Taming Mr. Black

Killian’s POV

I am driving like a maniac, not caring if I break any traffic rule. I just needed to get to her. To Naomi. I needed to be sure she wasn’t harmed and she’s safe.

My head is in a daze. I can’t think. I’m afraid I’m gonna lose her because of what I did. I got this text when I was in the office. It was from Naomi’s cell but it wasn’t Naomi who sent me a message. It was someone else, Lily Sanders or Bianca, Naomi’s supposed friend and she was threatening to put a bullet in Naomi’s head if I didn’t get my ass there as soon as possible.

Why would Bianca want to hurt Naomi? That was the first question I asked myself as I rushed out of my office and straight for my car. Since Alvin was still in suspension and I hadn’t bothered to call in any of my other drivers, I’ve been driving myself.

I reach for my phone on my passenger’s seat, one hand steering the wheel while speeding down the road like I’m in a race or something. I stare at the message for the third time since I got it.

How the fuck is Bianca doing this all this while? What did I do to her? When did I hurt her? Or is she somehow related to Gianna and I didn’t know about this? I open the glove box in my car, taking a look at the silver Glock in the box. Being a billionaire is scary. The whole world is always watching and as annoying as it sounds, a lot of people know you. A lot of bad people and anyone is willing to do anything to hurt you without batting an eye. To put it lightly; the business world is scary.

I got myself licensed guns because of threats a few years back and I’m pretty sure I won’t blink an eye putting a bullet in Bianca if she decides to put her hand on Naomi. The address she sent me is way outside of the city. With a few houses, run-down buildings, incomplete ones, shacks. A perfect place to commit murder without anyone finding out.

I look out my tinted car window as I stare at this quaint neighborhood. Bianca added a warning text to her message, saying I shouldn’t think about calling the cops or bringing backups. I know this game. I know how this is going to play. The minute I got into my car, I sent the location to Liam and only Liam. He should be driving behind me, but just way back because I wanted him to.

I look at the Google map on my phone and it confirms that I’m indeed in one of Bianca’s hideouts. It’s a storey building, plain and it looks incomplete. Some of the windows are broken, others are cracked. I quickly get out of my car, with my gun tucked behind my suit jacket as I shut the door. It’s quiet out here, with the only sound being the sound of my fast breathing.

Taking one last look at this strange environment, I slip inside this house, slowly taking one step and another. There’s no furniture in this house and surprisingly, the flooring is concrete. I pass a long hallway and appear in a quiet room that looks to be a living room. There’s a flight of stairs and I take them one after the other in fast hops. I hear grunts and the sound of a broken window. I quicken my pace, looking through one room and another for the source of that noise.

I can’t live with myself if anything happens to Naomi because of my past mistakes. I burst through one room, it’s plain and with concrete flooring. Naomi stands by the window as she looks down. She’s sobbing.

” Babe.” I call her as she whips her head around to look at me.

Her eyes are wet and it seems like she’s been crying. Naomi rushes towards me as she embraces me, with her thighs around my waist. I hug her back, holding her tight as I breathe out a breath of relief.

” I don’t know what I would have done if anything had happened to you.” I whisper into her hair.

Naomi continues to sob into my suit jacket. I run my fingers through her hair in a soothing manner.

” I didn’t mean to. I-” She whispers incoherently, arms tightly wrapped around my neck.

My gaze flicks to the broken window and the slight stain of blood on the few remaining glass that’s still standing. With Naomi in my arms, I slowly walk towards the window. I look down and my heart skip at the sight in front of me.

” Shit.”

” I didn’t mean to.” She sobs against me.

” It’s okay.” I whisper into her hair. ” You’re safe now, that’s all that matters.”

Lying at the bottom is a woman covered in her own blood. It’s obvious she’s dead. The sight alone is disturbing to look at. I pull out my phone and dial in the three digit emergency number. It rings until someone picks up.

” 911, what’s your emergency?”

” There’s someone who needs immediate medical check up and someone who’s presumably dead.” I say to the agent on the phone.

My eyes flick to my woman in my arms and she’s still crying. There’s dried blood in her hair and her head is injured. Her clothes are stained with blood too. My stomach churn at the sight.

Did I cause this? Did I do this without knowing? If I’d been here earlier, would she be okay? Fuck, was that Bianca at the bottom of this house? Did they get into a fight and she accidentally pushed her over the edge?

There are so many unanswered questions but all I need is to make sure Naomi’s okay. I finish giving the woman on the line every necessary information she needs and I hang up. With Naomi passed out in my arms, I hurry down the stairs and straight to my car.

–

” What happened?” Antonio asks as we stand outside Naomi’s hospital room while we watch her through the small window in her room.

She’s been administered treatment and she’s unconscious, with a bandage around her head.

” She was in an accident.”

” What?”

” Yeah. And I guess Bianca kidnapped her and I don’t know the rest of the story. Before I got there Naomi was crying and there was a dead woman.”

” Who was the dead woman?”

” Bianca. Or if you wanna call her by her real name Gianna.” I say, sighing as I turn to the doctor who’s just stepping out of Naomi’s room.

” Is she okay?” We ask.

” She’s stable for now. She has a concussion but she’ll be alright.”

” Thank you, doctor.” Antonio says.

” You’re welcome.”

” Can we go in and see her?”

” Sure. Just don’t wake the patient up.” The doctor gives us a warm smile as she walks away.

Antonio and I walk inside Naomi’s room. I take the seat next to her bed. I sit down, slowly take her hand in mine as I run my thumb down the back of her head.

” I did this. I can’t believe she’s paying for every fuck up that I fucked up these past years.”

” Don’t do that to yourself, Killian.” Antonio says.

From the corner of my eyes, I watch him sit down on the edge of Naomi’s bed as he stares at his sister.

” She’s gone through hell all because I was a dick and I couldn’t even respect and trust her enough to tell her the truth. I couldn’t talk to her because of my selfish reasons. Fuck.” Letting go of her hand, I rest my elbows on my knees and run my fingers through my hair.

” It’s not your fault, Killian. We’ve all made mistakes. Not one, not two. I don’t think it’s right that you’re taking the blame for someone else’s doing.”

I scoff, jaws clenched as I stare at Naomi. She looks pale, like someone with no blood running through her veins.

” Naomi told me someone was threatening to hurt her and you. She told me she didn’t just slip and fall into the ocean in Miami.”

” Yeah. I’m sorry I lied.”

” What’s really going on, Killian? What’s this got to do with Bianca?” Antonio asks.

I turn to look at him. He sighs and stands up as he slips his hands inside his pants pockets.

” I can’t believe Bianca is dead. It’s just hard to believe. She was anything but a psychotic killer.”

” You two dated?” I ask.

Antonio smiles sadly. ” At least I like to think that.”

” I’m sorry about what happened. I really don’t understand why she would want to hurt Naomi, but I’m guessing it’s because in the past I hurt her and I guess she wanted to hurt Naomi just to prove how much she hated me.”

” What did you do to her?”

I look away from Antonio in shame.

” It’s a long story.”

” Well, none of us is getting out of here anytime soon, anyway. Also, I deserve to know what’s really going on, Killian. This is about my sister and her friend who’s dead.”

I flick my gaze towards Antonio before looking away.

” How’s your mom?”

” I couldn’t tell her. She had hypertension about a month ago, I’m not sure she can handle the news of her daughter in a hospital bed again for the second time.”

” I think she deserves to know.”

” And you think I don’t know that? I just can’t bear anything happening to her. She might have an aneurysm if she finds out what happened.”

” Right.” I sigh. ” I’m really sorry about Bianca, Antonio.”

” I know.”

There’s a knock on the door as Antonio and I turn to look at the new guests. Raymond and Liam. I stand up, excusing myself as I step outside with both men.

” Hey, man. How’s she doing?” Raymond asks.

” Thankfully, alive.” I turn to Liam. ” What do you got?”

Liam exhales and pulls out photographs from his portfolio. He gives it to me.

” One is the photo of Bianca and the other is that of Gianna.” Liam says.

I stare at the photo in my hand.

” What’s this?”

” They’re the same person, Killian.” Raymond says.

Why am I not surprised?

” Bianca, your girlfriend’s friend was Gianna all along. I think she underwent a few cosmetic surgeries to look like this.” Liam says, pointing to Bianca’s photo.Content property of NôvelDra/ma.Org.

” Plus, if you take a good look at both pictures, it’s obvious they’re the same person.” Raymond says.

Yeah, I just wasn’t looking hard enough and I repressed every memory I had with Gianna so I could forget her. Can I be any more inhumane?

” So you had a thing with Bianca some years ago?” Antonio asks behind me.

I turn to look at him, including Liam and Raymond.

” Sadly, yes.” I answer, sighing.

” Fuck.” Antonio curses.

” Who’s this?” Liam asks.

” Naomi’s older brother. Did you confirm if she was dead?”

” She’s dead. She was alive at the scene of the accident, barely holding on, but she was alive. She died on her way to the hospital.” Liam says.

He opens his portfolio again and pulls out something.

” This is a recorder. We found it in your office. It was planted underneath your desk without your knowledge. I don’t know how, but Bianca, Gianna, Lily Sanders, sneaked into your office and planted it there. We also did a thorough search of her bedroom, we also found her real ID card carrying her real name. She must have faked her death after the death of her child, changed her name to Bianca and started hunting you down.” Liam says.

I stare at the recorder inside the evidence bag. I hand it back to Liam. This is all too much to take in all at once.

” So Bianca had a child for you?” Antonio asks.

” Yeah. I told her to get rid of it. She didn’t, she kept the baby. The baby died a few months later after she was born. Bianca faked her death, changed her name, went to college and became friends with your sister. That was a long time ago.”

” I can’t believe this.” Antonio mutters.

” And Naomi’s getting all the hits because of what you did six years ago.” Antonio says.

” Yeah.” I sigh.

” There’s something else.” Raymond says. ” Bianca or Gianna, I don’t even know what to call her. Well, after she faked her death and changed her name, she started her own clothing line business. It’s a big successful Enterprise right here in New York City.”

” What?”

” Yeah. She even bought a penthouse here in New York city too. She was rich.” Liam says.

I need air. I can’t wrap my head around all this information.

” I’m gonna step out for a bit. Please, keep an eye on her.” I say to the men as I walk out.

In the parking lot, I open my car and enter the backseat. I shut the door as I throw my head back on the car seat. Right now I’m craving for a cigarette to keep my head in one place. The guilt is eating at me and I feel like I’m about to panic.

My phone vibrates in my front pocket. I pull it out and look at the caller ID before answering.

” Hey, Keith. How’s Hawaii? Having fun?” I ask.

” What exactly is going on? Eve’s freaking out. She said something about Naomi being in an accident and maybe even hurt.” Keith says.

” Yeah, well, she was in an accident. She’s fine, Keith.”

” Where are you? Eve and I are coming over.”

” You don’t have to leave Hawaii and come to New York. Naomi’s fine.”

” Sure. We’re at the airport in New York City. So where are you?”

I smile. ” I can’t believe you Keith. I’ll text you the address.”

” You better do. Eve’s freaking out here.”

” Tell her to take it easy that Naomi’s fine. She’s safe.”

” You tell her that yourself. She isn’t listening to what I say.” Keith says.

” Kil.” Eve’s voice says on the phone. She sounds like someone who’s been sobbing.

” Hey, Eve. How are you?”

” I’m doing okay. What’s going on? How’s Naomi doing?”

” She’s doing okay.”

” Was she hurt?”

” Eve, you gotta calm down, okay? This isn’t good for the baby. Why don’t you come over and come see her yourself?”

” Yeah, we’re on our way.”

” Be careful.” I tell her.

” Yeah.”

” Hey, bro.” Keith says on the phone.

” You take care of her, yeah?”

” Of course I’ll.” Keith says.

” See you then.”

_

By the time Naomi wakes up, it’s almost 11am the following day. Eve and Keith stayed at the hospital, including Antonio, Raymond, and even my mom till the previous night. They left, except for Antonio, promising they would drop by the following day to check on Naomi again.

When my mom asked what happened, I just told her Naomi was in an accident. The doctor in charge of Naomi checked her, gave a few shots and left. Antonio sits by her bed, his eyes are a little red from lack of sleep and tears. He still can’t grasp the idea that Bianca was dead and I used to date her. I guess he was slowly falling in love with her before she died.

The cops were here to ask a few questions but left when they discovered Noami was yet to wake up. They would be here today for further questioning.

” Hey, beautiful.” I whisper to Naomi, hand reaching out to run through her hair.

She gives me a small smile as she turns to look at her brother.

” Hey, Luna.”

Naomi doesn’t respond, she just smiles at us. A weak smile.

” How are you feeling?” I ask her.

” Fine.”

” Do you wanna talk about what happened?” Antonio asks.

” Give her some time. It’s too sudden for her.” I say to Antonio.

” Right.” Antonio mutters. ” I’m gonna step out and give you two space to talk.” Antonio says as he leaves.

” Are you okay?” I ask.

” I don’t wanna talk about it. None of it. Not now or later. I just wanna forget.”

I sigh. ” Sure. Take your time.”

When the cops came by later, Naomi refused to talk to them. They are curious as to what transpired between her and her late friend. How they got there in the first place and how Bianca fell off the edge of a window.

Two weeks after Naomi was discharged, she gave a statement of what happened. It was blunt and the cops knew that too. She was in an accident which was caused by Bianca. The Uber driver died on the spot. Bianca pulled her out of the Uber, drove her to that abandoned house and tied her to a chair. She freed herself, they got into a brawl, and Bianca accidentally fell off the edge of the window. She wanted to save her. I know she would have done anything within her power to save her.

And in order to get her mind off of what’s happening, we went on a boat ride on my yacht the following week. Naomi leans against the railing as she stares at the clear body of water.

” Beautiful, isn’t it?” I ask.

Naomi turns around to look at me. She smiles, although it’s not like her smile that I’ve come to fall in love with but it’s something.

” Yeah.”

” Are you still mad at me?” I ask, taking a step forward.

She’s not been herself since the accident. The smile she smiles it’s nothing like her real smile. And before the accident, I am aware we had a fight. She was mad at me for lying to her. And after she was discharged, I’ve been trying to take things slow with her. I don’t want to push her away farther when all I want is to pull her close to me.

” I’m not.” She admits.

I smile, taking another step as I cage her against the railing. I tuck her hair behind her ear and run the back of my forefinger down her check. Naomi takes a slow deep breath as her eyes flutter shut.

” What happened with Bianca is not your fault, babe. I want you to know that. I fucked up. I should have cared, even if it was little.” I whisper.

She slowly opens her eyes to stare into mine.

” I know. She would have killed me anyhow. I just… it doesn’t matter. I think what matters is me trying to move forward.” She tells me.

” I’m glad you’re thinking about moving forward.”

” And why exactly are you staring at me like that?” Naomi whispers.

I smirk as I flick my gaze from her eyes to her lips. I run my thumb on her swollen red lips.

” I really wanna kiss you right now.”

” Is that it?”

” Yeah.”

Naomi wraps her arms around my neck as she stands on her toes to give me a short, passionate kiss. I wrap my arms around her waist as I pull her closer to me. Even if I’m not gonna admit it to her, afraid of scaring her or pushing her away, I really wanna make love to her again. I want to show her how much she means the world to me with my tongue on every sensitive skin on her body, my hands exploring her, with my lips. I want to whisper sweet promises that I’ll very much keep to every inch of her body while I’m buried deep inside her.

That, and a lot more.

So instead when she pulls away from the kiss and turns around to look at the body of water surrounding us and my arms around her, I bring my lips to her ear as I whisper.

” Move in with me.”