CHISELED (A BAD BOY ROMANCE) (3 page)

Chapter Six

ADDISON

I refreshed my email
browser for about the tenth time in five minutes. What the hell was taking
everyone so long to get back to me? Didn’t they know this was the story of the
century? I mean, hello, a stranger with a broad chest and big arms breaking
into someone’s house in the middle of the night to save her from a serial
rapist? It had goldmine written all over it!

They should have
been lining up around the block to break it, not ignoring.

I tried once more
then slammed my cup of coffee down on the café’ table when once again I was
greeted with no results. The couple that sat at the counter next to me turned
around and gave me a nasty look.

Well, excuse me.
Some of us didn’t have the best night.

“Hey, what did
that mug ever do to you?” A deep voice came from behind me and despite the
goose bumps that shot up and down my body I swung around ready for a fight.

But then I saw his
face.

And then my
attitude was lodged in my throat with the rest of my emotions.

He was dark and
rugged, so handsome that he looked like he just stepped out of a Versace
catalogue. Dark black hair and piercing blue eyes that reminded me of the ocean
when it was clean and clear and sparkling so bright that you had to look away.

“I… sorry, what?”
I squawked.

He crossed around
the table and sat his big body down across from me. “The mug.” He nodded toward
the cup I was just abusing and leaned forward in his chair. “Did it offend you
in some way? Maybe it owes you money?”

I laughed
nervously. “I… I’m sorry. Do I know you?”

He shook his head
and leaned back in his chair. “No but you want to.”

Wow.

It wasn’t bad
enough I’d had the night from hell, I had to be hit on by a cocky asshole first
thing the very next day, too. A sexy as hell cocky asshole, but still. I
glanced down at my current appearance and rolled my eyes. He must be pretty
bored considering I hardly looked my best. I glanced around the café. Not many
options at this time of day. Not that a coffee shop was the ideal spot for
picking up woman anyway.

“I actually
don’t.” I somehow found my voice even though the butterflies inside of my
stomach were flying around at a mile a minute. “I’m in the middle of something
very important here.”

The sexy mystery
man’s eyes traveled down to my computer and the various papers and folders I
had spread out around me. “Yeah, it looks real life or death.”

I snapped one of
the files shut in front of me. “As a matter of fact it is. Not that I would
expect a spoiled rich boy from the hills to know anything about what little
ole’ town folks are doing out here in the outer squares of town.”

He smirked, not
offended in the least. “How do you know I’m a spoiled rich boy?” He reached
over and took the cup I’d almost just cracked over the table and brought it to
his lips, taking a small sip.

I gasped and tried
to grab the cup back but he held it out of my reach. “Give me that back!” He
ignored me and pushed the cup to the other side of the table. Ugh, how could
someone so good looking be so damn annoying? I leaned back in my chair and
crossed my arms over my chest, taking in his expensive suit and the rich aura
that surrounded him. “And please, a blind person could smell the money coming
off of you.”

“Ah, but what
about the people who spend all their money on expensive things so they can give
off the impression that they have a lot of money? I could be one of them.”

“Trust me, you’re
not,” I snapped and reached for my cup of coffee again.

“But how can you
know for sure?” He moved the white mug back toward him.

“What is your
problem?” I barked. I wasn’t sure when I got so confident but I really wasn’t
in the mood to deal with assholes, even handsome ones. I guess I could thank my
friend from last night for my newly found confidence.

He sniffed at the liquid
in disgust. “This is horrible, revoltingly bad for your health, too. You can’t
even taste the coffee, it’s all watered down by the cream and sugar that you
put in here.”

I got up from my
chair and grabbed the cup away from him. “Thanks, dad, but I’ll think I’ll take
my chances. Besides, it’s not sugar, it’s…” I trailed off when I saw the
disapproving look on his face.

“Research shows
artificial sugars are worse for you than most sugar.”

“Who cares?” I
took a big sip of my nuke warm coffee to prove not me. “This isn’t health
class, I don’t need you to teach me about the right and wrong foods to eat.”

“Coffee isn’t a
food, it’s a beverage.”

I took a deep
breath and tried to not lose my temper with him anymore than I already had.
“Look, I don’t know if this whole cocky playboy thing works for you normally
but I’m not interested.”

“You’re kind of
full of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Excuse me?” I
stammered.

“Well, you assume
right away that I’m hitting on you just because I started a friendly
conversation. Maybe I’m just a nice guy,” he pointed out. “Maybe I’m just
curious as to why you’re all worked up over here in the corner all alone.”

I forced all the
emotions out of my body and willed myself to calm the hell down. Clearly, the
one way to get rid of this creep was to play along with whatever sick game he
was playing. Or start screaming bloody murder.

“I’m not all
worked up.” I forced a laugh. “Why would you think such a thing?”

He glanced up and
down my body skeptically. “You aren’t exactly good about hiding your emotions…
or your computer. I’m guessing you’re waiting on some kind of e-mail. So, who
is it? Ex boyfriend that you’re trying to get back?” He nodded knowingly
without waiting for a response from me.

I tried to give
him a dirty look but looking directly into his eyes without feeling light
headed proved to be difficult for me. “Who the hell are you?” It’s what came
out of my mouth instead. I hadn’t meant to give him the satisfaction of knowing
that I cared but I couldn’t hold it in any longer, it was the question I’d been
asking myself since he first appeared.

“Oh.” His blue
eyes sparkled under the bright lights in the café’. “How incredibly rude of me.
I’m Braden.” He held his hand out across the table to me. “And you are?”

I glanced at his
hand. “Addison.”

He pulled back
when he realized I wasn’t going to make contact but the self-assured look never
left his face. “Addison, that’s…”

Beautiful?
Wonderful? Sexy?

“Different,” he
finished.

Wow.

“Anyway,” he said
before I had to chance to call him out on how rude he was. “Who’s the guy
that’s gotten you all worked up this afternoon?”

“I wish I could
tell you,” I mumbled.

“What?” He
practically yelled.

“I don’t know,” I
snapped at him.

“How can you not
know?”

“It’s none of your
business!”

“True but you kind
of made it my business by bringing it into a public place.”

“Look, sorry if my
outward show of emotions offended you. I’ll try to keep it down or whatever.” I
turned my attention back toward my computer and pretended to be caught up in
something on the screen. I’m way too aware of how close he still is, though.

“Has anyone ever
told you you’re sexy when you’re determined?”

I practically
choked. No, no one had ever told me that because no one had ever called me sexy
period. I tried to form an answer with my lips but no words would come out.
What was it about this guy? I was either completely and totally mute or saying
the rudest shit ever to him.

His phone went
off, saving me from my awkward response. He looked at the screen and frowned
for a split second before a look of pure hunger came over his face. He shoved
his phone back in his pocket and then stood up, letting his chair slide against
the floor harshly.

For a second I
thought he was just going to leave but then he ended up standing behind me. I
felt the goose bumps dart up and down my body even before he leaned down and
touched his head to the nape of my neck. I knew I should move away, it was
crazy. I hardly knew this guy and there he was sniffing my hair in the middle
of a coffee shop.

I should be
terrified after what happened last night. Freaked out about anyone invading my
personal space the way he was but something about it was different, something
about it felt exciting. I wasn’t scared of him the way I would have been if it
was any other man. Scared? No. Curious? Yes.

His hand traveled
down to the table and his breath slowed down. “For the record I came over here
to dazzle you into giving me your number.” He used his other hand to trace up
and down my arm slowly, sending shock waves through every part of my body. “But
since I’m in a rush now I’ll just have to settle for giving you my card and
trust that you’ll call me.”

I glanced down at
the table to where a white business card had appeared out of nowhere. His hands
were still tracing parts of my body slowly; awakening things that I hadn’t
known existed.

I knew I should
say something, anything, but I didn’t. I couldn’t. I feared that if I spoke I
might faint. And then he leaned in further and brushed his perfect lips across
my cheek before he turned around and walked away, leaving me frazzled and
confused in the middle of the coffee shop.

I hadn’t had a man
look at me in years and then in the last 24 hours I got two sexy strangers just
dying to save me and give me the kind of attention I had been craving my entire
life.

Unbelievable.

Chapter Seven

BRADEN

I shoved the glove
inside of my pocket and jumped in my car, flooring it to the other side of
town. The asshole from last night had been spotted entering an apartment
building on 9
^th
and 12
^th
. I didn’t plan on letting him
get away with two crimes in less than 24 hours.

I took a sharp
turn and hit a few buttons on my GPS, it was linked to the traffic cams in the
area, blacking out the ones I needed to go off the grid so I wouldn’t be
spotted at just the right times. Thank god for my genius little sister, not
that I hadn’t put myself through the ringer and learned all this shit as soon
as possible.

That had always
been the one rule universal.

If you wanted to succeed
in anything you had to study it.

You had to know
every little aspect of it, obsess over it.

Just like my
business.

Besides, I had
never been good at giving up much control.

I tried to
concentrate and willed my little friend to calm the fuck down downstairs. I
didn’t know why that little exchange back there had turned me on so damn much
but it had.

It’s not like I
had any trouble getting woman, they flocked to me in fleets. Still, they always
seemed to want more than I was willing to give them. I was always perfectly
honest about what it was from the first night but it still ended up blowing up
in my face most of the time.

They never seemed
to get why I couldn’t commit.

Well, I couldn’t.
And that wasn’t going to change. Ever. Caring about anyone, especially women,
wasn’t something I was interested in.
 
As long as I was who I am and as long as I was on the mission I was on,
I wasn’t letting anyone into my world in more than a casual way.

And even after…
love just wasn’t in the cards for a guy like me.

Maybe I should
have felt bad about leading Addison on back there but I couldn’t. If I got butt
hurt every time I had to hurt someone’s feeling in the pursuit of the right
thing I’d never get anything done.

She’d be fine.

They always were.

I pulled my car
into the back of an alley and jumped out, hitting the button that placed tints
over my license plates. You never knew when a random set of eyes might pop out
of nowhere and see you. Everyone was looking for five minutes of fame.

Everyone wanted to
be a hero, except me.

I could have cared
less about being a hero.

I just wanted
justice.

Once outside, I
popped the trunk and pulled up the false trunk then took out my emergency black
bag and pulled my mask over my face. It would be tricky sneaking inside without
being seen by anyone else, especially in the middle of the day. But I didn’t
have a choice.

I wasn’t letting
this piece of crap slip away from me again.

I slammed the
trunk shut and clicked my earpiece on.

“There’s two men
standing out front, try the side door.” Hayden’s voice comes in loud and clear
right away. “Thanks for ruining my lunch hour by the way.”

I pressed the
button on the side of my mask. “I thought you wanted to lose ten points by the
New Year anyways.” I sucked my breath in and kicked in the side door, sending
the lock on the other side to go flying onto the floor. I made a mental note to
drop some cash to the super later in the week.

“I’m going to
smack you when I see you.” Hayden barked in my ear.

I smirked. The
two-way talkies were fairly new but they worked well thus far. It had been a
hell of a lot easier having Hayden and Trent’s eyes on traffic and security
cameras when I was in the field.

I leaped up the
stairs just before a man walked outside of his apartment and started wondering
around the hallway of the first floor. Probably wondering what the loud noise
was. That meant I had to act fast.

I took the next
two floors without incident and stopped at the top of the fourth, peeking
around the wall and dodging past closed doors until I reached one slightly ajar
at the end of the hall. I knew where the coward was headed. I had pulled the
building records on the drive over here. There was only one elderly woman in
the building and she was seen walking inside minutes before him with a huge bag
of groceries.

Asshole probably
followed her home from the damn supermarket.

He was too much of
a pansy to go after anyone but helpless old ladies.

I was going to
make the scum pay like the dirt bag he was.

I tilted the door
open a few feet and shuffled silently. My sneak technique was flawless by now;
I prided myself on never letting these pieces of garbage know that I was
coming. It was how they got by, surprising innocent people and taking parts of
them they would never get back.

Now it was their
turn to be surprised.

I could hear the
woman crying and pleading from the second I shut the door behind me. Even
before I took a step, I could hear her whines. She was trying to keep her voice
on the low side, trying to reason with him and find a piece of sympathy or
humanity inside of him.

She was wasting
her time.

This guy only
spoke two languages. Fear and pain.

The tug of
adrenalin and the thrill of the capture was always the same. It started for me
the second I could smell the sweat coming from the perp, the second I could
sense that I would feel his skin in my hands soon. The need to wrap my hands
around his throat and make him pay was so strong that the thought of not having
it was enough to push me over the edge.

The day my father
had died I’d been so weak, so helpless.

I wasn’t anymore.

I wouldn’t ever be
again.

“Shut up.” His
voice was stern and low, lacking any kind of sympathy or compassion. “Is this
all you have on you? 46 dollars? What the hell is the matter with you?” He sounded
pissed now, like she was wasting his time. “Give me that ring.”

I could hear the
old woman gasp as I took a few more silent steps forward. “No, please, not my
wedding ring. That’s all I have left from my husband.” She was in tears now. “I
have better things, please.”

I peered around
the corner at the scene unfolding. The woman was down on her knees, tears
streaming down her face as she peered up at the man standing over her. He was
three times her size and dressed all in black. I lucked out with his back
facing toward me.

“I said give me
that fucking ring.” He reached his hand out and knocked her across the top of
her head with his fist. Blood started streaming down the side of her face
instantly.

A pounding began
in the side of my neck and traveled down my entire body but I controlled
myself, willed myself to not make a move until the moment was absolutely
perfect. I waited a few more seconds and then inched forward slowly.

The older woman’s
eyes went wide when she saw me. She probably assumed I was with the douchebag.
I shook my head and raised my finger to the lips of my mask, trying to
communicate with her to not lead on that I was there.

But like so many
times before the combination is too much and her fear overwhelmed her body,
causing her to let out a high pitched scream. The guy looked startled for a
second and then swung around, following her gaze.

“What the fuck?”
He said, looking me up and down like I was from another planet. He shook his
head and then lunged at me, swinging both of his fists but I had anticipated as
much.

I blocked his
first swing with little effort and then swiftly twisted his other arm behind
his back, turning his body away from me. He squirmed under my touch but I just
twisted harder, holding him in place.

“Ahhhhh,” he
yelled. “Okay, okay, you got it, you got it.”

The woman looked
confused now, water still falling from her face. It was all mixed with the
blood now. She took a few steps back from us, staggering each time she tried to
get on her feet.

“FUCK! LET GO OF
ME!”

“Call the cops,” I
told the woman. “Now.”

She shook her head
back and forth. “I don’t… I don’t… he took my phone.”

I twisted the
guy’s arm even further into his back, causing his screams to explode even
louder. “Shut up,” I hissed into his ear. “You don’t get to cry, you don’t get
to act like your feelings or pain matters even a little.”

I dug my hand into
his pocket and pulled a phone and bunch of money out. I tossed it toward the
lady and she shook her head. I rolled my eyes then dug into his other pocket
and pulled out another phone. I tossed it to her when she nodded. This guy was
unbelievable.

The poor woman
gasped for breathe and looked back and forth between the two of us, terrified
that maybe this was some kind of trick or test. Not that I could blame her, the
whole situation was a little crazy.

“Relax.” I tried
to make my voice soothing through my voice box. “I’m not going to hurt you but
you need to call 911 right now.” The slime in my hands twisted around in an attempt
to throw my on my back and I kneed him in the back, sending pain shooting up
and down his bones.

Her eyes grew wide
and she unlocked her phone, pushing in the number.

I took the
opportunity to pull the crook into the side closet forcefully. I shoved him on
the ground and kicked him in the shin before I started digging in my bag for
some rope.

“What do you want
from me, bro?” He inched closer to me. “You want a piece of the pot is that it?
You got it, you got it, we can split whatever we pull off here today.”

I laughed and
yanked him up off the ground by the tip of the arm I’d already injured. It made
me sick how he thought I was anything like him, it was guys like him who had
killed my father, guys like him who had no type of value in human life. He cried
out in pain but I just rolled my eyes and tied his hands up before shoving him
back down into the closet. “Don’t be so damn dramatic. It doesn’t hurt that
bad, imagine what the woman you slap around go through every night.”

He spat out a lump
of blood and salvia all over the floor and looked up at me with confusion and
pure hate. “Who the hell are you?”

I shook my head
and smiled through my mask. “Someone who believes in justice for the bad people
in this world. And sometimes, if I’m lucky, it works out in my favor. Today it
did.” I paused for a second, taking in the poor excuse for a person in front of
me. He prayed on the weak because he was weak himself. “You picked the wrong
city to fuck with.”

And then I slammed
the door in his face.

A few minutes
later I passed the cop cars zooming toward the apartment building but my mask
and change of clothes were already safe and sound inside of my trunk. I snapped
my Bluetooth on and answered my sister’s call.

“The whole point
of the microphone is so that you can communicate with me, so that I can know
that you’re safe,” Hayden snapped through the speakers of my car.

I grinned. “What
can I say? I got caught up.”

“You always do,”
she grumbled. “So, did you handle the other situation?”

“What other
situation?” I knew exactly what she was talking about but it was still fun to
make her sweat it out a little bit. “The guy’s tied up in the closet and has a
broken wrist, he’s not going anywhere for a while.”

“Not that
situation!” She sounded exasperated. “The one involving the girl.”

“What girl?”

“BRADEN!”

I laughed. “Relax,
sis, I got the glove back. She didn’t even notice, she was too busy checking
out my arms the entire time.” I slammed on my brakes to let a woman with a few
kids cross the road. The car behind me honked but I decided to ignore him.

“Once again your
charming good looks get you the girl.”

I scoffed. “Don’t
hate on me, it’s not my fault that’s the way the game works.” I pressed down on
the gas pedal and zoomed further down the street. “Trust me, Ms. Cooper isn’t
going to be giving us anymore trouble. She’s probably curled up in a ball in
the middle of her floor right now convinced she’s imagined the entire
encounter.”

“I hope you’re
right, Braden, for both of your sakes.”

I accelerated even
more. “I’m always right.”