almost turned around and left that first day I walked into the shop.

  I didn’t have the time, nor the patience, to deal with someone like that. I drug my eyes away from the small expanse of exposed skin, licking my lips. A quick gnce to the clock on the wall told me it was time for me to go home.

  “Time for me to clock out,” I called to Mikhail. He gnced up at me, dark brown eyes turning to stone. He nodded and then turned back to the car he’d been working on.

  I know I’m not bad to look at, call me conceited or arrogant, but I’m sexy. I’m not model hot, but I can certainly turn heads when I walk into a room. Yet, for some damned reason, I can barely get the time of day from Mikhail.

  A quick shake of my head and I was heading to my car. This car, it was mine, yet it wasn’t. Yeah, my name was on the title, but I didn’t particurly enjoy driving it. I didn’t want people knowing who I was though and showing up to work at a run-down mechanic shop in a Audi would definitely have people looking twice at me. So, instead I was driving a beat-up Toyota Corol.

  I unlocked the car and frowned at the small bouquet of flowers sitting on my drivers seat. They were wrapped in a light blue ribbon and a card attached to them. I didn’t even bother to check the card, I just picked up the flowers and walked over to the dumpster to throw them in. I already knew what it would say, the first four bouquets had all said the same thing, and this was the sixth one.

  I don’t know who was leaving them for me, but they were being left in pces that someone shouldn’t have been able to have access to, namely my apartment and my car.

  Papa would want to know about this, but I could handle it myself. I would handle it myself. I didn’t need to give him any reason as to why he should tell me that coming home would be a good idea.

  I wanted to be able to have my own independence, and to prove—to myself and to him—that I could live on my own and not just survive, but thrive. Whoever was leaving me these flowers—how had they known asters were my favorite, come to think of it—would not threaten that.

  Typically it only takes twenty minutes to get back to my apartment, today, however, the traffic was atrocious so it took almost an hour. By the time I got home I was about ready to murder someone. I had no idea what it was about a small drizzle of rain and everyone acted like it was a re-enactment of Noah’s flood. It was utterly ridiculous.

  I pulled my car into the parking lot and got out, grabbing all my things and locking it. The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Someone was watching me. I did a quick gnce around, but couldn’t find anyone. There wasn’t even anyone hiding in the shadows.

  Paranoia. That had to be what this was. I was just paranoid because of the stupid flowers. No one would be stupid enough to actually stalk me.

  What if they didn’t know who I was though? I did take great pains to keep those parts of my life separate. I did have cameras on the outside of the apartment, I could check those again. I’d done it already, after each time I’d found flowers inside, but I’d never seen anything. Whoever was leaving them was either very stealthy, or a good hacker. Possibly both?

  I brushed the feeling off and headed up the stairs to my apartment. The old woman that lived down the hall from me was watering the pnts she kept next to her door. She looked up as I walked by her.

  “Oh, hello Rory, did you have a good day at work?” she asked.

  I smiled and nodded. “Mhm, and how has your day been, Mrs. Langston?”

  “Oh, it’s been the same as usual.” She spritzed some water on a rge fern. “Your handsome brother stopped by, he seemed upset that you were working.”

  “Which brother?” I asked, arching a brow.

  “The tall one.”

  I ughed. “They’re all tall, Mrs. Langston.”

  “Oh gosh, my eyes aren’t as good as they used to be. He’s still in there.” She turned back towards me, tucking the water bottle under her arm.

  “Ah…thanks. I should probably make sure he’s not eating all my food,” I say with a ugh. I head the rest of the way down the hall and then pause, furrowing my brows. None of my family had a key to my apartment…which meant it was either Ats or Orion in my home. If it was Ats…I’d be buying more groceries, if it was Orion I’d be finding random weapons all over the pce for ‘protection’. Either way, giant pain in my ass.

  I unlocked the door and let myself in. I heard my refrigerator shut.

  Ats.

  “I swear to god Ats, if you’ve eaten all my food, you’re buying me groceries for the next month,” I yell out as my door shuts behind me. I gnce to the side and a scowl covers my face when I don’t see another pair of shoes.

  If he had his shoes on in my house…I was going to gut him. I slid my sneakers off and threw my keys and purse on the table next to the door. My feet made soft noises against the linoleum as I walked to my kitchen.

  Ats was indeed standing in front of my fridge, an uneaten apple in hand, and chewing something else.

  He blinked green eyes at me at his best imitation of innocence that he could manage. Which was not at all. I sighed and gave the apple a pointed gre.

  “What? I was hungry and you were taking forever to get home. When did you get a job? Why did you get a new job? What happened to your old job? You were supposed to have today off, you always have Mondays off.”

  “I got fired,” I said. I’d forgotten to tell my family in the two dinners since that had happened. “I got a new job the next day at a mechanic shop.”

  Ats frowned and pced the apple on my counter. “A mechanic shop?”

  “Yeah. It helps me feel closer to nonno and I’m good at it. It’s also pretty good pay, suprisingly.” I leaned against the back of my couch. “Is that a problem?”

  He looked like he wanted to say something, but shook his head. “Of course it isn’t. So, where is this shop? If my car needs work I’ll make sure to bring it to you.”

  That was a probing question if I’d ever heard one. He wanted to know the name of the shop so he could look into it. As if I hadn’t already done that. I mean, I hadn’t, but he didn’t need to know that.

  “I already looked into it,” I lied.

  “No you haven’t,” Ats stated. “You’re a shit liar, Rory.”

  I rolled my eyes. “It’s fine, I don’t need you going there and threatening my new boss…again.”

  It was absolutely Ats’ fault I’d lost my st job. He’d found out where it was, went to the manager and threatened bodily harm to the man if he found out I was being treated poorly. Next thing I know I’m getting fired for creating a hostile work environment. I couldn’t even bme the guy, I’d have fired me too for that.

  Ats blinked. “You got fired because of me?”

  “Duh.” I rolled my eyes.

  “Well, then they didn’t deserve you working for them.”

  “Why are you here?” I asked, changing the subject.

  “I missed my little sister. Prison sucked without being able to tease you.” He ran his hand through his buzzed hair. “I should have beat the shit out of the guard that shaved my head.”

  “If you’d done that, you’d have been in there for even longer. I still can’t believe you were sloppy enough to get caught. Papa taught you better than that.” I picked at the loose threads of my couch.

  “Wasn’t my fault! Besides, we needed me on the inside for a bit.”

  Well, that was true. “Yes, but not for three years. If you hadn’t been so shit at covering your tracks it would have been like six months, at most. No, instead you’re caught with damn near a quarter pound of coke. Why did you even have that much?”

  “I…might have slightly overestimated the amount needed,” Ats said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Doesn’t matter though, go get a shower and put on something nice. I’m taking you out.”

  “I don’t want to go anywhere Mappa. I just got off work.” I shook my head.

  “Too bad. I’m itching to go out, and everyone else is waiting for us already.”

  I groaned and stood up straight. “Fine, just guilt trip me, why don’t you,” I grumble.