Devil’s Thirst: A Mafia Stalker Romance (The Moretti Men Book 1)
Devil’s Thirst: Chapter 17

Officer Malone reached out midmorning to ask if I could come to the station. He didn’t give a reason for his request except to make sure I didn’t forget anything in the heat of the moment. I’d rather break both my big toes than go down to the police station, but I don’t want to draw any more attention to myself than I already have.

I force a banana into my queasy stomach and trudge to the station. Each step is more cumbersome than the last, and when I finally arrive, I’m certain I’ve made a horrible mistake. However, before I can chicken out and escape, a young officer escorts me through a station packed with cops.

My brain knows none of them are paying me any attention. My fears claw at my heels and hiss in my ears that they’re all watching me. Keeping tabs. I have to train my eyes on the floor in front of me to keep from bolting back out the front door.

“Ms. Brooks, I’m so glad you were able to come by. Please, have a seat.” Officer Malone smiles broadly beside a desk and motions to an empty chair. He’s even more handsome in the light of day. His sandy-brown hair is neatly styled to the side, and his perfectly pressed uniform gives the impression that he takes his job seriously. He seems wholesome and genuine.

I don’t like it, and I don’t even know why.

Hello, paranoia, my old friend.

“Please, call me Amelie.” I return his greeting with a warm smile. I need to convince him that I’m not in any danger and the whole incident was a silly mistake.

“I hope you were able to get some rest last night.”

“I did. If anything, I felt embarrassed for getting worked up over nothing.”

“Not at all.” He holds up a hand to stop me. “That’s what we’re here for. I’d much rather make sure you’re okay than sit around this stuffy station bored all night.”

My cheeks flush with heat. “That’s very kind of you to say.”

“It’s the truth. Though, I’ll admit I had more than one reason to ask for this visit today.” He shifts forward, resting his arms on the desk and leaning toward me as though preparing to say something confidential.

A whirlpool of nerves swirls in my stomach. Is he about to hit on me? Was Isaac right about ulterior motives? Or maybe Malone looked into my past. Could The Society have gotten to him?

A frenzy of questions buzzes through my head as I try not to let my smile falter.

“Oh, and what would that be?”

“I looked up your neighbor on the Department of Finance’s property assessments website last night. You said his name was Isaac, but are you aware that apartment is owned by a Mr. Gentry Sorrell, who has been claiming that address as his homestead for the past four years?”

“Sort of. Mr. Sorrell used to live there, but he sold it to Isaac, who moved in last week.”

He does a slow nod as if in understanding, but his eyes narrow in a contradicting gesture. “I’m afraid I didn’t get Isaac’s last name while I was there.”

Why is he so fixated on Isaac? When we stepped into the hallway before the officers left last night, Malone asked whether I felt safe around Isaac. I could tell he was suspicious and did my best to reassure him that my neighbor wasn’t a threat. Apparently, I wasn’t convincing enough.

“I actually don’t know his last name,” I admit.

“He sure acted like he knew you well. How is it you don’t know his full name?”

“Like I said, he’s only lived there a week. We’ve only spoken a few times.”

“So you don’t actually know him at all. Generally, home invasions are often perpetrated by people known to the homeowner. Is there any chance he could be behind it?”

I can’t suppress a frustrated sigh. This whole thing would be so much easier if I could simply explain about my stalker and how Isaac punched the guy, which would make it awfully hard for them to be one and the same. But that would force me to tell Officer Malone more than I’m comfortable sharing. If The Society wasn’t already watching my every move, they certainly would be after a report is filed about me being followed. Reporting a random break-in is one thing. I’m not pushing my luck by making an even bigger deal out of it.

“I totally get why you’d be worried about that, but I promise you, Isaac did not break into my place.” This time, I can speak with absolute sincerity, and he must hear the conviction in my tone because he visibly relaxes.

“Alright, then. I just have one other matter I’d like to ask about. You rent your apartment?”

Not what I’m expecting, I stare dumbly for a second before answering. “Ah, no. It’s not a rental.”

His lips tug down into a frown. “You don’t own the place either, though, do you?”

“No, I believe it’s in the name of my brother-in-law.”

“Oran Byrne’s your brother-in-law?” he asks warily.

Every hair on the back of my neck stands on end.

“Yes, he’s married to my sister, Lina.”

Mark that in the books as a win for paranoia.

Here, I’d scolded myself for being skeptical about the intentions of a genuinely nice guy when he had ulterior motives the whole time. In the span of a few minutes, a friendly visit shifted into an interrogation. I’m suddenly intensely aware that we’re not in a private office, allowing our conversation to be overheard by anyone passing by.

Again, Officer Malone leans forward, this time speaking in a whisper. “You know what that Byrne family is into?”

My spine stiffens as every protective instinct I have goes on high alert. “What I know is that I love my sister, and if you have concerns about her husband, you should talk to him directly. Now, if we’ve covered everything, I need to get going.” I stand and nod, not waiting for his dismissal before making my exit.

I don’t mean to make a scene, but my claws come out where Lina’s concerned. I power through the station entrance with enough adrenaline in my veins to get me through a marathon. I’m so hyped up, in fact, that I don’t notice I have company until a hand takes hold of my arm.

“What the—?” I yank free and honest-to-God put my hands up like I’m going to karate chop whoever touched me.

“Amelie, it’s me,” Isaac says smoothly. “No need to pull out the big guns.”

My wide eyes drop from his smirking smile to my Kung Fu hands. I instantly drop them to my sides and scowl at him. “Jerk, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Hey, if anyone has a right to be annoyed, it’s me.”

“What?” Disbelief has my voice hitting an all-new high. “Why? What did I do?”

He holds out his hand for me. When I don’t immediately take it, he waits with an arched brow until I cave, then leads me to an alcove between buildings. We aren’t entirely out of sight, but it’s better than having a private discussion smack in the middle of the sidewalk.

Hands on my hips, I signal for him to explain.

He moseys closer, forcing me back against the stone wall behind me. “Thought we agreed if there was a problem, you’d call me.”

“Yes, and that’s still the plan.”

“If there wasn’t a problem, why’ve you been chatting up Officer Hotshot in the station for the past half an hour?”

I start to answer, then clamp my jaw shut, my gaze cutting toward the police station, then back to Isaac. “Wait, did you know I was here?”

“I know all kinds of things. What I don’t understand is why you’re here.” He brings his lips to my face and places one agonizingly slow kiss after another along my jaw. “If there aren’t any problems, then I have to wonder—” He places two more kisses down my neck. “If you had other reasons.”

I’m trying to listen and hold on to my outrage, but the feel of his lips on my skin and the scent of his spiced cologne spiked with a hint of mint have my thoughts disappearing in a hazy fog.

“He called me … asked me to come in,” I manage, my voice low and breathy.

“He try to hit on you?” he murmurs against my skin where my neck meets my shoulder.

“No, he asked questions about you … and my family.”

Isaac pulls back, his gaze meeting mine. “This body is mine—you haven’t forgotten, right?”

I’ve told him the police were asking questions about him, yet the only thing he can think about is me. I know that’s probably not healthy. My heart doesn’t care in the slightest. It’s doing backflips in my chest that this gorgeous man isn’t worried about anything but making me his. It’s an amazing feeling, but I have to be smart. What I say and do now sets an expectation for things to come.

“I haven’t forgotten, Isaac,” I say softly. “But you can’t be following me. It’s not right, and it makes it hard for me to trust you.”

“How can I keep you safe if I don’t know where you are?”

I bite back my reply that it’s not his job to keep me safe because I know that won’t go over well. “What if I’m more transparent about where I’m at? Send a text before I’m out and about?”

“You going to text to let me know if you’re being assaulted or abducted?”

Uncertainty draws my lips to a frown. “No, but there’s not much we can do if that happens. You can’t follow me around twenty-four seven.”

“True, but one thing would ease my mind. I wouldn’t worry so much if you shared your GPS location with me. That way, I know I can replace you if something does go wrong.”

To anyone else, the suggestion would probably seem like a massive invasion of privacy, especially considering we’ve only recently met. But this is me—the girl who was kidnapped and ended up lost with amnesia. The idea of being tethered to someone sounds reassuring instead of stifling.

“Okay,” I say quietly.

“Really?” he asks with a touch of wariness. I get the sense he prepared for an argument.

“Yeah. I’m not going anywhere I shouldn’t be,” I tease, “so if it eases your mind and keeps me safe, then you can track my location.” I get out my phone and scroll to my contacts. When I replace Isaac, I choose to share my location. “There. All done.”

“I appreciate that, but I had something better in mind.” He raises his hand, a gold chain dangling from his fingers. It’s small—a bracelet—and it has a beautiful evil eye engraved on a round medallion in the middle. “Real protection from the monsters,” he says in a low, seductive tone that has warmth pooling deep in my belly.

I’m stunned—at the gesture and at the fact that he remembered my words.

“It’s beautiful. I don’t know what to say.” I watch his fingers deftly unclasp my old bracelet and replace it with the new one.

“You don’t have to say anything. Just hand me your purse.”

I do as he says, too dumbfounded to ask questions. He drops the old bracelet inside, then digs down to the bottom. Embarrassment flushes my cheeks. I’m about to fuss at him to stop when his hand resurfaces with a silver disk.

“Purses can be left behind. The bracelet is a much safer bet.”

“Is that … were you already tracking me?” I gape at him incredulously.

“You told me you were fine with it.”

“Starting now. I didn’t know you were already tracking me.”

“Why would yesterday be any different from today?” he asks as though he genuinely sees no difference.

“It’s different because I’ve only known you for a week. Each day makes a big difference. I’m allowed to be a little freaked out.” I thought I was being incredibly understanding, but he’s even pushing my limits.

His eyes narrow a fraction. “Not gonna apologize for keeping you safe.”

“Locking me in a tower would keep me safe, but it would also make you the villain,” I say with exasperation.

Isaac stares at me intently, his hand lifting to trace warm knuckles along my jaw in a featherlight touch. “This feel like something a villain would do?”

“No.” I have to swallow before I can get the word out. “But it sounds like something a villain would say.”

The corners of his lips twitch. “You’re learning.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means plenty of people would label me their enemy, but you’ll never be one of them.” Something so archaic and absolute flashes in his eyes that the air leaves my lungs in a whoosh. He carries on, however, as if some sort of wordless blood oath didn’t just pass between us. “That cop of yours—why was he asking about your family?”

“What? Oh … just general questions.” I’m going to end up with whiplash if he keeps changing subjects like he does. He’s got me more off-balance than I was when I got my first pair of pointe shoes.

“You said your family was part of this secret society. I gather from what you’ve learned that you’re worried the group has ties to the police. Is there any chance this guy could be one of them?” Suddenly, we’re venturing into deep waters. I need to steer us back to dry land.

“No.” I shake my head adamantly. “And besides, that’s not the family he was asking about.”

“Who was he asking about?”

I realize my mistake too late. “Please, don’t worry about it. You want me to trust you—” I hold up my wrist to show him the bracelet. “I have. I’m wearing your tracker, aren’t I? The least you can do is trust me in return. I’m telling you to leave it alone.” Our locked stares go to battle.

“Fuck, you’re stubborn,” he grumbles.

“Like looking in a mirror, isn’t it?”

He shakes his head as though exasperated, but I can see the humor glinting in his eyes. Seeing his amusement makes me feel like I can fly. Like a wall of stormy clouds has parted so that sunshine can paint a miraculous rainbow across the sky.

I never knew it was possible for two people to affect one another on such a molecular level. I’ve dated before. Nothing overly serious, but I’ve yet to reach leper status. This thing between me and Isaac is different. It has a life of its own.

I suppose that’s why I don’t fault him for moving so quickly. I feel the pull as strongly as he does. It’s a raging river sweeping us along in its powerful current. I want to believe it will lead us to tropical new shores more beautiful than I can imagine, but it’s equally as likely to drown us both in its treacherous depths. One thing’s for certain—there’s no going back.