Chapter 19 #2
“Now you understand why I feel guilty. Hell, even at eighteen the rage and blame still lived deep inside. I left everything and everyone I knew behind, going on a two-year bender.”
“Drugs and alcohol?”
He brushed his finger under my chin, the sly look on his face creating shivers. “Nothing so benign. I did what I could to erase the hatred. By using people as my punching bags.”
“Falling into anger and violence.”
“You do know me much better than you think you do.”
“Not nearly enough.”
He rubbed his hand on my arm. “Be careful what you ask for, sweet angel. I could ruin you.”
“So you’ve said. Did you ever think I might want to be ruined?” There was no surprise any longer about the way I felt, the deep connection becoming more of an obsession for both of us.
In making the suggestion, I’d stepped fully and brazenly across a line I’d established for myself, the very one preventing something like this from happening.
The moment and the conversation were becoming far too heavy.
A lump had formed in my throat, a sickening feeling that his anger and the grief were being used for some treacherous game.
And that we’d been brought together so I could hurt him, not just with a conviction.
The man could easily do time in prison. But with daring him to feel anything other than anger one more time.
Everything was too convenient, including being assigned to Alexander’s case. The threat. Yet there was something missing, a piece that fit perfectly. “What about the Russos? They will seek revenge.”
“Possible, but unlikely, my sweet angel. But if they do, don’t worry. I’ll protect you. With my life if necessary. Now, enough business. Come dance with me.”
The conversation was finished, but I had a sense the situation was just heating up.
He wasn’t going to take no for an answer, pushing aside his glass of champagne and on his feet in seconds. There was no denying the man.
As he led me toward the dance floor, all eyes were on us. I could feel them behind the vast array of costumes and masks, ghouls and demons for the celebration of the dead-themed event. Between the swirling lights and heat from hundreds of bodies, I could easily feel suffocated.
Yet as before, people backed away, allowing us room including on the dance floor itself. The gothic music had drawn a primal response, couples interlocked in acts of sin in every corner.
The pulsing beat creating explosive energy, the flashes of light disorienting.
But suddenly, I was in his arms, once again captured by his prowess and tight hold. As we danced, I longed to see every inch of his face, locked in a moment that might never be repeated. Soon, the music faded and there was only the two of us.
He was an incredible dancer, keeping me close while moving around the dance floor with precision and grace. For a man as formidable as he was, the joy in the dance was something I would never have expected.
The heat between us was even more explosive, the feel of his thick cock pressing between my legs keeping me breathless.
Slipping my arm around his neck, I tangled my fingers in his hair, holding him close.
While our lips weren’t touching, they didn’t need to be.
He was drinking in my essence, capturing more than just my body and soul.
He was slowly taking tiny pieces of my heart.
A sudden shout and he was instantly pulled from the moment, yanking me behind him as he stared in the direction of the noise.
Suddenly, two of his men appeared, the music silencing whatever was being shared. Immediately, the expression on Alexander’s face hardened. “Take my guest back to the table.” He threw me a glance demanding obedience before disappearing into the crowd.
“What’s going on?” I asked one of the suited men, who instantly took me by the elbow. As I watched Alexander disappearing into the crowd, a strange pool of sensations washed over me.
Just as I’d felt before, it was as if I was being watched. How in the hell could I tell with everyone curious as to who the leader of the Prince Crime Syndicate was currently dating.
The sounds became more distinct. A fight had broken out.
“Miss. Come with me.” The soldier was insistent, pulling me gently but firmly toward the secured area.
Once behind the protective rope, I backed away, still searching for sight of him. The scuffle wasn’t contained to a single group of people. There were more, shouts heard over the music and limited chaos disrupting club goers who wanted nothing to do with the fight.
“Fuck,” one of the men guarding me snarled as a hard shove by a patron toppled him over the rope. As he came crashing down to the floor, the other soldier was on the man in a flash, managing to subdue him while the other struggled to stand.
“Get him out of here!”
The guy being held wasn’t ready to go yet, throwing a punch. The burliest soldier turned toward me, giving me a harsh look. “Do not leave here.”
He didn’t bother asking me if I understood, obviously not used to anyone telling him no.
With the glass of champagne in my hand, I backed away from the rope by a few steps as the employees and huge bouncers tried to regain control.
The same creepy-crawly feeling erupted, a hand suddenly slapped over my mouth, dragging me away from the protected area as if the rope meant nothing.
I was pulled down a corridor while I struggled in the strong man’s hold, screaming though I knew no one would hear me.
No one was offering help, their attention completely drawn by the continuing melee in the main room. If I was taken, I’d never be found.
He was taking me to the emergency exit, undoubtedly to a set of stairs. Twisting and kicking, I finally bit his hand, bucking free. My sharp yelp faded into the noise as I lunged forward, cracking the glass across his face.
It shattered, leaving a string of crimson.
Shocked, he rubbed his face, glaring at me with utter hatred. “You fucking bitch.” The bastard grabbed a fistful of hair, yanking me backward and slamming me against the wall, knocking the breath out of me. “Your prince is a murderer and deserves to die. I came to take you home where you belong.”
“What?” In trying to focus, I couldn’t see anything but the horrible scar-faced mask he was wearing, his voice intelligently disguised. Why was I being told to stay away from him? Wait a minute. Was I the problem?
“Over my dead body.” I pushed him hard, breaking the connection, throwing the hardest punch I had in me.
Within a split second, he had his hand around my throat again, squeezing until I was close to blacking out.
I scratched at his face, managing to rip off his mask.
Stars floated in front of my eyes, the light dimming.
Just when I thought I was going to black out, a noise captured my attention. “Help.”
He was pitched backward by a foot, reacting instantly by raising his arm, his fingers clenched into a fist.
“Get your fucking hands off her.” The deep, husky growl was immediately followed by the assailant being smashed against the opposite wall. The brutal crashing sound was jarring, but nothing near the realization that Alexander was the one saving me.
He didn’t stop there, issuing savage punch after punch, the last one tossing the man out the exit door.
“You fucking son of a bitch. You’re going to die for what you did.”
I couldn’t believe the man who’d attacked me laughed, as if any of this was funny.
Alexander’s fury knew no bounds. He beat the man senselessly, one hard punch coming right after another.
Two of his men surrounded me, keeping watch while Alexander lunged toward the assailant taking swing after swing. There were no questions asked, my captor and savior not interested in learning why the stranger attacked me.
The assailant rallied, spinning and kicking, catching Alexander in the chest. But the brutal kick wasn’t enough, Alexander grabbing and twisting the man’s arm. Even over the loud music, I heard the distinct crack as the assailant’s arm was snapped.
Howling, the masked man didn’t stop, still fighting. A flash caught my attention and I screamed, but Alexander caught his other arm, smashing his hand into the wall several times until the weapon tumbled over the iron railing to the concrete floor below.
I fought my way past the two soldiers, fighting to keep from screaming.
Several additional punches were thrown until Alexander had the assailant by the throat, tossing him halfway over the railing. “You will die for touching her.”
“Alexander!” My yell echoed in the stairwell. Without breaking his hold on the masked man, Alexander turned his head toward me.
For a split second it seemed as if he was listening to me. His features softened, but it was the look in his eyes that kept me breathless.
But I was obviously wrong.
He lifted the assailant over the edge as if the man weighed nothing, tossing him like a ragdoll.
“No!” The horror of what I’d just witnessed pivoted me forward. I gripped the railing with both hands, staring down at the man’s twisted body, his neck obviously broken. I was shocked, unable to feel anything. Unable to move.
“Catherine.” The softness of Alexander’s voice was such a contrast to what I’d just seen that I couldn’t respond. There were no words to express the way I felt.
Numbness tricked me into silence, only able to take shallow breaths.
“Catherine. Look at me.” His voice was more insistent.
“No,” I managed.
“Search his body then get rid of it.” His bark to his men was in contrast to the tone used with me. Two sides. Jekyll and Hyde.
What was happening?
When Alexander touched the side of my face, I flinched and moved away. “Don’t.”
“Come on, my angel. It’s over.” He tried again and I reacted as any normal human being would.
“I’m not your goddamn angel. I’m not your anything.
Except your fucking prisoner! Don’t you touch me.
Don’t you dare fucking touch me.” I’d never been so enraged.
Backing away, I almost tripped on the top stair.
As soon as he reached out to steady me, I recoiled strongly enough he narrowed his eyes. “How could you do that? How? Why?”
He took a step closer and I took a long stride farther away, doing everything I could to avoid touching him. Because I knew what would happen as soon as I did.
Unable to control my breathing, I slapped one hand over my mouth to keep from screaming. My nerves on edge, I took a quick look down the empty corridor. Two of his other men were keeping anyone from partaking in the spectacle.
Or just ensuring I couldn’t run away.
His sigh heavy, to Alexander’s credit he remained where he was. “If that man had managed to take you from this building, there is a good chance I’d never see you again. Do you understand what I’m saying?”
He slowly lifted his head, the overhead light in the stairwell allowing me to see the pain and concern in his eyes.
“You killed him.”
“Yes, because I had to. I would do anything to keep you safe.”
“Including murder.”
He grumbled something under his breath, his entire expression changing to the cold ugliness that everyone feared. Except for me. The hint of frustration I’d seen one too many times followed, his exasperation increasing. “Yes. Including murder.”
The spell had been shattered, the one that allowed me to believe for two strangely beautiful days that Alexander Prince could be just a normal guy, passionate and demanding yet allowing me to feel so alive.
Now I knew him for what he was, a killer.
I could no longer hide behind the veil even if I wanted to.
But the words, the warning that the man who’d attacked me lingered in my mind. There was fear, not of what he’d done or what would happen to me, but of losing him. Oh, God. What did that say about me? What was wrong with me? How could I care about a man who’d just murdered someone in front of me?
To save my life.
Alexander studied me, his eyes shifting back and forth. The agony was too much to bear. I’d be forced to do my job, to have him arrested. But I…
“And I would do it again if it meant saving you.”
As soon as he started to walk down the stairs, I reached out. Maybe the illusion had been fractured, broken into tiny little pieces, but the desire and the need to have him in my life was strong.
“Alexander.”
His body tensed and very slowly he looked at me once again, the eruption of longing unmistakable.
Just before he gathered me into his arms, I realized how much we were alike. Broken yet stronger when we were with each other.