Living in Secret by Rose Kephart (the best electronic book reader txt) 📕

The beginning
Chapter one.

Cold didn’t begin to describe how Marius felt. It was as if his bones had been frozen to every muscle in his body and it was all he could do just to breath. The weather had been horrible for days, and there was no sign of a break. The forecasted blizzard hadn’t even set into Verona yet, but if the already brutal weather was any sign it was very close on its way. The streets were empty and Marius had no clue why he was even outside. He’d felt an urge to take a walk but now that he was a few blocks from his apartment he wanted to head straight home for several cups of hazel nut coffee and his warm electric blanket.

Marius was still walking down Coronus street when he heard some voices. There was yelling and a few shrieks. He paused for a second and then continued walking maybe it was just a couple fighting, stupid people should be inside its too cold for all that. But then again he was the one taking a walk in the middle of this weather. Then he heard the screaming, not fear rage, “Let go you over grown gorilla!” one voice said, definitely female. Marius decided to investigate he was hoping it was just a couple arguing but felt the need to check anyway.

As he turned the corner to and onto a small alley he saw her. Hair flying as she struggled with as she described was definitely and over grown gorilla. Now Marius was 6’4 but this guy, well he was huge, had to be at least 6 inches taller than Marius, and a good bit wider. But what had stopped Marius in his tracks was the beauty fighting her way away from the gorilla. The big guy had her arm and was trying to corner her against a dumpster and the building but every time she would find a way out. He watched as she kneed him in the groin then freed her arm, but instead of running she brought her elbow down on the back of his neck. The gorilla let out a loud scream and punched her in the gut. She went flying back against the wall and then fell. The man was starting to recover and the movements of gorilla man broke Marius’s frozen state. He rushed into action. Gorilla hadn’t noticed him so when Marius sucker punched him right in the jaw, it sent the man reeling back. As gorilla hit the wall Marius rushed him with another punch to the jaw and two to the stomach. Gorilla man slid to the ground and Marius kicked him in the head, that knocked gorilla right out.

In basic training Marius had learned never to talk to your assailant, because later they could recognize your voice, but now that the gorilla was out like king kong he walked over to Roxanna. She had started to sit up but winced at the pain. “Are you okay” he asked as she tried to gain her composure. “I think so he just go one good what in and that had me out, too bad you didn’t gain your balls a little earlier.” She said, the sneer shocked Marius, what could he say to that she was right he had froze but did he not just save her life? She didn’t even say thank you? What kind of woman is this?! “Well Miss”, he began “I didn’t know my helping you would warrant such a response. I can tell your fine I’ll be on my way.” He knew that he was being rude and that he should help her up but she had just struck a low blow to his ego… and man hood. As he walked away he heard a muffle apology almost as if she didn’t think he deserved one but it was an apology all the same. He turned and looked at her. Clutching her stomach and an over large bag. He hair was blowing in the frigid air again and she looked almost pathetic as she started to walk. He couldn’t leave her. So he walked back, “I’m sorry also I should have worked faster, would you like some help? My place is only a few blocks away. You can warm up there and ill call you a cab?” as the words finished coming out of his mouth he could tell she was going to refuse him, so he continued. “It’s the least I can do for letting the thing hit you before I reacted?” he paused, “and I won’t take no for an answer.” She stood in silence, she was thinking really hard. “What’s your name?” she asked still with that attitude. She had an accent that wasn’t from around here. Even though she was fluent there was no way she was Italian. He waited a second and the replied. “Marius, Marius Reginus.” She looked at him a second a street light eliminating her eyes. Were they green? “Well Marius, I suppose since you helped me out and all and u won’t accept my no… I’ll come with you.” She took a few steps and winced. Marius knew he was stretching here but he picked her up quickly and started walking. She had one of those stunned, shocked, indignant looks on her face that all women master. “What the hell! Put me down right now!” she was screaming in his ear but it was too funny watching her. “No” he simply answered and kept walking.

***

After his simple answer Roxanna hadn’t said a word. Yes she was in lots of pain but she wasn’t a baby to be carried around by some ape? What was with her and primates tonight? First gorilla and now ape? Well anyway she didn’t like it. She was a grown woman, she had two legs and two feet and she could walk! She didn’t like this but the aura this Marius exuded left no room for argument. So all she could do was be carried. She would make it hard for him though, she let herself become complete dead weight. Ha that will show him. But he acted as if he didn’t even notice. He just kept walking. He’d already carried her two blocks when he asked her, “So what’s your name?” she didn’t reply. She had no words for him he could talk to himself for all she cared. “Well for such a fierce little thing u must have a fierce name, or are you nameless?” now he was just trying to taunt her into talking. Ugh men never catch a hint. “Something like Olga or Wren?” oh how dare he! Those were just completely horrendous names? Plus she’s not even close to Russian. The idiot. “My name is Roxanna Bellatrix, and since you can’t seem to find any proper ways to use your tongue maybe you should shut your mouth.” Oh… that wasn’t very nice what is wrong with you! The ape is carrying you and you continue to be outlandishly rude! She was being rather rude but she just couldn’t help it, she felt as like every snide comment she every said had been meant for him and now she had to make up for lost time, absolutely ridiculous.

She looked up intending to apologize but instead of anger or even a hint of dislike in his eyes she saw humor! He is laughing! Why on this bloody earth is he laughing! Now she was just plain pissed off. Her day had started horrible. Her car had had snow caked all over it so she had to scrape her windows and then after all the work she realized the chains on her wheels had come off. She didn’t have time to put the bloody chains back on so she had to call a cab. Then the cab took forever to get to her house and drove slower than her grandpa on a good d ay. When she finally arrived she was 45 minutes late and her boss was breathing down her neck. The lady hated her and being late only made things worse. The whole day was spent running back and forth between her office and her boss’s. Something was always wrong with her reports. Every time she went into the field she would do something that called for filling out reports... such as crashing a company car shooting a drug dealer before he was questioned adequately, but then again the guy had a gun pointed at her. Needless to say her day had gone down the toilet. Then she couldn’t get another cab so was having to walk all the way home, seven blocks, from work! And the fourth floor elevator had been down and she had to use the stairs! Only to almost get mugged in the worst weather Verona had had all season. And now she was being carried by some guy with a stick up his butt back to his apartment. She was not a happy girl.
Instead of apologizing like she was going to she just crossed her arms and continued to focus on being dead weight. She now couldn’t stand this Marius character. Even if he was extremely warm in the cold weather and well built, even through his heavy trench she could feel the muscles in his chest and arms. Nice she thought very nice. He didn’t look so bad either nice jaw line very dignified, he had a little over a 5 O’clock shadow but it was okay, it highlighted his grey blue eyes. They seem more navy than blue but they were definitely blue, and definitely grey, or I don’t know what color they are. He looked down at her and that broke her revelation. Was she just staring at him at his eyes? Talking about his muscles?! What is wrong with you Roxanna? First you can’t stand the guy now you’re making googgly eyes at him? You have some serious issues girl. She made it a point not to look at him again.

They finally reached his apartment and he put her down. He lived in a nice complex a little above middle class but not too fancy so he didn’t seem overly rich but he definably had money. He opened the glass entrance door and walked her to the elevator. She still felt really bad her whole abdomen was hurting, that gorilla really packed a punch. She hadn’t been hit that hard since her earliest days training with Kzatora. That was her martial arts teacher back in Romania. He had never been lineate on her, especially when she was tired. Then he would totally kick her but. She hadn’t been practicing her judo since she was promoted to captain. She hadn’t taken on a field case in two weeks and still had lots of paper work. She was thinking about stepping down because she hated desk work she wanted to be out there fighting crime, and even though she had been in the field her first two weeks now it seemed as if there was so much paper work she just didn’t have the time to work in the field with the rest of her officers.

He pressed the button for his floor. He lived on the top and the fourth floor of the building. They stood in the elevator in silence. When the elevator dinged, telling them they were on the fourth floor she jumped a little and he laughed openly. This time it didn’t bother her as much she started laughing too. They stepped out of the elevator and down a nice hall to apartment 416.