The Serial Killers Guide to Love (Deadly Darling #1)

Chapter 4

4

Lilly

After I delivered the flowers for the event, I made my way down to the market where I kept a flower sale stand.

I sell only potted flowers, but I like to go to the market twice a week. It’s so vibrant and animated, it makes me feel as if I can hide in the wild area filled with people and colors.

I always loved the market. There’s no better way to hide but in plain sight. You stand there, sell your flowers and people won’t notice you many times, but that is just fine by me.

As soon as I opened my booth and put the flowers I brought on the shelves, I took a break.

“Hey girl.”

Anna, the most freaking stunning woman that I have seen and that calls herself my friend, walked over from her family’s booth.

They sell all type of cut flowers and Anna’s bouquets were damn stunning. She was an artist when it came to crafting stunning mixes. Men are enraptured by her when they come to buy flowers.

She liked teasing, asking them if they cheated on their lady and telling them that their wallet will bleed but forgiveness is there for a soul that looks for it.

A damn romantic.

“Hi, you are here early.”

“Papa was driving me crazy, I had to go, you know!”

“About Alejandro?”

The question was right, as Anna’s expression told me in under two seconds.

“Papa loves him the way he loves diets. But what can I say girl, he is fire. He makes me “and she made a noise that sounded like the love child between a growl and a bark.

“Do you need a rabies shot?”

I asked and nudged her.

“Ey, Santo, look after my girls booth, I need a coffee and she must go with me.”

Santo was her cousin who had the booth next to me. We traded rare orchids now and then and he was a good guy that had a weird habit of asking me out, even though I said no each time.

“Sure Chica.”

Anna took me by the arm. She was like that a storm, a force of nature that no one could stop once she set her mind to something.

We stopped in front of the food truck. Aromas of fried pork, sausage, coffee and flowers mingled and created something that was impossible to name.

“Bianca give us two heart stoppers, put them on papa’s tab!"

Bianca, an older Cuban woman that had the most beautiful thick, dark hair, smiled and nodded.

“Coming up!”

“No, I insist, let me pay.”

“No way. Papa upset me enough, he can pay for our breakfast!”

The heart stoppers were pork sandwiches that made me feel as if I died and landed in a twisted version of heaven for people like me.

Anna and I sat, with a cup of coffee steaming in our hand. Coffee is always good hot.

“Tell me.”

I nudged her to start the conversation. I knew that she loved her family, but her new guy was Dominican and her parents Cuban, there was a whole lot of conflict that I didn’t understand but saw happening in her family.

“It’s my papa, you know. He doesn’t even want to talk to Alejandro, and that son de puta is so proud, he doesn’t want to make the first step.”

Anna shook her beautiful, glossy dark hair.

“I wish I had a solution.”

“I will move with Ale, and my papa will deal with it.”

“And what if “

I wasn’t the right person to talk about family. All I had was my Granny and after she died, I never found what I hoped for. With Mike things were so easy. He was so damn handsome.

Good looking men and chocolate are my downfall.

“Dish girl, I see that you hide something.”

“It’s nothing.”

“I have a bunch of cousins, hot Latin men, they know how to treat a lady, why don’t you want to give them a chance.”

“I am shy.”

“It’s better that way. Latin men love to talk and talk.”

Anna made a hand gesture that was all encompassing and had us both snicker.

“I, I will think about it.”

“What are you hiding? Girl, you have that glow. There’s someone? Come on, you can tell me!”

I felt myself blushing and the moment was perfect because Bianca brought our sandwiches. The smell of pork and onions was perfect.

“See,” I said with my mouth half full, “I don’t need a boyfriend when I have this.”

I chewed my sandwich bite slowly and listened to Anna and her boyfriend drama. I was happy to hear her out and forget about Sam for a while. I have no space in my life for a man, for any man, no matter if he’s handsome as hell and I would love to slide my hands through those beautiful locks of hair, he is off limits.

“Girl, there’s a hot guy, he’s totally checking you out."

“He’s probably checking you out.”

“No, not at all. And he comes over. Smart looking, like a professional.”

“Hello, I hate to intrude.”

That voice.

Fuck me.

It was him.

I turned slowly on the bench I was sitting and saw him. Sam, my fucking hot neighbor, with the sun shining from behind him, making him look like a God or something. He had a halo around his head.

“Hi, hello, I mean hi.”

And the word incontinence was back. My palms sweaty, and my world shifting.

But the next second I was so confused, what was he doing here, why was he even here at all? I mean, we parted ways this morning and it was all so horrible.

“Hi, I am Anna.”

My friend jumped in and introduced herself.

“Sam Williams, I am Lilly’s neighbor from across the street “

“And what brings you here to the market, Lilly’s neighbor from across the street? “

Anna had a raised eyebrow, in a way only she managed to do so with those perfect even eyebrows.

“I own a store. A bookstore, and I was considering a few flowers to bring in color.”

“Aww, a fellow entrepreneur. Did you know that Sam has a store, Lilly?”

I was fucking mute.

Anna gave me a shrug.

“I need to get back or Papa will kill me.”

And so, I was all alone with Sam, on a bench, his body only a few inches away from me, his scent filling my nose and taking my senses away.

“Hi.”

He said and looked at me with those foam green eyes that melted me.

Grabbing a tissue fast, I went over my mouth to free myself from any remnants of the sandwich.

“Listen. I am so sorry about this morning. I meant it, I want to pay for the cleaning.”

A touch of a smile pulled the corner to his mouth up.

“I am only here to get some plants. Do you think that you can help me? I am able to kill a cactus, so please keep that in mind.”

I cleared my throat. I can talk about plants and flowers. I love them.

“Would you like to walk over to my stand to see some of the flowers?”

He pulled his phone out and gave me a confused and alarmed look.

“I am sorry. I have an appointment. I forgot about that. Would it be possible for us to talk later?”

“Sure. Absolutely,”I nodded like a fucking idiot as he jumped up and walked away.

After he left, I sat about five more minutes there, with my nails pushed into the flesh of my palms.

Could it be?

Was he part of Mike’s organization? No, this can’t be, he is nice. This man is a professional and has a bookstore. Nothing about him says mafia, or organized crime.

My ex husband had a very successful construction business too, and on the surface he looked calm, collected and cultivated. Only I knew the monster hidden under the Armani suit.