Chapter Twelve #2
I’m becoming oddly attached to having her nearby, even if she knows how to get under my skin.
She knows how to do that because you let her and because a part of you wonders if what she says is true.
I try to shake the thought as Miss Deveroux steps behind the bar and tilts her head. Katia pushes me in front of her, and we find an empty table in the back. Once I sit down, Katia disappears into the crowd, and I sit there alone, listening to the rhythmic music pumping through the speakers.
Is this my life now? A series of dimly lit rooms and danger around every corner?
I’m not sure why Mason thought letting me come here was a good idea.
All being back here does is make my skin crawl and remind me of the endless months when I tried to keep my head down and focus on the job.
Already, it feels like a lifetime ago.
I’m not even sure I’d recognize that version of me.
I’m not sure I’d want to.
I lean back against the booth, scanning the area intently but not registering anything until Katia walks back with two drinks in hand.
She hands me a sweet-looking drink with an umbrella and sets the other one down.
Her posture is erect, and she keeps one hand at her side, close to where I know she keeps her dagger.
I see a flash of movement, and we turn toward it.
Several bulky-looking men emerge, half-dragging, half-carrying a light-haired man between them.
A shudder ripples through me as they stride past. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”
Katia doesn’t look at me when she replies. “I’ll be nearby.”
I sit up straighter. “Aren’t you going to sit?”
Katia raises an eyebrow. “I’m not here to socialize, and definitely not with you.”
I gesture to the other drink. “Isn’t that for you?”
Katia says nothing.
“I’ll be keeping a close eye out,” she adds. “Enjoy your little break.”
Without waiting for a response, she melts into the shadows. I wait for a few moments before curling my fingers around the glass. Slowly, I lift it to my lips and take a small sip. The fruity drink is a little too sweet for my taste, but it dulls some of the roaring in my ears.
I take a few more sips, and the hairs on the back of my neck rise.
Frowning, I scan the floor, realizing that a figure on the far side of the room is watching me.
I squint, but I can’t make out his features.
I ignore the sliver of unease that races up my spine and turn my attention back to the drink.
The roar in my ears turns into a quiet thrumming sound, and the edges of my vision blur as I lean back and sigh.
Then, I set out my finished drink and lean across the table for the other one.
Out of nowhere, a hand darts out and closes around the glass.
I lick my dry lips. “That’s my….”
The rest of the sentence dies on my lips as I blink, and I realize who I’m talking to.
Shit.
The pleasant buzz begins to clear when Noah’s friend Steven leans forward and pulls his lips back into a sneer. “Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise?”
My stomach is in knots. “I can’t say the same.”
Steven chuckles and brings the drink to his nose to sniff it. “You can afford to ask them for the expensive stuff now, or at least that’s what I heard.”
I square my shoulders and give him a blank look. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Where the fuck is Katia, and why isn’t she dragging him back by the collar of his shirt?
Steven chuckles, and the sound sends another wave of unease through me.
I rise to my feet, and a figure steps out of the shadows, blocking the other side of the booth. I glance back at Steven, and he’s sitting with his arm draped over the back of the booth.
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Word on the street is that you’re off limits,” he continues. “Something about fucking someone big.”
I offer him the dirtiest look I can muster. “That’s none of your damn business.”
“I always did wonder what that mouth of yours would feel like. You were wasted on Noah, you know. He doesn’t know how to please a woman.”
I scoff. “And you do? Did you honestly think that ratting me out to Noah was going to get you anywhere?”
Steven shrugs. “I can show you one hell of a good time, baby. And I bet you like it rough.”
“Not interested,” I reply coolly. “This conversation is over.”
Steven’s hand darts out and closes around my wrist, and his eyes flash. “It’s over when I say it’s over.”
I look from the hand around my wrist to his face and back again. “Let go.”
He leans in so I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “Not until I get what I want. I want you on your knees, London. You got away last time, but this time, you’re not going to get so lucky. Let’s see how far you can take it, huh?”
Without warning, he tugs, and I lose my balance and fall against him.
I throw my head back. His arms, which were closing around me, lose their grip, and Steven makes a muffled sound in his chest. Then I throw my full weight back, and we crash to the floor, a pinprick of pain racing up my leg. My heart pounds.
Slowly, he rises to his feet and rolls his shoulders. “I knew you’d be fun.”
I get up from the floor and orient myself immediately, standing with my legs hip-width apart.
With a growl, he launches at me, and I stay still.
Once he’s close enough, I punch him squarely in the jaw.
Another slice of pain shoots up my arm, but I ignore it.
He growls and tries to pull me against him.
I squirm and buck so that we fall backward against the table.
His grip loosens, and I kick out my leg, forcing him to the floor.
He glances at me, dazed.
I drop down to dig my knee into his chest. “You’ve always been an asshole. I just didn’t think you were stupid, too.”
He tries to stand, but I don’t let him.
Adrenaline pumps steadily through me as I wait until he meets my gaze. “Nothing to say?”
“You’ll pay for this, you bitch,” Steven warns. “You have no idea what kind of power I have here.”
I remove my knee as he scrambles to his feet. “I don’t give a shit.”
All at once, the same bulky men I saw drag a man off earlier appear around us. They form a half-circle but don’t look at us. He stands up straighter and glances at them. “Well, it’s about time.”
“I apologize for the inconvenience, Mr. Montrose.” Jack Payne appears from the shadows, his expression blank. “Tonight is on us.”
The man nods and gives me a feral smile. “This isn’t over.”
Then, Jack Payne turns to me, and it takes every ounce of self-control I have not to react.
My every instinct is screaming to run.
His dark eyes sweep over me, tight and emotionless pools of black until they land on my face. With a flick of his wrist, he dismisses the men until we’re alone, and I wish he hadn’t. I know the men won’t lift a finger to stop him, but having them nearby made me feel better.
Fuck.
Is he the reason Katia didn’t interfere?
What did he do to her?
“I tolerate your presence, but only because my son has made it clear that he’ll burn everything down for you,” Jack tells me, each word dripping with ice and disdain. “You’ve already caused a lot of trouble, and now I find you here, assaulting one of our best patrons.”
I swallow and clench my hands. “I wasn’t assaulting him. He forced himself on me.”
The look Jack gives me is one of malice. “I didn’t tell you to speak. You will learn to do as you’re told, and if my son is incapable of teaching you that lesson, I will.”
Fear blossoms in my chest.
He takes a small step in my direction, and I remind myself not to move or even breathe. “I know everything there is to know about you, London. I know where you went to school, and I know about your pathetic attempt to protect your parents.”
I don’t look away.
“Sooner or later, my son will grow tired of you. In the meantime, I won’t allow you to cause any more disruptions to the business,” Jack says. “There are plenty of ways your parents can be dealt with.”
Without waiting for a response, he takes out his phone and holds it up to me.
It takes a full minute for me to realize what I’m watching, and when I do, I grow cold all over.
“All it takes is one word from me,” Jack says, in a low voice. “My man will even make it look like an accident.”
I try and fail to swallow.
Jack presses something on his phone, and the image shifts, and I find myself staring at an unfamiliar building, overlooking the water. My heart twists on itself when he swipes through and shows me another picture, this one of Mathew on the other side of the street, and half-hidden in the shadows.
“Your mom almost slipped under the radar,” Jack continues, in the same tone of voice. “It’s a good thing she decided to come visit her darling daughter. I have special plans for her.”
“Stay away from my parents.” The words are out of me before I can stop them, and I want to kick myself.
Jack lowers the phone, and his expression darkens. “Whatever power you think you have is an illusion. Do I make myself clear?”
I glance from the phone to his face and back again, a sliver of fear settling in the center of my stomach.
I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me balk, even when I want to hightail it out of there.
He might not like me, but if I run away, it will only make things worse.
Breathe. Just breathe. If he wanted to do something to them, he already would have.
Katia materializes by my side, her face pinched in concern.
“I’m glad we had a chance to chat,” Jack says. “I’ll hold you to our understanding, London.”
Once he leaves, the air rushes back into my lungs, and my knees buckle.
Katia holds me upright and takes me to Miss Deveroux’s office.
There, she leaves the door propped open and helps me sink onto the couch. Wordlessly, she hands me a drink, and her eyes widen when I down it in one gulp.
“Where were you?”
“I thought you could handle yourself with Noah’s friend, but when I saw who interfered, I tried to step in, but his men wouldn’t let me.”
I grip the glass tighter, my heart still hammering wildly. “Okay.”
How far is Jack Payne willing to go?
Is it already too late for my parents?
“What did he tell you?”
I exhale sharply. “Nothing I didn’t already know. I’m ready to go back now.”
Katia sets my empty glass down and checks the hallway before I step outside.
In a daze, I follow her back to the estate, replaying the scene in my head.
When I blink, I’m back in Mason’s room, and the ringing in my ears is back.
The door shuts behind me, and I race into the bathroom.
I barely make it to the toilet before the contents of my lunch rise, and I empty my stomach.
My eyes are watery, and my stomach lurches when I’m done.
You knew your parents would be at risk.
But it didn’t dawn on me how selfish my decision was until I stood in front of Jack, desperate to get away.
My stomach is still roiling when Mason finds me standing by the window, looking out at the moonlit estate a while later. He draws me to him and murmurs something in my ear, and I sink against him, inhaling his familiar smell.
You can do this. You can find a way to get your family out and keep them safe. You have to.