STEAM & SMOKE | 18+

CHAPTER | 7 |

I UNLOCKED my apartment door and notice a parcel on the floor. Shutting the door, I ripped it open and saw the fake passport, credit cards and phone. There were other documents all under the name of Milan Prince. I walked to my bedroom, admiring my photo in the passport then walked into a hard chest. Amber eyes looked down at me, amused.

"Hello, Malia."

"Again? I know you're a criminal but I'm sure you know this is illegal," I exclaimed, moving away from him. As usual, he was dressed in black, the only color coming from his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure that having fake ID is as well," he shot back, glancing at the passport in my hand.

I held it closer to my chest. "I thought I told you to leave me alone."

"Sorry, baby but I can't do that. Did you know there's a guy following you?"

Worried, I turned to go back outside but Ghost grabbed my hand, forcing me to stop. "What are you doing? I'm going to arrest him."

"I've already dealt with him."

I removed my hand from his grip. "Did you kill him?"

"You expect the worst from me," he replied. "I didn't kill him because it would be suspicious if a normal guy has bullet wounds in the chest  but I did make him follow a different person. You're welcome."

Glaring, I pushed him out of my room. "I can deal with a stalker for your information."

"He's a rapist."

"What? And you're letting him stalk someone else?" I hurried to the door before Ghost could stop me again but as soon as I pulled it open, it was slammed shut by his hand. I spun around, now caged in his arms and tried to push him away. "Let me go!"

"There is no way in this world that I would allow you to go to a rapist. It's out of the question, Malia," he snapped.

"I'm not allowing another person to be in danger because of me," I pleaded. "Let me arrest him, Ghost. He won't hurt me."

"Not a risk I'm willing to take."

"F*ck you," I yelled, punching him. He grabbed my wrists and pinned them above my head with one of his hands.

"In five minutes, he's going to reach for his chest in pain. The people around him will turn to him briefly, not understand that this man is going into cardiac arrest. By the time people realize he's dying, he will die and the ambulance will arrive to find the man dead on the sidewalk," he spoke quietly. "No one will get hurt by him again and you will be safe here with me."

My heart pounded in my chest as I took in what he said. Ghost brushed the stands of hair out of my face then traced the outline of my lips. "I thought about you for a whole year, wondering what you were doing, if you were safe, if you would taste the same," Ghost murmured, heat behind his gaze.

I moaned as he leaned into me, bringing us closer. "We're not-"

He released my wrists and pressed me into the door as he held my jaw gently. "I've already told you. I want you to beg, angel."

"Never."

Smirking, Ghost shook his head. "If you say so. So far you haven't been right about many things."

The spell now broken, I narrowed my eyes at him. "Why do you want the De Vil case opened? Because I know you didn't do this out of kindness and concern."

"Does it matter? I need you to go to Vegas so I can leave here. I'm not a fan of New York and I miss home."

"You have a house?" I scoffed.