5. Devin
I watch as she squirms on the couch, trying her best to hide the clenching of her thighs. The blush on her cheeks brightens, which is a much better look for her than the flush from her tears.
This woman has seen some shit, and while she may not bear any physical scars—at least any that I can see—the trauma that she’s endured mentally and emotionally makes my hackles rise.
I can tell she’s trying to remember me, and that’s okay if she doesn't, because it doesn’t diminish the way she took my breath away all those months ago. Little does she know that I was looking for her just as much as I was looking for him. She doesn’t even realize that she caught the attention of the devil.
My phone buzzes from a text from Tony.
TONY
Her phone. Now.
I roll my eyes at him because, of course, he would choose to keep his brooding, tortured soul persona and not say anything to her. Fucking prick. And it’s not like he hasn’t already hacked into her phone and has been going through her information this entire time.
I give her a lopsided smile, because I have a feeling that she’s going to resist my next request. “Lena, love, we need to have a look at your phone. ”
Her eyes sharpen at me, her brow furrowing as she clutches her phone from her back pocket. “Why?” Just as I expected.
“We need to run some diagnostics on it, pull some data?—"
“Why should I trust you?” Her question rings out and stops me dead in my tracks. The room falls silent, and even Tony’s typing ceases. “How do I know that you won’t just use me as a bargaining chip and turn me back over to him?” Well, shit.
She clutches her phone even tighter, crossing her arms across her chest, pushing her breasts up. I can’t help but let my eyes fall on them, but I'm doing my best to play it off like I’m looking at the phone in her hand.
I’m actually surprised at her reaction given the way she freely talked about her trauma to us. But she was just handed some alarming information about the fact that her little fiancé wasn’t the man she actually thought he was. I can only imagine how hard that is to fucking process.
I would love to know how he orchestrated it. How he led her on for so long believing he was someone else. He must have done one hell of a job censoring her internet access and her phone usage. And while that shit makes me see red, it’s important that we figure out what kind of access he has and for Tony to get as much information as he can. For her safety and ours.
However, if I’m going to get her to pick the right side, then I can’t be gentle about it. “Love, if we were going to turn you over to that piece of shit, we would have just let him have you downstairs. Besides, we have bigger plans to take down Obsidian.”
She furrows her brow, her gaze flicking between me and Tony. “So, I’m just a pawn for you?” She drops her arms, her body stiff. “I escape one man and fall into the hands of two more?”
I stiffen at the accusation, and I watch her as she begins to spiral, her body tightening up, her cheeks reddening. She looks like she’s planning on bolting, but since she can’t go to her default flight mode, she’s trying out some fight. Fuck, if that’s not hot .
I keep my body relaxed and talk her off this ledge. “You are free to walk out of this club at any time you want, but I wouldn’t recommend it.”
Her body shifts. “Why? Because I’ll have three stalkers now instead of just one?”
“We want you to be free of him, love, but that’s only possible if you help us take him down. Help us take down Obsidian from the inside out.”
“And what happens if I refuse?” Her body is almost vibrating as she looks between me and the door. “He was my fiancé, after all.”
Well, fuck, she’s feisty when she feels threatened. I knew I liked this woman. “You can choose to leave, but just know that there are people out there who would kill to get their hands on you and turn you over to him.” Her eyes widen as I keep going. “You’re the one who got away…literally. And now he has something to prove by getting you back.”
“If I just keep ignoring him?—"
“He won’t go away, Lena.” I let my voice raise, cutting her off, because I need her to understand the severity of all of this. I take a few steps toward her, and I watch her freeze in place, but I keep going until we’re inches apart, and her perfume floods my nose. A sweet floral scent mixed with berries.
Peonies .
“He’s been watching you from afar this entire time. He’s had eyes on you and has been waiting for the perfect opportunity to pounce.” She looks down her nose at me, her eyes blazing. “He took the leap tonight and he’s going to be even madder that it didn’t play out like he thought it would. He’s pissed.”
“And how, Devin , do you know all of this?” she snaps my name out, letting her pearly white teeth show as her maroon stained lips curl back.
“Because we’ve been watching him for a while and letting him think this is a safe place to conduct his meetings. Letting him get laid by our girls while they collected information on him and his cronies.”
I watch as my words hit her, her head snapping back as if I had just slapped her. “Watch him get laid? But…” Her eyes instantly become glassy. “…we never had sex here.” Her voice softens with each word. Her delicate fingers wrap around her neck, fingertips pressing into the skin as if searching for her pulse.
Well, fuck .
I run my hand through my hair and grip it at the roots, letting the tingle of pain keep me rooted in place instead of running to her side. She’s been telling the truth this entire time and really didn’t have a fucking clue about this guy. That he’s a lying, cheating, piece of shit.
I look over to Tony for backup, but that fucker refuses to look over here and just keeps typing away at his keyboard as if he’s none the wiser to the bomb that I just dropped on her.
I let her mull over my words as I take a step back, giving her space. “He was in here a lot more than you realize, love.” A tear escapes and rolls down her face, the track shining like a beacon. The urge to reach out and wipe it away has me flexing my hands at my side. “We clocked you quite a few times, but he was here multiple times a week, with different women on his arm almost every other night.”
Her eyes flick up to mine. “That doesn’t mean he was fucking them.” Her voice is still quiet, but the words are clipped, her sadness beginning to morph into anger. “You’re just trying to fuck with me and get me riled up. Like I said, I don’t fucking know anything about this Obsidian or Matt’s involvement in it.” She throws her arms up and slams them down on her thighs. She’s being a brat by throwing this tantrum, and if it was any other time than now, I would bend her over this couch and fuck the brat right out of her.
“No, love.” I keep my words soft, because as much as my mind wanders into dark corners of my mind, I need to stay levelheaded. Otherwise, I’ll make a reckless decision that could blow our entire plan. “We have transactional receipts where he paid for private rooms off the dance floor. Some nights, he was with the women he brought with him, and other nights, he paid extra to be with one of our girls.”
Her shoulders slump and the look of defeat settles onto her beautiful face. I look back at Tony, who's staring at his phone, avoiding this entire interaction. I’m going to fucking rip that phone from his hand and shove it so far up his ass that the only thing he can contact is his past fucking life.
“You’re just trying to hurt me,” she grits through her teeth, more tears collecting in the corner of her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Lena.” And for once in my life, I am. I’ve seen people doing horrible things, but in this world, they usually deserve it. But her? She was as loyal as they come and gave her whole life up for someone who couldn’t give a shit about her. Who was too busy using our club for his dirty deeds while she waited for him at home. All that makes the pain that radiates through my face that much worse, because I let a fucking coward get a swing on me. Never again.
She sniffs and roughly wipes the tears from her face, her breathing starting to get erratic as her eyes widen. “I…I need to get tested.” Her head whips up to me, fear dilating her pupils. “I have to go to the clinic and get tested.” She goes to stand, but I grab her knee, holding her in place.
“Fuck,” I mutter. This time, when I look back at Tony, his eyes are on mine. I can’t read his expression, but his gray eyes are turning molten with rage.
I meet her wild eyes, the panic and fear swirling through them. “We can help you with that.” Her breaths are erratic and are only getting faster. “We can have someone come in tonight. Have answers long before the sun rises.” I squeeze her thigh, trying to keep her grounded. “Would you want that, Lena?” Her breaths rattle through her as she wipes at her face, nodding to give me her consent .
The pressure of my own monster pushes against my skin, sharpening its claws and teeth. It’s out for blood after tonight and this isn’t helping me stay calm. I keep my words steady and try my best to reassure her. “Tony will have someone down here in no time. He’s one of the best doctors in the city.”
My hands itch as the image of Matt tied up, blood running down his neck after I slice it open, floods my mind. Pressure builds under my skin at the thought of that piece of shit and the fact that he fucked around with other women, then came home and to fuck his fiancée makes me nearly feral for blood. His blood.
I’m not worried about our girls, because they frequently get tested, but the other ones that he would bring into the club? No fucking clue. She had no idea about any of them and he was recklessly gambling with her health and wellbeing like the selfish prick that he is. I’m doing my best to hold back my rage, but I can feel my hands begin to tremble. I shove them in my pockets and try my fucking best to remain calm, curling my fingers around my knife. I run my thumb along the handle to remind myself what I’m capable of.
She reaches up and grabs my elbow before I can turn away. I look down at her, and if I thought I was going to be able to stay calm, I was fucking kidding myself. The tear tracks down her face might as well be slices across my chest. Even in her current state, she’s undeniably beautiful. And after what I did to her in the Underground, she must be a good fuck, too. That piece of shit couldn’t have had a clue about the woman he worked so hard to control.
And that’s the difference between me and him. I want to know about the women underneath. I want to know what makes her tick. What gets her off. I want to be the person who pulls her out of her comfort zone and lets her run wild. Be free to be herself. She deserves that much.
She shoves her phone at me, her lips pulled into a thin line. I curl my fingers around it, careful to make sure that they brush against hers. She doesn’t pull away as the electricity runs between us, the charge sending my monster into a frenzy.
“Use whatever you need to take that cheating motherfucker down.” Anger flashes across her face before she turns her gaze away, looking out to the cityscape. He’s royally fucked.
It’s been about an hour since our private doctor came in and took her blood sample, which he promised we would have the test results back any minute. I set a timer on my phone. He will get a call from me for the results as soon as it goes off, because I won’t make her wait a second longer than necessary.
I’m settled into my desk chair, admiring Lena as she sits restlessly on the sofa. She’s been going between watching the feed on the screen and staring out at the cityscape, all while constantly wringing her hands in her lap. She finally took off her heels and curled up under a throw blanket that I gave her, making sure to tuck it around her, letting my fingers graze across her exposed skin as I went. And they say chivalry is dead.
I take a sip from my whiskey, letting it burn across my tongue before swallowing it, trying my best to feel anything else but the rage that’s coursing through my veins. Tony’s phone buzzes constantly on his desk as reports from the girls come in. It’s been a busy night since our run in with Obsidian. We called for all hands on deck to sniff out anyone involved with them still in the club, and clearly, several of them have been apprehended. Good, because I need some fresh fucking meat.
My phone buzzes on my desk, rolling my eyes when I see that it’s from Tony. This prick can speak clearly through his mask, he just chooses to stay fucking silent except for the occasional grunt. People have always found him to be intimidating or a mystery waiting to be solved. The latter has gotten him laid more times than not, even though he would never admit that out loud.
I see his message and look directly at Lena, who is now blankly watching the feed of people dancing in the club. I stand, crossing the room to her, her eyes widening at my approach as I hand her my phone. “Click the link for the results.” I take a step back, because she doesn’t need me hovering over the top of her. She stares at the screen, her thumb hovering over the link. “Take your time, love.”
I sit down on the coffee table as she clicks the link, the screen filling with the results. Her eyes scan quickly over the words before her hand claps over her mouth, stifling a sob. I stiffen as fresh tears cascade down her face as she hands me back the phone. I hear Tony shift behind me, his energy bouncing off me as I look at the results.
NEGATIVE.
Relief loosens the knot in my chest, and I watch as she takes in the news that she's clear of any STIs. I lean forward, placing my hand on her knee, giving it a squeeze.
“I thought I was doing everything right. I have an IUD, and I haven’t slept with anyone except him in years .” Her eyes cut to mine and while I made her come all over my fingers, I didn’t fuck her, even though I desperately wanted to. So, regardless of our little rendezvous, it’s a statement she can still stand behind. She must come to the same realization, because she takes a steadying breath and keeps going. “I used protection in college for any hookups and would get tested if I had any suspicions. And now, I just had a scare because my fucking fiancé”—she sucks in a breath—“ ex-fiancé , who has been fucking around on me for God knows how long.” She lets out a defeated sound. “Fuck, I’m so fucking pathetic.” She drops her head into her hands and sniffs, pressing her fingers into her eyes as if that will stop the tears that are threatening to fall.
“You’re not pathetic, love. He’s just a fucking piece of shit who has no issue with laying his hands on women.” I look over at Tony who’s avoiding my gaze. He can’t handle other people’s emotions, just like I can’t handle my own. Two peas in a fucking pod.
Her voice is rough as she tries to clear her throat. “Where are my friends?”
Goddammit, she looks so fucking defeated. I look to Tony who switches the screen to show the feed from some of the private rooms at the back of the dance floor. “They’re still in there, love.” I give her leg another squeeze, trying my best to reassure her that they’re safe.
She scoffs. “Of course, they’re still getting fucked while I thought I was getting fucked over with an STI.”
As hard as I try to hold it back, a chuckle tumbles from my lips, a mere echo of the one that comes from Tony, I can’t help myself. Her brows furrow, but I see the tug at the corner of her lips, the tension in the room crumbling.
“We’re finishing up with your phone.” I nod toward the screen. “We can end their night whenever you want. All we have to do is make a call.” I rest my head on my fist and reach over to brush her hair from her face. I fight the urge to run it through my fingers as other thoughts creep into my mind. Now is not the time to imagine what her long locks would look like wrapped around my fist as I yank her head back while I pound my cock into her pussy. Now is the time to get it the fuck together.
She watches the screen for a few moments, her eyes squinting like she is staring into the sun. “Make a call?”
I smirk, surprised that she hasn’t caught on to the fact that we’re a little more than security around this fucking place. “The men that they’re with are on our payroll, love.” Her eyes go wide, and her hand drifts up to cover her mouth, which has popped open from a gasp.
She’s a fucking tease with that mouth and doesn’t even have a clue .
“Your friends are actually having a lustful romp in those rooms, just with men who work for us.” I waggle my finger between Tony and me, giving her my slyest smile. “Not only are they safe from Matt, but anything else that might come with a one-night stand.”
I love the surprised look she gives me, the look of innocence on the face of a woman who is far from it. My fingers tingle at the thought of how her pussy clenched around them while I finger-fucked her, my other hand pulsing like it’s still wrapped around her neck, her thundering pulse pressing against it with every beat.
“But…but how?” She looks at me, the innocence on her face morphing into accusation, her eyes narrowing on me. “Did you…Did you plan for this to happen?”
I shrug. “Once I realized it was you, I wanted to make sure I could have you all to myself.”
Her face reddens. “Excuse me? What the fuck does that mean?” Her voice is low, a growl rumbling in the back of her throat. The things I imagine that throat could do has my head spinning and my fucking cock thickening.
She pushes my hand off her leg as she goes to stand, but before she can storm away, I grip her wrist. She stares at my fingers that are wrapped around her delicate wrist, her eyes burning with rage.
“Love, listen.” I loosen my grip on her slightly, giving her the chance to step away, but she doesn’t move. “You hadn’t been seen in months and Matt had stopped showing up completely.” I stand up, still not letting her go. “But tonight, when I heard word that you were possibly in my club and that you weren’t with that piece of shit, I had to know if it was true.”
She watches me as her eyes simmer with rage. If only she knew that I wasn’t the only one watching her tonight and that she’s lucky I was the one to get to her first. I was well aware of every set of eyes that watched her from the moment she stepped foot in here, with every sway of her hips while she danced, the way her dark, perfect lips looked as she sipped on her cocktail. She has no idea the men who were drooling over her and the ones who were looking to cash her in for whatever fucking prize Matt put on her head.
The former makes my fist curl that they got a free show, but the latter makes my pulse race and my hands itch. The roaring in my ears becomes so loud that it’s nearly deafening, while pressure builds under my skin, my monster begging to come out. To pluck out every set of eyes that dared to fucking look at her.
“Who told you I was here?” She finally pulls her wrist from my grip, crossing her arms over her chest.
I take another step to her, my lips curling into a smile that would send grown men running, but she just glares at me. That look has me nearly falling to my fucking knees, begging for her to take her anger out on me. “We have eyes and ears all over this club, love. If anyone of interest makes their way through the door, we know about it.”
Her arms tighten around her, keeping me from getting any closer to her. “So, you separated me from my friends and then lured me down a dark hallway? Then had your way with me and expected to fuck information out of me?”
Well, fuck. “No. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the plan at all.” I have to rectify this situation, because if she shuts this down and walks out of this building, he will have her in no time and she’ll be a fucking goner.
I can tell by the way she’s looking at me that she doesn’t believe a word that’s coming out of my mouth, which if the tables were turned, I wouldn’t believe me, either. “Yes, we sent two of our men to distract your friends, but I just wanted to get close enough to see if it was you and be able to keep an eye on you tonight.”
She pushes her hip out, the disbelief rolling off her. Fuck, the way I want to reach out and brush my fingers across that hip. How does she already have me so fucking infatuated with her? She’s practically the enemy, and here I am, lusting after her. I need to get it the fuck together before I end up doing something that will jeopardize everything we’ve been working toward.
She cocks her head to the side, her eyes narrowing on me even more. “Did you know Matt was here? Is that why you lured me away from the dance floor?”
My face heats, because I didn’t have a fucking clue that he was here. We’re trying to track down why the fuck none of us were notified that our enemy number one was back in the club.
Also, I can’t tell her about the way she’s had my mind in a fucking vice for the last three months or that I forced Tony to run scans of all the CCTVs in town to see if there was any sight of her. She consumed my every thought and now that she’s here, standing in my living room, I don’t want to let her out of my sight.
“Pure coincidence.” I give her my best smirk and try to keep my demeanor relaxed.
Her phone buzzes on Tony’s desk and the room falls silent, tension filling the room. The backlight glows on Tony’s hooded face as he picks it up and stares at it, reading whatever is on the screen. He flashes me a look before sitting it back down on the desk, typing furiously on his computer. His gray eyes have gone steely and I know that look. It’s never fucking good when he gives that look.
“What?” The snap in Lena’s voice echoes in the room. “It’s him, isn’t it?” She nods her head at the phone, her long hair falling over her shoulder.
Goddamn, she looks good when she’s worked up, but I want to be the one who does it. Not that piece of shit.
As if in answer, Tony flips the screen over from the security footage to the messages on her phone. A slew of message bubbles fill the screen, all from unknown numbers. They range from desperate pleas to rage-induced slandering, calling her every name known to man .
That motherfucker was trying every tactic in the book on her to get her to break.
While Tony scrolls, I notice a few threats and some photos that seem to be from outside of her apartment building. I look at her and see that her face has paled, and her hands are fisted at her side. Her eyes widen in panic, and her body starts to tremble like a fawn as they stare down the face of a wolf.
Anger begins to course through my veins at the reaction he’s caused her to have and the voice in my head is starting to egg me on. Seeing the threats he’s sent to her and the names he’s called her makes me want to cut off his fingers one by one, for every letter he’s pressed. Then I’d cut out his tongue for all the things I know he’s said to her, including tonight, and watch as he chokes on it. I imagine the feeling of his blood, warm and sticky on my fingers, as the life drains from him, finally freeing her from his clutches.
She lets out a gasp, her hand comes up to cover her mouth as Tony finally scrolls down to view the newest messages. First is a photo of a brightly lit hallway with doors down each side. My eyes widen at the realization that this photo is inside her apartment building. The text under it has my blood plummeting to ice, nearly sending a shiver up my spine.
UNKNOWN
Knock, knock, bitch.
She takes a sharp breath before slowly backing away as if he’s here in the flesh, closing in on her. Legs bumping into the sofa, she tries to lower herself, but ends up falling into the seat. She starts mumbling into her palm that’s still covering her mouth, incoherent words spilling out from between her fingers.
Her eyes cut from the screen back to me, terror filling them, and I see the tears that are collecting on her lashes as she lets out a near silent sob.
“Call in a team to sweep the area and secure the apartment building.” My words are sharp as I bark at Tony, my instincts kicking in. I imagine he’s already on it, but it gives me a sense of purpose and power to try and take command of the situation. “I want the whole block covered and someone checking every fucking inch of that place.”
Minutes pass, none of us saying a word as Tony works through his list to notify our best people to hit the streets and prepare for a take down if necessary. I would prefer to have every motherfucker in this building who had some connection to Obsidian dragged down to the basement and locked up until I could get answers out of them, but if they’re here, then they’re not directly involved in this stunt. Which means I have to play it cool...for now. But no one is going to threaten her, especially that piece of shit. If he lays a finger on her or her friends, he will pay in blood.
Even though I haven’t proved it yet, I just know that it’s his blood I’m owed.
“If he finds me, I don’t know what he’ll do.” Her voice is soft, her gaze stuck to the coffee table. She scoffs. “He won’t kill me, because that would be too easy. But that doesn’t mean he won’t make me pay for all of this.”
She’s not talking to anyone in particular, but her words ring true. He won’t kill her, at least not at first. He thinks that she’s his property, that he has some claim on her, and I won’t fucking stand for that. He can have her back over my dead fucking body. I shove my hands in my pockets to hide the shaking and curl my fingers around my knife. I rub my thumb along the handle, caressing the smooth grip. The image of using it to carve out his heart, his blood running down my arm, oddly soothes me
“We’re going to protect you, love.” I nod to the screen as Tony switches it back to video surveillance. “You and your friends.”
Her head slowly turns, her gaze sweeping over me as if she’s remembering that she’s in the room with us. “He was so close to taking me tonight, what makes you think he wouldn’t be able to get that close again? ”
I cross the room and cup her face, letting my thumb lightly rub her cheek. Her eyes widen at the contact, but she doesn’t pull away. Her skin is hot and tear tracks stripe her face, making her look like a warrior in their war paint. Even like this, she’s no less stunning. “If he tries to pull anything again, we’ll be fucking ready for him.” And next time, he won’t fucking get out alive.