Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
James
Iknew I'd made a mistake. I shouldn't have said yes, but she had done something to me.
She had charmed me with her intoxicating scent, and I'd lost my mind.
This had never happened to me before, and now I couldn't find her.
She had been standing on the garden's edge, then she was gone, and panic activated like a switch being flipped.
I rushed to where I had last seen her, cursing because I realised there was a path down to quite a large garden. What kind of friends would leave her alone at a party? This was ridiculous, and after this, she was going to stay where I could see her.
I scanned the grounds methodically, checking the darkened corners and hidden alcoves, my training kicking in despite my rising concern.
I followed the garden path, my heart hammering as precious seconds ticked by.
The music from the house grew fainter as I moved deeper into the grounds, checking behind every bush, every shadowy corner.
Then I heard voices—male laughter that made my blood run cold.
After circling for at least a minute, I heard Evangeline's voice.
"Get the hell off me, you psycho!"
Her voice—desperate, terrified—cut through the night like a blade.
I crashed through the bushes and froze. Vlad pinned Evangeline beneath him, and she pushed her delicate hands frantically against his chest while he groped at her dress, yanking the fabric up her thighs.
She thrashed beneath him; her face twisted in fear and disgust, with tears streaming down her cheeks.
White-hot rage exploded behind my eyes. Every muscle in my body coiled tight, a roar building in my chest. She was helpless and terrified whilst this piece of shit violated her.
I moved without thinking, my vision tunnelling to a single point: destroy. My hands found Vlad's shoulders, and I hauled him off her with such force that he flew backwards, crashing into the garden wall.
"Don't you understand when a lady says no?" I growled, tossing him aside and fighting the urge to end him right there. My vision narrowed to a pinpoint, rage pulsing through me with each heartbeat.
"Fuck off, she was all over me," he spat in his thick Russian accent. I grabbed him by the collar and lifted him off the ground. He was large, but I was prepared to smash his face against the brick wall, my control slipping with each second.
"Mr. Banks… Please don't hurt him as much as he deserves it!" Evangeline called out, her voice high with panic. "His father—he's the Russian Ambassador—if you hurt him, there'll be an international incident!"
But the red haze clouding my vision was too thick. International incident. Career over. Prison, maybe. I knew all this, catalogued every consequence in the rational part of my brain that was still functioning.
None of it mattered.
This piece of shit had put his hands on her. Had made her scream. Had tried to—
Fuck the consequences.
My forehead connected with his nose with a sharp crack, and he crashed to the ground like a sack of potatoes.
"FUCK! FUCK! YOU brOKE MY FUCKING NOSE!" Vlad screamed, blood pouring between his fingers as he clutched his face. "You psychotic bastard! I'll fucking kill you!"
He rolled on the ground, writhing and sobbing with pain before his breeding kicked in. "My father will hear about this," he gasped through the blood. "You have no idea what you've just done."
Evangeline appeared at my elbow, her fingers digging into my arm. "James, we have to go. Now." Her face was chalk white, mascara streaked down her cheeks, her jaw was set with determination.
"Fine," I said through gritted teeth, but before I took her hand, I leant closer to the piece of filth on the ground.
"If I ever see you within a hundred metres of her again, I'll start by breaking every finger on both hands.
Then I'll work my way up to your ribs. One.
By. One. Even your mother won't recognise what's left when I'm finished with you. Do you understand me, boy?"
"Y-yes," he mumbled. I heard Evangeline gasp right behind me, and then I guided her away, my hand at the small of her back, protective but not possessive.
We slipped away from the house, taking the back entrance. Luckily, few people saw us. I told her Dan would circle back for Octavia and Gabriela once we're secure, though my priority was getting Evangeline away from any potential witnesses or retaliation.
Once we were in the car, I turned to face her properly. "I need to check if you're hurt," I said, my voice gentler than I'd intended.
She nodded mutely, and I switched on the interior light. My trained eyes scanned her face first—no visible cuts or swelling, thank God. But when my gaze dropped to her arms, I went completely still.
"Evangeline." Her name came out as barely a whisper. Dark finger-shaped bruises were already forming on her upper arms where that bastard had gripped her. Purple and blue marks against her pale skin, like brand marks.
Something savage and protective roared to life in my chest. I wanted to turn the car around, find Vlad, and finish what I'd started. I wanted to hunt him down and make sure he never used those hands again.
"It's nothing," she said quickly, following my gaze and trying to pull her sleeves down to cover the bruises.
"Don't." The word came out rougher than I'd meant. "Let me see."
She hesitated, then slowly pushed her sleeve back up. I didn't touch her—couldn't trust myself to—but I leaned closer, examining the marks that would only get darker over the next few hours.
"I should have been faster," I said, my voice tight with self-recrimination. "I should have—"
"You saved me," she interrupted, her voice barely audible. "If you hadn't come when you did..."
The thought of what could have happened made my hands clench into fists.
She remained quiet after that, and I knew she was probably worried about her friends.
Deep down, I was ready to lecture her, give her my usual speech, but I couldn't bring myself to do it.
She looked shaken, and I didn't want to add fuel to the fire.
"Octavia and Gabriela are going to be all right.
I've ensured they will get home safely," I assured her after clearing my throat and glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
She sat with her arms wrapped around herself, her gaze fixed out the window.
She was beautiful, kind, and made people smile.
She was the complete opposite of me. I wondered if my words to Vlad had frightened her too.
Perhaps she was realising exactly what kind of man she was trapped with for the next two months, based on the way she gasped when I'd threatened him.
The words I needed to say sat heavy on my tongue, but I couldn't form them. I wanted to stop the car, pull over, and comfort her, because she was still shaking.
The silence stretched for several unbearable minutes, bringing back memories from a past I had buried deep inside me. We weren't far from home, so I focused on getting there as soon as possible. Though every instinct told me to pull over and check on her, I couldn't do that now.
I knew I'd made a huge mistake back in the barn. I shouldn't have judged her the way I did, and I regretted not apologising when I should have. That had been cowardly of me. I kept thinking about this until we finally reached the underground car park.
"Come on, Your Highness, let's get you home," I said as I stepped out of the car. She was too quiet, and I hated it, hated the bastard who had tried to force himself on her. I should have introduced him more intimately to my fists, ensured that no one would recognise him.
We rode the lift in silence, and I heard her sigh with relief when we entered the penthouse.
I did a quick security sweep of the rooms whilst she headed to the kitchen, checking windows and sight lines out of habit.
She went straight to the kitchen, and suddenly an idea formed in my head, so I headed towards her bedroom.
With any luck, Evangeline would be busy for at least a few minutes.
I was still angry, but now it was more about the fact that I was becoming soft and that she had charmed me.
Her scent filled all my senses, but I didn't stay in the bedroom for long.
I headed straight to her ensuite bathroom.
It was modern, and I thought "perfect" when I saw the bathtub — a large, deep model that dominated the space.
Without allowing myself to think too much about what I was doing, I began filling it with hot water, then searched the bathroom until I found a crystal container of what looked like lavender-scented bath salts beside the tub.
After I filled it, I added the salts and watched the water cloud into a soothing purple hue.
Then I went back to the living room. Evangeline was sitting on the sofa with a glass of wine.
I didn't even know why I cared so much about her, why she affected me differently from any client before her.
I cleared my throat, letting her know of my presence.
She didn't look good; she was pale and had her mobile by her side.
"I think you should go to your bedroom. There's a bubble bath waiting for you," I said, approaching her.
She looked so vulnerable, and I fought the urge to take her into my arms, to hold her against me until the trembling stopped.
I could barely control myself around her, which was becoming an issue.
The attraction between us was strong, and I couldn't deny it.
Evangeline lifted her head slowly, widened her eyes, and stared at me with confusion.