Broken Beauty - Stella Andrews Page 0,5

her life as she gets a faraway look in her eye. She smiles softly. “Anyway, I shouldn’t be long. If Cassie loses interest, I think Jack is around today and Lou said you could visit anytime. I’ve got the nurse coming, so will tied up for a bit. Help yourself to anything you need and call if you need me.”

I watch as she takes her baby and envy her the life she has. A loving husband and a beautiful family with the most amazing home, surrounded by the most loyal of friends. This place is hell on earth to outsiders but Utopia to the occupants that live within its steel walls.

As I wait, I think about the man I met in the woods. Maverick. A free spirit. It suits him.

I wonder if I’ll ever see him again because I like to keep away from the men. I’m not interested in becoming another one of their booty calls and to be honest, they scare the hell out of me, anyway.

When I lived with the guards, they respected who I was and my position. I have only ever been with one man and that was a mistake of the worst kind. I have no interest in repeating that mistake, so keep hidden in my ivory tower. But Maverick, there was something different about him, yet familiar at the same time. Who is he?

4

Maverick

Now I’m back and ready to catch up. Once I’ve showered and changed, I head to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. I share my space with the single guys among us. We keep our own place clean and do our own chores, which includes cooking, so I set to work as I’ve always done, keeping everything clean and in the military fashion we’re accustomed to. By the time I’ve sat down to attack my food, one of the other guys heads my way and sets about doing the same thing. “Hey, Maverick, I heard you were back.”

“Hey, Rebel, how are things?”

“Usual. You haven’t missed much. I heard you had a particularly difficult mission.”

He laughs as I growl. “Fucking spoiled kid. Ryder owes me big time for that one.”

“Maybe you could take some time off. Go on a road trip?”

Sometimes the guys like to take off after an individual mission, but I’m not one of them. I live to work and work to live and have no interest in my own company for weeks on end.

“No, I’m good.”

“I’m guessin’ you need a little female company to set you back on track, it must have been hard dealing with shit yourself for a whole month.”

Pushing my plate back, I’m surprised to find that’s the last thing on my mind as an image of the new woman comes to me.

“Maybe.”

“Maybe? What’s happened to you, man? I thought you’d be balls deep in one of the whores five seconds after you arrived. I’m sure Millie would oblige.”

He laughs and I shake my head. “Not interested. She’s making noises that I don’t wanna hear.”

Grabbing the chair beside me, Rebel looks interested. “She catchin’ feelings?”

“Maybe but just in case, I’m keeping my distance.”

He nods because like me, Rebel isn’t interested in grabbing an old lady anytime soon and I know he understands.

Then he whistles. “We got a new broken angel to mend when you left.”

My ears prick up immediately, but I say nothing.

“Stays in her room every night and keeps hidden in the day.”

“What’s her story?”

Suddenly, Rebel looks nervous which isn’t like him—at all and my nerves stand to attention.

“Listen, man, I’m sorry to be the bearer of bad news but she’s the sister of some mafia don.”

I make a fist under the table but set my features in stone and wait for him to finish.

“She was kidnapped by some guy out for revenge and nearly didn’t make it. We stormed the building and got her out, along with another woman and two kids. They were all in a bad way, which is nothing to what the guy who took them was like when we finished with him.”

I almost can’t speak and growl, “Why is she still here?”

“Don’t know. Word is, she won’t go back to her brother. Won’t speak and won’t leave. He left the same night and took the guy who kidnapped her with him. Not sure what happened after that, but we’ve been warned off. She’s being left to heal and when she’s ready, she’ll talk to Ryder. Sorry man, I know you don’t do mafia but you were bound to find