Page 3 of Merciless King

What if someone had hurt him?

Stop it, London.

I tried not to let my imagination run away on me, but when I climbed into bed, my heart was racing so fast I struggled to breathe. I needed to shut down those thoughts and fast, before I spiraled.

I shoved my earbuds in and turned on the music again.

I did what I had when I’d left the hospital, when I’d spent endless nights lying in my bed in terror—the only thing that would calm me. I thought of another set of eyes, these ones dark, so dark they were almost black. So intense they took my breath away.

Eyes that when they’d been on me, I’d felt safer than I had in my whole life.

* * *

Business had been brisk all week and even with my assistant, Erin, there helping, we’d been rushed off our feet. The phone rang in the back, and I hustled to answer it. There were several people holding one of my premade arrangements, waiting to pay, and they were starting to get impatient. Erin had been manning the counter while I made up the special orders. I wasn’t sure I could handle any more, not this afternoon, and the phone ringing more than likely meant just that.

Turning away business wasn’t something I liked doing.

I picked up the phone. “Beautiful Blooms, you’re speaking with London.”

Silence.

“Hello?”

Still nothing.

Had they been cut off? I heard a quiet noise.

“Hello, is anyone there?”

What was that? Was someone…breathing, down the line? It grew heavier.

I quickly hung up, my heart banging violently into action, erratic, seeming to skip over itself.

You’re being paranoid. It’s nothing. Just a wrong number. Or someone messing around.

I forced myself to get back to work, the best way to keep my mind off…well, anything, everything. It was what I’d been doing for close to two years, and so far, so good. Okay, it had worked up until a week ago, before I found Heathcliff dead and my trip to the park.

Erin called for me and handed me another online order.

We got back to work, clearing them, and while I was working on the last one for the day, the phone started up again. “Can you get that?” I called to Erin, still feeling uneasy.

She greeted the caller and chatted animatedly in that enthusiastic way of hers, taking an order for the next day, and I released the breath I’d been holding.

See? Paranoia.

I let Erin leave a short while later and was making sure the cut flowers had enough water when the phone rang again. The phone rang a lot here. That was a good thing. Business was great. But a knot formed in my stomach as soon as it started. I knew. I just knew what I’d hear when I answered.

But I did answer because I wanted to be wrong. I wanted to prove myself wrong. “Beautiful Booms.”

Nothing.

That knot in my belly sprouted thorns.

“Is anyone there? Hello?”

Someone giggled.

I slammed the phone down.