Midnight Daffodil (Poisonous Petals #1)

Chapter 7Luke

seven

LUKE

I sat in my Tundra.

I’d been off for over an hour, but the numbness that settled into my bones was paralyzing. Rev’s tail thumped in the truck bed as he greeted the day shifters, utterly oblivious to my turmoil.

And I sat right where Olivia left me.

Convincing myself not to pull his address and show up unannounced like karma, the bitch herself, was proving difficult. I listened to the call. Fifty times minimum. The way he talked to her sickened me to my core.

And she was right next to me.

The entire time.

I should chain you to the bed where you fucking belong.

Somewhere in that sick mind, Matt truly believed he owned her. That Olivia owed him something simply by existing. He was narcissistic like I’d never seen. And I sat right there while he berated her and did nothing.

Again.

Every time he put his hands on Olivia was my fucking fault.

I turned the key in the ignition of the black truck and pulled out of the parking lot. I needed sleep. Something that didn’t come easy anymore.

Thoughts of Olivia kept me up. And when I wasn’t thinking about her, I was dreaming about her. She consumed my mind like the ocean, and I was swept away in the current.

I pulled onto the curvy back roads that led to my place. A moderately sized gray craftsman home sat wedged between water and woods. The long driveway greeted me as I hit the fob to open the garage. Parking, exhaustion settled in, yet my mind was alive and reeling.

I failed her again.

Things with Matt were escalating; it was only a matter of time before he went too far and killed her. And that would be my fault, too.

I headed inside. The garage opened to a mud room where I kicked off my boots and bulletproof vest, slipping it onto one of the hooks. The lower level bathroom was just outside, leading into a modern but charming kitchen. I replaced the appliances but kept some of the wallpaper; it reminded me of home. The plush beige carpeting caressed my bare feet with its soft, luxurious texture.

I had over 2,500 square feet. But no wife or kids to fill the four bedrooms with. Olivia crept back into my mind insidiously.

I could make her happy here. It would be different, but she’d always be happy.

Rev trotted over to the den area, where his food and water waited. He munched happily as I walked up the stairs, passing the other rooms to get to mine. The primary bedroom had two walk in closets and a huge ensuite bathroom with a jetted soaker tub. Rainfall shower heads sparkled in the enclosure, and the double vanity, which had a slight leak, dripped silently against coffee colored quartz.

The house was warm but lacked something. And I knew what. It had the dog; it had the picket fence; it had the beautiful view. It was missing a woman’s touch.

Olivia was the missing piece.

I glanced at the soaker tub, my imagination running rampant— the things I would do to her in that.

I stripped down to nothing, turning the shower as cold as it would go. The frigid water soothed my skin but did little to ease the raging erection. I fisted my hard cock imagining it sinking into her heat. I stroked it harder under the freezing water. Flashbacks of the previous night played in my head. Her pussy was just barely covered by those tiny white panties, the way her nipples puckered under the mesh shirt, and her lips. God, her lips.

I was so hard it hurt; my balls tightened to my body, my release gushed out in one powerful pull. I grunted as the rest of it emptied in hot spurts, imagining it filling Olivia’s sweet pussy.

I was obsessed.

I’d give Olivia whatever she wanted and love her body as it deserved every night. No other woman ever mattered to me like this.

Until her.

Turning up the heat, I stood under the water. Every time I beat my dick off to Olivia, I felt like a pig. On top of loving her like she’s never had it, I’d show her how a man's hands were supposed to feel. I was determined to be nothing but a gentleman with her.

I couldn’t even dream of hurting her.

In basketball shorts, I stepped out of the bathroom while Rev sprawled out on the bed, snoring. I pulled the black silk sheets back and crawled in, ignoring the protests of my aching limbs. I needed sleep but couldn't quiet my mind of the tanned beauty. Eventually, Rev’s light snores and the gentle thought of her lulled me into a dreamless sleep.

I woke up to my alarm blaring and glanced at the clock; one in the afternoon flashed at me. I immediately snatched my phone off the nightstand, eager to check my texts.

No messages from an unknown number.

No messages at all.

Sitting around was going to drive me fucking crazy .

I rushed getting ready for the day, making sure Rev had enough food and water. I patted his velvety feeling head before leaving.

“You’re taking the day off today,” I told him. He cocked his head to the side and offered me his paw. “No, you’re staying here.”

I gave him another firm pet on the head and slipped out the garage door, pulling the truck out. Alarm system was set, the garage was closed, and my dog was safe and sound. I had a task in mind and wouldn’t rest until it was complete.

I would figure out where Matt had hidden my girl.

He had court most afternoons but got out for a recess that was an hour long. He always left and went to some fancy ass place that gave you dumb portions for money they charge. His illegally tinted windows and the purple underglow made his white Mercedes easy to spot, unlike my Tundra, which was a dime a dozen.

Twenty minutes later, I pulled up and swiftly secured a street parking spot right outside the courthouse. I used an app to pay the meter and began my stakeout.

A country station that reminded me of South Carolina played softly in the background. Several songs later, I spotted him. His blonde hair ruffled in the wind as he hurried to his designated parking spot in the garage. Moments after, the white Mercedes pulled out onto the street. I allowed several cars to separate us before I pulled out to tail him.

He drove for seven minutes, stopping to hop out of the car and run into a flower shop to retrieve chocolates, flowers, and a stuffed cow. He hopped back into his Mercedes and sped off. It was several more blocks before he slowed, pulling into one of the most expensive highrises in Seattle.

There’s no way they're letting me into that garage.

I pulled off down the block and parked. Getting out, I watched his Mercedes disappear.

So this is where he’s been hiding my girl. Right under our noses the entire time.

Calling her mine already felt natural.

Relief cleansed my tired body and taut nerves; his bringing her lunch and gifts meant she had to be alive on one of these floors.

Unless it was to keep up appearances…

Matt stayed a half hour before he went back to work defending more of the city’s miscreants. He kept his shit clients as shit friends. Spending leisure time with them when he had a perfect woman waiting for him.

My palms were sweating. I couldn’t see the exact floor he went to, and not knowing how Olivia was doing drove a stake through my heart.

But now I knew where she lived. I should’ve felt worse about being so creepy, but I swore to myself that I’d do whatever I needed to keep her safe.

I was going to protect her at all costs.