Chapter 21 Alex
Alex
Iget home with more money than I cashed in, but just barely. It was a weird night. A part of me hadn’t expected to actually play poker tonight, waiting for Leon to walk out from the hallway where his office lies.
My gaze was more focused on the sliding glass doors than on the cards in front of me, and it showed. After an hour and a half, I gave up and focused on poker.
I leave my shoes in the hallway next to the others.
Sophie would kill me if she saw how messy her apartment is, but her whereabouts are still a mystery.
Tonight was the night I intended to tell Leon my actual address and ask him to check the cameras for Sophie.
The slump of my shoulders and the downturn of my lips don’t fully make sense.
It’s not like he stood me up. We haven’t had a date planned, and he doesn’t owe me anything.
But our nights together became a habit for me.
One I wasn’t hoping to break. Not to mention last night was special.
Giving in to him fully left a mark on me.
That is probably why all these feelings are here right now.
It’s fine, Alex. He’s a busy man. He probably had work to do.
Still, it’s hard to battle the growing feeling of disappointment.
It’s funny to realize that even though I’m undoubtedly falling for him, I don’t even have his phone number.
I have his fucking credit card, and I don’t have his phone number.
We never needed it. I would come to the casino, and he would take me to his office or his house.
From the freezer, I grab the half-eaten ice cream and make myself comfortable on the couch. Not even the frozen sweetness and watching my favorite show ease my dejection. I don’t know if it’s possible I miss him after just seeing him this morning, but it sure feels like it. This can’t be good.
Next evening, I step into the casino once again, but I’m managing my expectations this time. He might not be here. He might be busy and not able to see me. Still, my belly flutters with anticipation of seeing him.
Five minutes after I grab a drink and sit down at one of the marble tables, he exits through the door separating the casino floor from the management offices.
Breath hitches in my throat. He’s so fucking handsome.
One of his signature suits fits him as if it was made for him, the longer strands of his dark hair are slicked back neatly, and his face looks like carved out of stone.
When his eyes connect to mine, I barely avoid melting into a puddle.
Like always, he makes his way toward me, with confident, commanding steps.
A chuckle escapes my lips just as he reaches me.
“Something funny?” he whispers in my ear, making me shiver.
“Yeah. I was just thinking how you’re walking like you own the place. Then I realized you do in fact own the place.”
The short huff he lets out is less enthusiastic than I was hoping for, but I guess it was kind of a lame joke.
“Want to get out of here?” he asks, and electricity zings down my body.
My head dips, and he helps me up. We pass his office and go straight to the elevator.
“I wasn’t sure I’d see you tonight.” I fidget my fingers in front of me, nervous to let him know I missed him.
“Yeah, sorry about that. I had a crazy workday yesterday.” He presses the button, and the metal box lowers us to the garage floor.
In the car, he grips the steering wheel tighter than usual, but I revel in being surrounded by his strong, masculine scent. He seems off, like something’s bothering him. I can hardly expect him to share what until I share more about myself, so I keep quiet for the rest of the ride.
“Hungry?” he asks as we enter his apartment. Persephone greets me right away, and I lower to the floor to give her proper cuddles.
He orders the food while I entertain his dog. Now that I’ve decided to tell him the truth, my nerves are running rampant. I couldn’t stomach eating like this, so it’s best to take it off my chest before the food arrives. “There’s something I need to tell you.” I huff a laugh to ease the tension.
His eyebrow rises skeptically.
“You know the address you drove me to the other day?” My hands focus on Persephone, as if I’m hoping it will give me courage.
“It’s not my real address.” He’s still silent, so I continue.
“It’s just one of the things I do to keep myself safe.
I give away fake addresses to people I barely know.
Like the men you had drive me home.” I glance up at him, but his expression is blank.
“Thanks for the gorgeous flowers, by the way.” I shoot him a smile.
He clears his throat. “If you don’t live there, where do you live?”
“Oh, it’s just a few blocks away from there. I don’t have an apartment of my own. I moved into my cousin’s apartment when I got back from Vegas. If you remember, I mentioned she’s my best friend.”
He nods.
“It’s actually something I wanted to talk to you about.” His eyes narrow. “My cousin has been missing from her home for some time, and I think she might have visited your casino?” He glances at my purse sitting on the floor next to me. “Maybe one of your men saw her.”
His gaze lands on me for an uncomfortably long second before he breaks into a sardonic laugh. “Are you fucking kidding me?”
“Wh-what do you mean?”
“How stupid do you think I am?” He kicks my purse a few feet further, just out of my reach.
I stare, wide-eyed, not sure what the hell is going on.
My belly fills with unease as I realize I don’t fully recognize the man in front of me.
The man I just started to feel safe with.
My feet decide to get up on their own, inching backward, but he stalks after me.
With both of his arms crossed in front of his chest and a harsh set to his jaw, he looks even more imposing than I’m used to.
Especially since his anger is now obviously directed at me.
But why? Is he so mad because I hid my address?
“Look, I’m sorry…” I start.
“Sorry? You’re fucking sorry?” He huffs.
“What for? You managed to do your job.” His hands drop to his sides, turning into fists.
I struggle to get air into my lungs. “You succeeded in seducing me without me giving it a second thought. Just like you succeeded in kidnapping my brother. Are you sorry for making a fool of me? Or sorry for getting caught?” He spits the words out with so much disdain that the blood freezes in my veins.
It makes no sense. His words don’t make any fucking sense. Playing him? Kidnapping his brother? “Leon, what are you talking about?” My voice is shaky. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shake my head.
“Of course, you don’t, baby.” His body only a few inches away from mine, his finger reaches out to trail my cheek. The goosebumps that arise are fueled by fear. “You thought you could play me like one of the idiots at the poker table and I walked right into your trap.”
Tears form rapidly in my eyes, but I refuse to let them fall. “I-I honestly don’t know what you’re saying.”
“Drop the fucking act!” he roars out.
I hear a sharp bark and drop my gaze to notice Persephone, rigid and barking at her owner as if issuing a warning.
He lets out another forced laugh. “I guess I’m not the only one who got played.”
“I-I don’t…”
“Fuck you, Alexandra Landers. You and your cousin who tore apart my family,” he bites out, his face transforming with anger, a look I know all too well.
Persephone steps in between us and growls at Leon, standing tall and proud.
A single drop of liquid falls down my cheek, grateful for the dog’s mercy.
Leon takes a step backward, lifting his hand in a surrender motion.
He glares at me with contempt. “I guess it’s your lucky day. Get the fuck out of here.”
Grabbing a half-filled bottle from his kitchen, he starts for the hallway, and I hear the rough slam of his bedroom door.
I release a sharp breath, along with a flood of tears.
My heart is still racing. I don’t know what happened, but I need to get the hell out of here.
I rush to grab my purse, hugging it to my chest.
“Thank you,” I whisper to Persephone, giving her a quick scratch behind the ears, and leave Leon’s apartment for good.
As soon as I step outside, I bump into the delivery driver bringing us food and it only makes me cry harder. I walk five blocks before getting a rideshare, my tears wetting the pavement beneath me. The ride home is a blur of sobs and quiet wails.
The volume of the wails turns louder as soon as I’m behind closed doors of Sophie’s apartment.
Far away from the scene of the crime, my adrenaline is finally dropping, but the despair it leaves in its wake is debilitating.
A body-numbing mixture of confusion, anger, grief and betrayal.
Where did all that come from? He acted like I was the one to blame for something, but I have no clue what.
I rip the dress off me, desperate to get under the hot spray of water.
With a small squeak, I turn the faucet on and let the water drip over my head.
I don’t care about the makeup on my face; the shower is the closest thing I have to a safe space.
It’s where I used to wash the blood off my body, and it’s where I’ll try to wash off my emotional pain today.
The water turns from scorching hot to cold before it happens.
There’s a boulder sitting on my stomach, killing all the butterflies that used to reside there.
How could I trust a man again, something I vowed myself never to do?
How did I end up in a situation where I was fearing for my life in front of the man I fell for? Again.
What would have happened if Persephone hadn’t stood up for me? Would he actually hurt me? My heart says no, but it obviously doesn’t know shit.
I’m only half-dry when I slump onto Sophie’s bed, wrapping myself in her comforter. This is what I need today. I need to feel her scent and imagine her arms around me, telling me everything’s going to be okay. Both of us would know it’s bullshit. But it would make us feel better.
Her pillow is soaked with my tears by the time I drift off to sleep, my dreams filled with an excruciating montage of the way Leon used to look at me — like he couldn’t get enough — before twisting into his disdain for me.