Ruthless Obsession

Chapter twenty-nine

1 day later...

Angelo pov:

"I just don't understand..." I say shifting in my stance, shuffling through papers to find my pocket knife. Not really sure why I still carry the thing around. It's totally fucking useless compared to my gun.

"The motivation behind it-"

"I know the motivation, they're trying to intimidate us. They're sending a message." I flex my jaw and narrow my eyes. It's not him that I'm mad at, it's this. This whole catastrophic series of events that i've just begun to uncover.

Gabriel, my detective friend, has been helping me with the problem we got ourselves into. It's been a night of brainstorming, hot coffee, and a lot of cursing.

"What's the message?" He asks, adjusting his tie and unraveling it to show his broad chest. He's a medium-sized man. His hair is perfectly trimmed at the sides and his face is clean-shaven. He's exactly what you would expect a detective to look like.

"That they can kill us whenever they want." I put my hand to my heated forehead. Why's it so damn hot in here anyway?

He squints his eyes.

"Think about it, they want us to fear them, they want us to be on edge," I explain. "But they can't go in for the kill—or rather they won't—they still need something from us." There's more, I just can't figure out what.

Gabriel makes a noise of contentment. I feel like he's actually enjoying this. The sick fucker loves solving puzzles.

I hear a faint knock on the door, and without even looking up from my papers, I know who it is.

"You better have a good reason to be out of bed." I stretch my legs under my desk.

She's already in her pajamas, I can see the fresh bandage poking through her crop top. I have to suppress a groan at the little red shorts with white hearts on them. She's so sexy in everything. She's even sexy at 1 am when I'm trying to focus on saving her life. The restraint I have is unmatchable.

I glare at her. "Go back to bed," I instruct looking back down at my papers. She's on bed rest. The thorn almost killed her. The infection didn't stop spreading once the thing was out. So yeah, it may be rude, but she needs to go to fucking sleep and do what she's told for once.

She doesn't listen, though. She floats over to me at my desk, setting the hot cup of coffee she was holding right on top of my papers. She glares at me. "Whatcha doing?" She glances at the papers.

I sigh, I'm so fucking tired, I can't retain my non-existent good mood. "Go to bed, I'll join you later." I lie so easily.

She huffs, moving close to me and out of hearing distance of Gabriel. "No way." She whispers confidently and snidely.

I pause, rubbing it in how unsettled I want to make her. "Go, or I'll make you go."

She smiles at that. I knew it would have the opposite effect on her.

Gabriel shuffles behind us, deep in concentration. Did he even look up when Ruth walked in? 

She looks nervously at Gabriel. She slightly parts her lips like she's about to say something snarky back, but the warning glare I give her is enough to push her out of the room. I see her linger at the door for a moment so I close my laptop and I follow her into the hallway.

She doesn't look back to see if I'm following, nor do I call out her name.

When we reach the bedroom I follow her into the bathroom where she applies toothpaste to her brush. She looks in the mirror at me, I can tell she's upset, maybe even on the brink of an anger spell. I wrap my arms around her torso, she doesn't move my hands away immediately but she does struggle a little.

"I-" She starts but quickly turns her face from my view. "I'm fine." She finally decides. She's not fine and she's a terrible liar.

I close my eyes feeling every bit of sympathy for my girl. I hug her closer as if that's enough.

She turns around in my arms. "I'm fine Angelo!" Her voice is angry.

"Watch your mouth before I do something we both won't like."

"I'd rather you punish me then treat me like a child!" Oxymoron. She struggles some more before I bend her over the sink. I want her to see it. I want her to see herself get punished in the mirror.

"Don't let your wound hit the edge, do you hear me?" I clarify for good measure. I'm holding her lower torso in place, but her struggling just won't do.

I shove her little red shorts down until her bare ass is exposed and with no warning, my hand comes down on her cheek. She yelps and sucks in a batch of air. "Fuck you." She manages to get out before I'm whipping my hand down to her ass again. She screams in pain, followed by an aggravated huff.

"What was that?" I chuckle darkly. Toying with her is my favorite thing besides fucking her.

I kneed her pink skin as she looks at me with anger through the mirror. 3 more than she's off the hook. I whip my hand down to her ass. It's harder this time and that's why her hands fly to mine as if she's asking me not to go too hard on her. I rub up and down her back until her breathing is back to normal. "You'll stay in bed?" I ask.

"Yes." She breathes out compliantly.

"That's all I ask," I whisper, bringing my hand down for another strike. She sucks in a batch of air closing her eyes from the sting. "One more," I whisper next to her ear.

I bring down my hand on her ass once more, softer this time since her skin is already bright red.

"I have to keep you safe," I whisper softly. "And if that means I have to sacrifice things like this... staying with you, then that's what has to be done." I lift her shorts back onto her frail body and I let her lean on my chest. She's no longer angry with me.

"I don't care anymore. I don't want to be safe if this is what comes from it."

Those words crush me and I can't do anything about it.

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