Bound by Rapture by Megan D. Martin Page B

waking up for him, even though I had poured my heart out to her. Hours, days she would never remember. 
    I almost wanted to laugh at myself. When had I become this guy? The guy controlled by a pussy, so much that I was singing love songs and promising her the world just so she would come back to me. I ran a hand through my hair and stared at her, at Julia. The most beautiful woman I’d ever met. She was strong, fucking amazing in every way. And she was wet for me. Her perfect body was ready, waiting for me to take it. But my stupid fucking pride was punctured, wounded, and I wanted her to feel that hurt. 
    “Why?” She bit down on her lip, the movement nearly my undoing. “You could take one with me.”
    “I’ll pass.” And I walked out of the bathroom. Even though every part of my being wanted to be in there fucking her senseless. I wouldn’t do it. 
    I shook my head. I’m out of my damn mind.
     
     

    “We can’t find Kevin Malone.”
    “What?” I pinched my forehead, standing in the hallway in front of Julia’s apartment with my cell phone pressed to my ear. It was morning, not even twenty-four hours since I’d left her in the bathroom wet and needy, my cock hard and ready.
    “I know. It doesn’t make sense, but he hasn’t been to work for four days. He was last seen on Monday—”
    “The day before Mandi was murdered,” I finished and squeezed my eyes shut. “Fuck. Jim, there has to be something.” Jim was one of my IT guys. He and his dad were the best when it came to technology. They could dig into everything about a person with a few clicks, and both had been working for me for years. 
    “That’s the thing, Cole. There’s nothing.”
    “What do you mean? There has to be some sort of trail. Credit cards, gas station cameras, anything?” 
    “No. Nothing. It’s like the guy disappeared off the planet.”
    “That doesn’t make any damn sense.” I yanked on my hair. “There has to be something.”
    “We’ll keep looking.”
    I nodded. “Send me the address to his job. I’ll send someone out there to ask questions.” I glanced over at Randy, Leon, and Jesse, another one of my guys. They stood by Julia’s apartment door, speaking quietly to one another. More of them waited downstairs along with a bulletproof limo that would be escorting Julia, myself, and unfortunately, Victor and Chris, to Mandi’s funeral. 
    “All right. Sending it over now. Oh wait—”
    I had already pulled the phone away from my ear, ready to hang up. “What?” I couldn’t keep the agitation out of my voice. I was more than frustrated with the whole situation and beyond annoyed with Victor and his boyfriend’s presence in the apartment. 
    Yesterday, after I’d left Julia in the bathroom, I went to Rapture to handle some business things for the club as well as for Obsidian Spirits and when I returned, all of my men looked uncomfortable, most not wanting to meet my gaze. I knew why when I entered the apartment. 
    Julia was there with Victor and Chris. They’d sandwiched her on her flower-patterned couch. All of them were laughing at some show on TV. Julia was clearly not upset about our earlier altercation. She wasn’t burning was some fervent need to have me inside her. She wasn’t suffering the way I was. 
    I’d sat at my office for hours letting the altercation between us roll over and over in my mind. I almost went back multiple times, getting up and rushing to my office door before changing my mind at the last second. My cock had been rock hard the entire time. 
    It made me want to punch something, especially when she didn’t acknowledge me when I walked in. I’d gone into her room and was surprised when she followed me in a few minutes later. We slept in bed together. It was the first time we’d lain together and actually did nothing but sleep.
    “Cole?” Jim’s voice brought me back to the present.
    “Yeah?”
    “We were finally able to track down the name of the person who sent