Page 20 of The Bodyguard's Innocent Obsession
He steps closer. Too close.
I take a slow step back, angling toward the bar.
“And now,” he continues, “he has a choice. He drops the bill, or he loses the only thing he truly loves in the world. You.”
My pulse hammers. “You’re insane.”
“I’m practical. And you are leverage.”
He keeps moving toward me, and I keep backing up, one step at a time, until the smooth wood of the bar presses against my back. His presence is a wall in front of me now. Trapping me.
His voice softens, sinister. “I didn’t want it to come to this. But idealists never learn until someone shatters their illusions. I tried to talk to your father. He refused. So now he can feel what it’s like to lose something precious. Then maybe he’ll learn his place.”
His words chill me. This is not a man. It’s a snake. A monster.
I glance down, heart pounding. A crystal decanter sits beside me, half-filled with amber liquid. I can see my reflection in it. Wide eyes, parted lips, every inch of me coiled tight.
Maybe I have a chance.
He leans in, like he’s about to deliver some final, chilling threat...
And I grab the decanter and smash it against the side of his head.
Glass shatters and the amber liquid spills everywhere. He stumbles back with a shout, clutching the side of his skull, blood already blooming between his fingers.
I don’t wait.
I bolt.
My sneakers skid on the polished floor as I sprint toward the front doors, adrenaline surging, my breath coming in fast, wild gasps.
But before I make it five steps, movement slams into me.
Two men in suits step through the doorway, big, broad and silent. I scream and fight, kicking, clawing, but they grab me like I weigh nothing and drag me back towards the center of the room.
Lucien is standing again, one hand still at his head, blood trickling down his temple. His expression has completely changed.
Gone is the smug, polished veneer.
What’s left is fury.
“That,” he growls, voice low and shaking, “was a mistake, sweetheart. One you won’t get to make again.”
He takes a step towards me. And then...
The front doors burst open with a thunderous crack, the echo ricocheting through the cavernous room like gunfire.
“Police! Hands where I can see them!”
Chaos explodes all at once.
Voices shout. Footsteps pound against the polished floors. Light floods the dim space as uniformed officers pour in, weapons raised, commanding everyone to the ground.
And then I see Lachlan.
He storms through the chaos like a force of nature. He’s taller, broader, and his eyes are locked on me like I’m the only thing that matters. His weapon is drawn, but it’s the look on his face that nearly brings me to my knees: raw fury mixed with terror.
The two men holding me release their grip and throw their hands in the air, dropping to their knees as the police descend on them. One officer tackles the man to my right, slamming him down and cuffing him.
