Page 14 of Enthrall Secrets
The psychological damage of seeing his wife murdered would last a lifetime. Our Ethan was a complex man and this event had no doubt affected him in a myriad of ways.
Unfortunately for us, he’d gone on a superhero bender that had no end in sight.
I sucked in a long breath, trying to feel confident, and went on in.
“Hello?” I called out.
Ethan came round the corner carrying a glass of amber liquor, ice clinking. He’d removed his jacket and tie and his white shirt was hanging casually over his pants.
His eyebrows rose in surprise.
I stepped closer. “I was hoping we could talk?”
“How did you get in?”
“The door was open.”
He looked annoyed. “Yeah, right. I’m respectfully asking you to leave.” He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his Smartphone. “This is a serious mistake, Scarlet. You know better.”
“Your gate was open, too.”
“No, it wasn’t.” His thumb brushed along his screen. “I’m calling the police. I suggest you leave.”
“I just wanted to say how sorry I am. We should have treated you with respect. No matter what happens, please say you’ll forgive us.”
“I know you like handcuffs. So this shouldn’t be too much of a stretch—”
“At least let me finish speaking!”
He lowered his phone.
I gave a nod of thanks. “What happened to you was terrible. Worse than terrible. I’m so sorry, Ethan, because I know you’re a good man. You stand for justice, for human rights. I know that your first impression of us was negative, but we’re good people, too. Clients come to us after all hope is lost, with all sorts of conditions. Yes, we party at Chrysalis because we’re also a community of individuals who care deeply for one another. Cameron really does believe he can help you.”
“Finished?”
Instead of answering, I gave him a pleading look.
“Good, now get the fuck out.”
His hateful glare made me avert my eyes.
“Please,” I said.
“I’m not averse to physically escorting you outside.” He lowered his gaze. “If I have to.”
I turned to leave.
The mirror behind him shattered.
I flinched as his drink exploded in his hand, liquor splattering his shirt, shards of glass scattering across the room.
In the chaos, I followed his lead and dropped to the floor, my shoulders hunched and my hand up to protect my face from any more flying debris as I crawled behind him toward the arched wall. Ethan reached over and grabbed the back of my collar, dragging me alongside him down a hallway.
I gasped for air, fear nearly paralyzing my lungs. Some fucker was using a silencer.
Dust rained down on us as the ceiling fan came unhinged. It crashed down, knocking Ethan forward as he tried to shield me. It struck his back, shoving him headfirst into the wall and cracking his skull against the brick.
He slipped to the floor - out cold.
