Chapter Five
The next day was more of the same abuse from Ranelle. Shampoo, rinse, repeat. The woman was permanently stuck in high school mentality. Probably wanted to be an actress but eventually settled on an admin job.
She delivered the mail and ignored the gossip girls as much as possible. At lunch, she avoided the lunchroom and ate in the mail room. Betsy found her but Cora wasn’t in the mood to talk about anything, so she just listened to her friend prattle on.
Hades and the previous night replayed over and over in her head. He had managed to drive the nightmare out of her dreams, and for that she was thankful.
“Are you even listening to me?” Betsy asked.
Cora blinked, coming back to the present. “Sorry. I was thinking...”
She trailed off. What could she say? How could she explain?
“Did you meet someone?”
Surprised, Cora’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
“You have that I’m-distracted-by-lust air about you.” Betsy playfully knocked her shoulder. “So, who is he?”
“I met Hades Sinclair last night.”
The name was a big, neon warning sign turning on. Betsy shook her head. “Oh, no. That’ s not a man you should be dreaming about. In fact, he’s a dangerous, bad man who, I’ve heard, has a thing for fingers. Or, if rumors are to be believed, removing them.”
Cora didn’t know how to interpret that statement. “He was very nice to me. In fact, he was a complete gentleman.”
Doubt crept onto Betsy’s face. “Sure. Just promise me you’ll be careful. Everyone knows he runs the dark side of the streets.”
She nodded, agreeing. It wasn’t like she was going to meet him again, right?
That evening, footsteps on the tiled floor echoed down the empty corridor as Cora made her way to the elevator.
Without the shouts and frenetic movement of employees, the place was downright eerie.
The sound of a door slamming shut had her jerking around to see Steven, arms crossed as he stared at her.
Her heart rate exploded with fear, thumping so hard in her chest she felt a little lightheaded.
“Cora, Cora, Cora.” His taunting tone scraped along her nerves.
“What do you want?”
He spread his arms out. “Is that anyway to talk to your friend?”
“You’re not my friend.”
Anger swept over his face. He took a step forward, and she took a step back.
“Leave me alone.” Instead of sounding confident, she ended up sounding scared. He must have noticed, because a menacing grin spread over his face.
“See, you saying that only turns me on more.”
Then he moved toward her, and she kept backing up. Fear took over her brain, but she forced herself to think clearly to get out of this. She’d never survive if he raped her.
“I have a friend who’ll hurt you if you harm me,” she warned, glancing at the elevator. There was no way it would open before he rushed at her, and that wasn’t something she was willing to try. Steven scared the shit out of her.
“What makes you think you’ll be alive to tell this friend of yours?”
Cora tried hard not to show her fear. “You hurt me and they’ll never find your body.”
Fury lit up his pale blue eyes. “Not if they don’t find yours at all.”
She lifted her chin, deciding to bluff. “I’m not scared of you.”
He cocked his head, then took two steps closer. When Cora took a step back and bumped into the wall, he smirked. “Yes, you are. If you’d stop being a bitch, you’d know I was a nice guy.”
His words sent her straight back to that night.
How his words had taunted, even in death mocking the woman he had killed.
Cora couldn’t get the image of Erin falling over the side of the parking level out of her head.
Of seeing her broken body on concrete. Her screams still echoed in Cora’s ears.
She immediately glanced at his left hand and that’s when she saw the large scratch on the back of it.
A bolt of lightning struck her. It hadn’t been a tattoo on the back of the killer’s hand, it had been a bandage.
Her eyes flared open wide and she couldn’t seem to take her gaze off it.
Her limbs started to shake, but the last thing she wanted to do was alert him that she knew who he was.
If she couldn’t use the elevators, the only other way to escape him was through the stairs.
Turning, she dashed away. She knew the mail room like the back of her hand, and decided to take the less obvious route.
Running back through the office part, she darted between desks.
Steven was a large, lumbering guy and cornering the navigation between the narrowly placed desks should give her an extra minute or two. .
As she ran, she heard him behind her but refused to look to see how close he was. Once past the desks, she rounded a corner and it was a straight shot to the stairs. She zoomed around the threshold and ran up them as fast as possible. The cavernous stairway echoed with his heavy footsteps.
“Get back here, bitch!”
That terrified her and when she burst into the foyer, she was gulping breaths. The security guard shot to his feet and she ran up to him.
“I’m being followed,” she panted, pointing to the stairway.
The guard frowned, stood, and headed to the stairs. They were empty. He looked back at her, and she saw he didn’t believe her. Heading back to his position, she stood there regaining her breath, wondering what the hell she could do.
Hades popped into her head. She pulled out her cell phone and his card and made the call. It rang several times, and just as she thought he wouldn’t pick up, the call connected.
“Cora?”
“Yes, it’s me,” she said quickly. “I’m being chased and I’m scared. Please help me.”
“Where are you?”
“At the LC Group. In the lobby.”
“I’ll be there as soon as possible. Stay where you are. I’m in a black Bentley.”
“Okay.”
She hung up and walked over to the corner of the lobby and sat to wait in one of the chairs, staring out the window to watch for Hades.
Her knee bounced in anxiety. A noise had her glancing behind her and saw that the guard was gone, leaving her all alone in the brightly lit area.
Unease slithered down her spine and she rose.
With her heart pounding, she went over to the desk, glancing around for him, but she was all alone.
“Hurry, Hades,” she muttered, turning back to the window to keep watch. Each minute that passed was an eternity.
Finally, she saw his car and saw him park a few spots down the street.
She left the foyer to hurry to him, but as she passed by the alley between the LC Group’s high-rise and the one next to it, an arm suddenly grabbed her.
She let out a scream as she was dragged into the darkness.
Terror exploded through her brain. She struggled, but the arms around her only tightened.
It had to be Steven, and when she looked at the hand, she saw the cut.
The confirmation terrified her, especially when a hand clamped over her mouth and nose, cutting off her air-supply.
She struggled and flailed around, trying desperately to dislodge the hand, but nothing worked.
Black spots dotted her vision the longer she couldn’t breathe.
No! she agonized. I don’t want to die!
Then the arms holding her dropped, and she crumpled to the ground, sucking in air and coughing as her lungs reinflated.
The sounds of a fight drew her attention, and she turned, seeing a big man beating up Steven.
Tears welled up and rolled down her cheeks as she realized just how close to death she’d been.
The fight only lasted a minute or two, and Steven was clearly outmatched against her savior.
One punch and the asshole sprawled in the disgusting puddles on the ground.
Then her rescuer turned to head back to her.
In the dim light that barely penetrated the inky shadows of the alley, she saw broad shoulders, neatly cut hair, dark eyes, and an evening scruff.
It was too much. The past couple of nights had caught up with her and her body shut down from all the stress she’d been under. Her eyes closed just as he reached her and she embraced the darkness.
****
Hades leaned down and scooped her up into his arms. He had seen her heading down the office steps and then suddenly she’d disappeared.
In those few minutes, she’d been attacked.
He was going to discover who that fucker was and kill him.
Acheron waited at the car and he held the door open so he could slide in while still cradling her.
Acheron sat behind the wheel and glanced in the rear-view mirror. “Boss?”
“To the condo and get Dr. Michaels there,” he barked. “Then find out who that asshole back there was.”
“Yes, sir.”
One more minute and she would’ve been dead, and he would not have liked that at all.
Studying her face, he saw tiny freckles on her cheeks and the bridge of her nose that wasn’t seen in the photo.
Like any predator, he wanted to devour her innocence.
She moved, moaning a little, and opened her eyes.
He stared at her, and she stared back with not one ounce of fear.
“You saved me,” she whispered.
He moved some hair off her forehead. “I told you I’d come.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you know who attacked you?”
“Yes,” she replied. “His name is Steven. Works for the same company I do.”
“Why did he try to hurt you?”
She glanced away, and he missed her gaze on him. “I think because his girlfriend hates me. They both cornered and threatened me at my locker but I managed to beat him with a broom handle.” Pausing, it took her a moment to gather her composure. “I think he was going to kill me.”
“I know.”
She looked around, as if just noticing they were in a car. “Where are we going?”
“To my condo. I’ve called a doctor to meet us there so he can look you over.”
“Oh, that’s nice, but I don’t need a doctor, and I don’t really know you. I don’t feel comfortable going to your home.”
“I’m only concerned he damaged your throat.” He didn’t know why, but for some reason, her opinion mattered. “Please, you’re safe with me.”
She stared at him, as if searching for something.
“You know, I’ve been told multiple times that you’re a dangerous man.”
“I am a dangerous man,” he confirmed. “In fact, as soon as I find that Steven fellow, I’m pretty sure I’m going to kill him for laying his hands on you.”
“Oh, I just found out he’s the man in the garage,” she told him quickly. “I thought the thing on the hand was a tattoo, but it was a cut. He had a bandage on it.”
“You sure?”
She nodded. “Positive.”
“All right,” he said. “Thank you for trusting me.”
Several long minutes later, she slowly relaxed as if she had come to a conviction. “I know you might be a dangerous man, but I’d rather be here with you than in any room with him.”
Hades hadn’t even been aware he’d been waiting on that verdict, but knowing she trusted him soothed something inside his chest.
“You told me not to go to the police, but I’ve felt so guilty for not reporting that woman’s death.”
“Why didn’t you when it first happened?”
“He said the cops wouldn’t do anything because he was a nice guy.”
Hades gave an internal groan. “I see. That’s why you panicked.”
“I was terrified,” she said softly. “You can’t imagine what it’s like watching a person die.”
He gave a mental wince.
“Or maybe you can.” She looked up and stared him right in the eyes. “And I vow I won’t say anything about you. I’ve just met you, but I get the impression you don’t lie when it’s important.”
“I won’t.” He cupped her face and ran this thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ve never promised that to anyone else. I won’t ever lie to you, Cora.”
“You don’t have to promise me anything, Hades.”
Bringing her hand up, he placed a tender kiss on her knuckles. What drew him to her? Why did he want to wrap her up in cotton and guard her against all the scum in the world? Even if that scum included himself.
“If you don’t mind, you can drop me off at my residence. Or by the bus route if you don’t want to do that.”
“You are not taking a bus.”
“The bus is safe,” she argued.
“Did you forget about the man who dragged you into the alley?”
“Like I said, that was a coworker.”
“An ex-coworker.”
“I’m not telling you not to kill him but only do it if you can’t be caught.”
He blinked, shocked this woman managed to surprise him once again. “You’re worried about me, and not the fact that I might murder someone?”
She didn’t say anything at first. Simply lost focus as she disengaged from the world around them.
A myriad of thoughts flashed through her big doe-like eyes.
“There’s a lot of bad things in this world.
A lot of bad people. Maybe you’re one of them.
But what I saw happen and what I almost went through tonight, that’s evil. ”
For the first time in his life, a woman left him speechless.
“You protected me and that’s what I know. So, maybe sometimes bad has to defeat evil.”
He was used to seeing fear. Used to anger, contempt, suspicion.
But the trust he saw on her face sucker-punched him, and he had no idea how to process that.
His soldiers were loyal because they feared him and because he paid them well.
For some he’d given them a brotherhood to rely on.
Maybe they admired him. Maybe others liked the violence.
He had earned their respect, and in his business, that was gold.
Cora Charles was none of that, and he suddenly realized her faith in him could be an addictive drug.
“Where did you come from?” he mused, then shook his head to clear the thoughts in his head. Of all the things he’d done and all the situations he’d been through, she was the most dangerous person he’d ever seen.
“Like I said, I have my personal doctor coming to check you over.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he placed a finger on her lips. “No arguing. After, I’ll have my driver take you home. Deal?”
“I don’t really have a choice, do I?”
He shook his head.
“Then, deal.”