Page 31 of Demetri
Ignoring her, I take one of the bags from her hand. "Don't be silly. I want to help," I smile. "My name is Glory."
"Thanks, Glory. I'm Kinsley."
Striding up to the dumpster, we toss the bags inside. Just as the two of us turn to make our way back inside a scream erupts from Kinsley's mouth startling me. But before I can react, I'm shoved up against the wall of the building. My head bounces off the brick, and I feel a trickle of blood start to seep down the side of my face. It's also then I feel the hard plain of someone's body against my back and a hand fisted in my hair. "Volkov needs to be taught a lesson. And what better way than through his whore." When the stranger's rancid breath dances across my face, I panic, and I'm suddenly thrust back to a dark place. I struggle against his hold, and the feel of his erection digging into my backside causes bile to rise in my throat.
"No," I choke out as the grip on my hair tightens.Not again. This can't be happening again.
Without warning, I hear the recognizable blast of a gun being fired and a second later, the weight on my back is gone. It takes everything I have in me to open my eyes. And when I do, Sasha's large frame fills my vision as he stands beside me. On shaky legs, I turn and brace my back against the wall to keep from falling. It's then I notice the man lying at my feet with a hole in his head. My eyes go from the dead man to Sasha and then to my left where Quinn is standing over the body of a second man holding a gun at his side. Kinsley is just standing stock still with a blank look on her face and tears running down her cheeks. Quinn and Sasha don't waste time as they quickly usher Kinsley and me back inside and away from the gruesome scene in front of us. Quinn pulls his phone from the pocket of his cut and puts it to his ear. "Prez, we need ya down at Charley's. We'll be needing a cleanup too." Quinn listens to whatever Jake says on the other end then cuts his eyes to me. "She's okay," he conveys. Only I don't feel okay. I feel like I'm spinning on an axis. My breathing picks up, and before I know it, I'm fighting to catch my next breath.
Sasha steps up to my side and places his hand on my arm. "Slow your breathing, Glory," he urges. "Look at me." Doing as I'm told; I look into Sasha's deep blue eyes. "In and out. Slow like me." He demonstrates taking breaths, and I mimic what he's doing. Before too long, the dizziness fades, and my breathing evens out.
"If I had known all it would take for you to call me Glory was to start hyperventilating, I would have done it sooner, Sasha." Even in the worst of the situation, I can't seem to control my mouth. Sasha looks at me like he usually does; like I'm crazy then shakes his head. Shrugging, I lean against the wall in the dark hallway, tip my head back, and take two more slow cleansing breaths. It's then I remember what the man said. "He said Volkov needed to learn a lesson." My voice shakes as I repeat the words whispered in my ear.
"What did you say?" Sasha asks, his accent sounding more pronounced.
Tearing my gaze away from the ceiling and settling it on Sasha's face, I repeat myself. "The man. He said Volkov needs to be taught a lesson and what better way than through his whore. Also, he had a Russian accent."
I watch as several emotions cross my bodyguard's face — one of them being rage. I have witnessed the loyalty Demetri's men have for him, and in a short amount of time, the man in front of me has shown the same devotion to me. Pulling his phone from his pocket, Sasha places a call. Seconds later, he is speaking to whoever is on the other line. My guess would be Demetri. The call lasts less than a minute before he hangs up. "I'm taking you back to the compound." I nod and walk alongside Sasha out to the bar where I spot Grace and Bella pacing the length of the floor. When Grace sees me, she gasps.
"Glory. Oh, my God. Are you okay?"
Not in the mood to talk about what just happened, I nod. "Yeah. But I need to get out of here." Understanding, Grace doesn't ask questions as her and Bella trail behind Sasha and me outside to his car where he holds the door open, allowing the three of us to climb in. The ride to the clubhouse is silent, for which I am grateful. All I want to do is escape to my room and process my thoughts in private. By the time we pull through the gates at The Kings' compound, the sun has set. A cool breeze prickles the skin on my arms as I step out of the car.
When we walk inside the clubhouse, no one says a word as we make our way upstairs. I feel the weight of my best friends stare at my back. She's desperate for me to talk but knows not to push. Together we walk into my bedroom where I plop down onto the bed. Grace flicks on the lamp next to the bed, then disappears into the bathroom. I listen to the sound of the faucet running before she returns, holding a washcloth. Without a word, Grace lightly swipes the warm damp rag across the side of my face, wiping the blood away. "It's stopped bleeding. There is a small cut. I'm going to clean it with antiseptic and put a band-aid on it."
Once Grace has finished fussing over me, I give her a crooked grin. "Thanks."
"Do you want to talk about it, Glory?"
I shake my head. "I'm good Grace. I think I'm going to lay down a bit. But I promise, if I need to talk, I'll come find you." I was telling her the truth. What happened at Charley's has me shook up but as bad as it sounds, I was mostly grateful. Grateful Sasha and Quinn had been there. I don't have one ounce of remorse for the two lives that had been taken. Reaching out, I take Grace's hand in mine, and I give her a reassuring smile. Returning a smile of her own, she nods. Just as Grace walks out of the room, Sasha appears in the doorway. He doesn't say anything, but I know he wants to.
"Have you talked to Demetri?"
Sasha nods. "I have. He's on his way."
My shoulders sag in relief at the news.
"I'll be across the hall if you need me." Sasha turns on his heel, and I call out, stopping his retreat.
"Sasha."
"Yes?"
"Thank you for what you did. I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up when you did."
Sasha stays silent, but his expression softens as he inclines his head just before closing the door.
Too exhausted to even change into my pajamas, I stand and strip out of my clothes opting to sleep in just a tee and panties then turn off the lamp sitting on the bedside table. Sliding into bed, I sigh as the crisp, cool sheets settle on top of my skin. The moment my head touches the pillow, sleep takes me.
"Tell me where my wife and daughter are?" Ronan roars as he slaps me across my face.
"Fuck you, asshole," I sneer as blood drips from my mouth. "I'm not telling you shit."
"You always did have a filthy mouth, Glory. Perhaps with the proper training, we could fix that." Ronan's words are laced with a cruel taunt. I know what Ronan means by 'training.' I know the beatings and the hell he put Grace through for years. I add fuel to the fire when I open my mouth again.
"You're pathetic, Ronan. Sad really. Do you think beating a woman makes you a man? Well, it doesn't. It makes you a coward. A real man doesn't need to hit a woman to get her respect. Only spineless little weasels such as yourself do."
"You stupid fucking, cunt!" Ronan's face turns red at his outburst, and I know what's coming. I knew opening my mouth would be my end, but I'd never bow down to a man like Ronan De Burca. I won't give him the satisfaction. Rearing back with a closed fist this time, Ronan punches me in the jaw, a force so powerful it sends me and the chair I'm sitting in crashing to the floor, and my head bounces off the kitchen floor. There is no time to recover when there is a second blow to my ribs, Ronan begins to reign down blow after blow. To my face, my stomach. His fists are everywhere. My advances to fend him off are becoming sluggish, and my entire body screams in pain. My head is on fire, and my vision becomes blurry. The next thing I know I'm being pulled from the floor by my hair. Ronan slams me down face first onto the kitchen table.
