Chapter 33
The Monster
“ F ancy seeing you here, little one,” I greet Ainsley as I walk up behind her, catching her by surprise. She turns on her stool slowly, with her drink still in her hand. As she stares at me, trying to process seeing me here, she mindlessly raises the glass to her lips and chugs the rest of her drink.
This place already has me on edge, making me clench my jaw while I try to fake a smile.
“Cain,” I hear my brother greet me. His jaw is clenching, too, as he tries to hide his anger that I’m here to ruin his night. If he thought he could get Ainsley to himself, he thought wrong.
Ainsley doesn’t know I installed an app on her phone that not only tracks her but also sends me every text sent to and from her phone, as well as her call history. No matter how well she tried to hide her plans for tonight, I would have found out. It may be an invasion of her privacy, but nothing is off limits when it comes to keeping her safe.
Before Ainsley can come up with some excuse, or try to placate me, I slide onto the stool next to her and order a drink. Might as well let them know I’m planning to stay as long as they are.
“Cain,” she starts, finally snapping out of her state of shock as she swivels her stool toward me. I have to admit, having her attention on me while her back is to Ethan sends a jolt of euphoria through me. He’s glaring at me over her shoulder, but I don’t pay him any attention.
Instead, I’m focused on the mix of emotions on Ainsley’s face. Shock is still the most prevalent, closely followed by anger. A reaction I expected, so it doesn’t phase me.
“I figured I’d join you for a drink, since I haven’t seen you all day and you weren’t at your apartment when I arrived,” I tell her as the bartender shows up with my drink. I hand him cash without checking how much it is, to which he stutters out his gratitude while I keep my attention on Ainsley.
“How did you…” she pauses, trying to gather her thoughts. The second her face lights up, I think she has me figured out, but then she just says, “Jonah told you.”
If only that were true. Unfortunately, Jonah is much more loyal to Ainsley than he is to me, though he’d never admit it. If she asked him to keep this little rendezvous a secret, he would have complied. Which is one reason I had the app installed on her phone.
“No,” I answer her. While I’d love for her to think that Jonah is in my corner, I want her to continue trusting him. “I have my own ways.”
“So, you’re back to being the monster,” she sneers. As soon as the words are out of her mouth, she turns on her stool, attempting to turn her attention back to Ethan. I stop her by grabbing the stool, twisting her back to me, and then pulling her close enough that I can trap her between my legs.
Leaning into her ear, I whisper, “What else am I supposed to do when you lie to me?”
She gasps as she pulls away from me. I watch as she searches my eyes for any hint of regret for what I’ve done, but she won’t find any. Tracking her every move is the least of my crimes when it comes to her.
“Ains, we can do this another time -” Ethan starts, drawing her attention to him, but she cuts him off. He’s still glaring at me, so he doesn’t miss my look that clearly says, If you think I’ll ever leave you alone with her, you’re sorely mistaken.
“No,” Ainsley tells him. “He’s not going to ruin our night. Just give us a minute, okay?”
Ethan nods his head as Ainsley drops from her stool and grabs my hand, dragging me with her until we’re in the quietest corner we can find in here.
“I never told you I wouldn’t spend time with my best friend,” Ainsley spits at me as soon as she stops and turns to me. “How did you know where we were, anyway?”
Reaching out, I brush a strand of hair behind her ear. She looks beautiful tonight. She’s dressed up in a purple dress that hugs every curve she has, her makeup accentuates her features without being too much, and her hair falls in loose waves.
I only wish it was me she dressed up for tonight.
“I was sitting in that booth right over there,” I start, motioning to the booth to our left, “when I watched you flirting with another man until you took him home with you. You can imagine my déjà vu when I walked in here to find Ethan’s hands all over you.”
My anger is barely contained as I glare at her, waiting for her to come up with an excuse. We came to an understanding the other night. I’m the only one allowed to touch her, especially as intimately as Ethan decided he could touch her tonight.
“He just had his hand on my back, it didn’t -”
“His hand was practically on your ass, Ainsley,” I growl at her, cutting off her excuse. If she thought she could get away with that lie, then she has no idea how long I’ve been watching them.
She sighs, defeat coloring her features. This isn’t an argument she’s going to win, and she knows it. I’m angry and I’m right; she has no side to her argument.
“Why are you like this?” she mumbles, not really expecting an answer, but I’m going to give her one anyway.
“Because you’re mine.”
She falls back into the wall and refuses to make eye contact with me. “I suppose you want me to go home?”
I pretend to think it over for a minute, but I already know the answer. This is yet another opportunity to prove to Ethan that she’s mine, and to show him he doesn’t have a chance with her. Besides, this dress shows off my name carved into her back, as long as her hair is moved out of the way. I like the idea of people in here being able to see it.
“You can stay,” I tell her. Her face lights up, not expecting that. “But I’m staying with you.”
The light that came to her face quickly vanishes as my words settle in her mind. She didn’t really think I was going to leave her alone, did she? Even if I could trust Ethan with her, I sent Jonah home for the night as soon as I got here. She won’t be safe if she’s away from me.
“Fine, let’s go home,” she sighs.
“I’ll be on my best behavior. Promise. No fights, I’ll even be cordial,” I promise her, hoping to wipe the disappointment off her face. While I can make sure my words are cordial enough, she won’t see the glares I send his way.
“Promise?” she repeats, holding out her pinky finger. With a smirk, I grab her pinky finger with my own and together we shake them. Before she can pull away, I grab her face with my other hand and pull her in for a passionate kiss.
I missed her today, and even though I knew she wouldn’t be at her apartment waiting for me to show up, I still longed for it. It helps that I can feel Ethan’s stare on my back, watching me claim Ainsley for myself.
“Best behavior, remember?” Ainsley says as she pulls away from me, looking a little flushed now. I offer her my arm, trying to be the perfect gentleman. She takes it, allowing me to guide her back to the bar. When she tries to jump back onto the stool, I stop her and sit in it myself. She looks at me, ready to protest the new seating chart, but I just grab her hips and hoist her on my lap.
Ethan watches every move, especially as she wiggles her ass on me, trying to get comfortable. He hates me, but then again, he knew better than to fall in love with her. He was my inside man for years, surely he knew he wouldn’t win this battle.
“You’re staying?” he asks Ainsley once she’s settled.
“We made an agreement. Cain is going to be on his best behavior tonight. If you can do the same, then I’m staying,” she tells him, giving him a pointed stare. Of course, he responds with the most innocent smile he can muster.
“I’m sure we can get along,” Ethan answers, smiling at her and sending a glare my way as soon as she turns to the bar to order another drink. He gets my signature smirk in return as I brush her hair over one shoulder, leaving her upper back exposed.
I watch as his eyes land on my name, still healing on her back. Good. I hope every guy in this bar sees the same thing so they don’t bother trying anything with her, or even looking at her too long.
“So, where were we?” Ainsley asks when she turns back with her drink. The second her attention is back, our staring contest ends. “Oh, that’s right. You said you had a funny story about your professor today.”
“Right,” Ethan remembers, plastering on a fake smile as he jumps back into his story. “It was hilarious. His fly was down, and let’s just say his neon polka dots were pretty easy to spot. I pointed it out to someone sitting next to me, and pretty soon, the entire class was buzzing about it. He stopped the lecture when he realized no one was paying attention and picked on some poor kid to tell him what we were all talking about. The kid actually told him the truth, and his face turned bright red. I felt bad for the guy, but of course I laughed as he hid behind a desk to zip himself up. He dismissed class when he was done.”
Ainsley is cracking up at his story, the sound like music to my ears. It’s only slightly irritating that it’s him that made her laugh, but I resolve that irritation by planting a kiss against the back of her shoulder. She shivers against me as she pushes herself further onto my lap, making Ethan’s smile fall just a little.
“So, Ains,” Ethan says, pulling her attention back to him. “Did you schedule your classes for next semester yet?”
“I did, before spring break,” she answers. “It’ll be a pretty easy semester, since I packed this semester so full.”
Ethan sips on his drink as he thinks over what to say next.
“I’m so proud of you for staying dedicated,” I praise her before planting another kiss on her shoulder. As much as I would love to have her all to myself, her dedication to her education is something I’ve always loved about her. It’s her dream to be a writer one day, and she’s doing everything she can to make that happen.
“She wouldn’t have had to add another semester if she had stayed at school last semester,” Ethan mutters over the rim of his glass.
“Ethan,” Ainsley chastises.
“Don’t worry, little one, his words don’t affect me. After all, he’s the one that helped me take you away,” I tell her, but really I’m reminding him of the part that he played. He didn’t even try to fight me when I decided it was time to make her mine.
Ainsley climbs off my lap with a huff. “I’m going to the bathroom. Fight it out, do whatever you need to do, but you both better be ready to behave when I get back.”
“Ainsley,” we both call at the same time. When we realize what we just did, we let her walk off to the bathroom as we glare at each other.
“Having trouble being civil tonight?” I ask. He grits his teeth as he watches me sipping from my drink while sinking into the back of the stool, trying to look relaxed. I’m splitting my attention between him and the door to the bathroom, waiting for Ainsley to come out.
“She’s not a child, you know. If she wants to come to a bar with me, she can. And she clearly didn’t invite you, so why did you feel the need to butt in?”
“Because she’s mine, don’t you understand that?” I slam the glass onto the bar top a little too aggressively, causing a few people around us to look over. “Keep trying to come between us. I fucking dare you.”
The last part is hissed quietly enough that the people watching us can’t hear it, but Ethan clearly did. His Adam’s apple bobs in his throat as he swallows nervously.
“Don’t be mistaken, I couldn't care less if you keep trying to provoke me tonight. You’ll just piss her off, and she’ll go home with me regardless. And trust me, the sooner we go home, the better. My cock has been craving her all day.”
Ethan’s shoulders slump at my words, and I know I’ve won this fight. Looking at my watch, I realize Ainsley has been gone longer than necessary. My eyes dart to the bathroom, which I wasn’t watching while I was reminding Ethan who’s in control here. Mentally, I curse myself for not paying closer attention.
Surely nothing would happen here, though. The bar is crowded with people, and the women’s bathroom is never empty. Besides, I have men stationed at Guerra’s compound, ready to report to me when they see movement from my father. I would know if he was roaming around.
Still, as the minutes continue ticking by on my watch, I get more antsy.
“I’m going to check on her,” I inform Ethan as I stand from my stool. As I walk to the bathroom, I feel him following behind me, but I don’t pay him any attention.
Women standing in line shout at us as we push past them and through the door. I look around at the women fixing their hair and makeup in the mirrors while a few rush into stalls to vomit, but there’s no sign of her.
“Ainsley?” I call out, hoping to just hear her voice call back to me.
“Maybe she passed us and we didn’t see her in the crowd. She could be at the bar wondering where we went,” Ethan suggests.
I ignore him as I pull my phone out of my pocket and call her. It rings once, and then suddenly, I hear her ringtone. My shoulders drop as they relax, relieved that I came in here for no reason. But, as I turn around, I find the device sitting on a sink in front of a woman messing with the gunk on her eyelashes.
“Fuck,” I curse as I move toward the phone to grab it. “Did anyone see the girl that had this phone?”
Some of them ignore me, while others sneer at me for being in here. Only one comes forward to answer my question.
“There was another guy that came in here a minute ago. He told her to leave her phone there, and she left with him. It looked like he was being pretty rough with her, but she left willingly. I wasn’t about to get myself involved in whatever relationship drama that was. He also looked way too old for her. She definitely had some daddy issues.”
Her words fit into my mind like little pieces to a puzzle. I can’t see the bigger picture until every single little puzzle piece is put together, and when the puzzle is complete, I turn around and put my fist through the mirror.
“FUCK!”