Chapter 10 Lexi
TEN
LEXI
Mr. Whiskers abandons me in favor of his cat tree in Cruz’s office, leaving me to sleep alone.
Which is on brand, to be fair, but somehow the little orange fluff ball’s rejection hurts almost as much as if he were human.
I toss and turn for an hour before finally falling into a fitful sleep, my body and mind too wired to allow me to rest peacefully despite the wine that should offer me the peace I so desperately need.
My eyes flash open, the remnants of a recurring nightmare dragging me from what little sleep I’ve managed to get.
Even years after his death, my father still manages to fuck with my subconscious.
I was lucky compared to Mom and Cruz. Apart from generally degrading me, he was only violent toward me a handful of times, but his words always hurt more than his fists did.
The threat to marry me off to some of the most awful men in the country always hung above my head like a guillotine.
It was all I was good for after all, because he never let me forget that I was a disappointment purely because I wasn’t born with a dick.
I wipe my tired eyes and tap my phone to show me the time.
Three in the morning.
Fan-fucking-tastic.
I sit up on the edge of the bed and take a drink from my emotional support water bottle. After having the same dream for close to a decade, I know better than to think there’s any chance I’m going back to sleep.
Just as I’m pushing myself to my feet, the sound of footsteps in the hallway has me pausing in place, my chest tightening as fear slams into me.
The rational part of my mind runs through the possible people who could be here.
Colten has the codes, but there’s no reason for him to be here in the middle of the night.
Cruz and Riley, but I texted them before my date last night, and they were in Rome. Even if they left straight after that conversation, there’s no possible way they’ve made it halfway across the world in that many hours.
The housekeeper, but she’s not scheduled to work today, and she’s never been here before six in the morning.
It could be a guard, but they’re under strict instructions to not enter the house unless there’s an immediate threat.
I press my eyes closed for a second, gathering my shaky composure. I’ve been trained for moments just like this. Hours of drills every year, preparing me for exactly what I should do if I’m ever in a position just like this.
My eyes dart to the slightly ajar door, the footsteps getting closer. I have to make a choice. Either I pretend I’m still asleep, or I hide.
Picking up my phone from the bedside table, I step into the bathroom, activating the motion sensors beneath the vanity before dropping to my knees and crawling into the small space beneath the bed.
The bathroom is big enough that it should take them at least thirty seconds to clear the space and the linen cupboard, which will be enough time for me to make it to the master bedroom, where the panic room entrance is nestled within the closet.
I used to chew Cruz out so much for always making me go through drills, but right now I could kiss my overbearing brother for making sure I was always prepared.
I curl my body as small as I can with the limited space I have and quickly bring up Colten’s contact, clicking the dial button before I can think about the fact he might not answer.
“Wildcat?” His sleepy voice comes across the line after the second ring, and my chest tightens at the nickname. It doesn’t matter how many times I hear it, it never gets old.
“There’s someone in the house,” I whisper, my voice so low I hope he can hear it.
“I’ll be there in a few. Stay on the phone with me.”
I nod but don’t respond, knowing my time before the intruder steps into the bedroom is limited.
I’m hyperaware of every sound around me, my chest so tight I can barely breathe.
It’s not until I taste salt that I realize I’m crying, and no matter how hard I try to swallow the sob crawling up my throat, it breaks free of its own accord.
Colten’s end of the line is quiet, which tells me he’s got me muted as he makes his way here so I don’t panic more, but if anything, the lack of sound other than the footsteps is setting me more on edge.
“Colt, I’m scared,” I murmur so quietly I barely hear the words over my own racing heart.
“I know, Wildcat. Hold on for me, okay? I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I swallow down another sob as a pair of black boots steps into the doorway.
They stand there for a few seconds, and each one feels longer than the last as I wait for them to make their choice.
I assume it’s a man based on the size of the boots, but when you’re part of the Mafia, you never know who might try to kill you.
“Oh Wildcat,” they call, their deep timbre making my heart drop. The name sounds so wrong on their lips, nothing like when Colten says it, but at least I can confirm one thing.
This isn’t about being a Mafia princess. It’s about being a cam girl, and somehow that’s worse. The part of my life that’s been just for me could also be the part that gets me killed. Kind of ironic, seeing as I’ve grown up in one of the most dangerous families in the country.
Questions filter through my mind quicker than I can process them.
How did he find me?
Why would he do this?
Who is he?
What if it’s CJP? The sweet subscriber who has been my safe place.
Oh god.
He steps closer to the edge of the bed, and I press my palm over my mouth, forcing myself to remain quiet even as terror vibrates through every muscle.
The boots stop just a few inches from my face, and I press my eyes closed, forcing myself to the safe place Cruz insisted I find if I were ever in this very situation.
Well, maybe not this exact scenario, but one when I’m in danger and need to decompartmentalize in order to stay alive.
I curl closer to myself, careful not to make a sound as I think through what my options are.
To be honest, I don’t have many.
Now that he’s so close to me, he’ll hear if I try to get to the other side of the bed, and he’ll get there long before I do considering how little space I have.
I could kick him in the shin, that might slow him down for long enough for me to crawl out of here and make a break for it, but it’s a big might.
Or I stay exactly where I am, exactly where he seems to know I am, and hope that Colten gets here before he makes his move.
“Are you going to come out, Wildcat? Or are you going to make me drag you out?”
Tears fall down my cheeks, but I’m frozen in place. My self-defense instructor once told me that fight or flight weren’t the only two responses to danger, but I hoped I would never be in a position to freeze the way I am.
The man sighs, and even before his gloved hand wraps around my ankle, I know he’s about to drag me out. “I guess we’re doing this the hard way then.”
I grapple for something to hold onto, but before I have a chance, he’s dragging me across the carpet. My skin burns, but the panic seizing my chest is too blinding to feel anything other than that.
A scream claws from my throat as my phone slips from my fingers, my only lifeline to safety falling away when I try to hold on to the slats beneath the bed.
The dim light coming through the open curtains makes it hard to see my attacker, but even if the lights were on, I doubt I’d be able to process any features of the man.
“There you are,” he says, dropping my ankle a moment before he glances over his shoulder at the empty hallway.
I take the only chance I’m likely to get, quickly flipping onto my hands and knees and crawling toward the closet. It may not be much, but if I can get in and close the door, it might buy me enough time for the cavalry to arrive.
But I only make it a few feet before a hard body tackles me, their weight stealing the breath from my lungs.
My mind screams at me to fight, to buck him off and run, but my body isn’t cooperating. It’s frozen in place, pain and terror binding me in place better than any rope ever could.
Tears stream down my cheeks, sobs breaking through my chest despite how hard it is to just breathe with his weight pressing me into the hard floor.
“It will be a whole lot easier for you if you stop fighting,” he growls against the shell of my ear.
The front door slams open, and even though I want to be relieved, I can’t yet. It would only take a split second for him to kill me.
I’m not safe until I’m in Colten’s arms.
“We’re out of time, my love. But don’t worry. We’ll be together soon.” His words are slow and unhurried, like he has all the time in the world.
He lingers against me for another beat before he pushes himself to his feet.
I drag in shaky breaths, trying to process where he’s going so I can be helpful when help arrives, but the harder I try to stop, the more uncontrollable my sobs become.
“Lexi!” Colten yells, but I’m too far gone.
I feel violated in a way I don’t fully understand. Obviously, he attacked me. He broke in while I was sleeping and vulnerable with the sole intention of hurting me.
But he didn’t get a chance. Not really, at least.
I’m sure I have a few bruises, but they’ll fade in a few days, and the real damage will remain.
Because whoever broke in tonight found me through the only part of my identity that is just for me, and something about that hurts more than any broken bone could.