Page 129 of Your Sharpest Edge
I couldn’t go with him, but he was dragging me backward.
“Mine,” Dimitri growled.
Dirks raised an eyebrow at Alex as we reached the elevator bank. Dimitri had to turn around to press the button to go downstairs. The moment he did, Alex seized the opportunity, lunging forward to grab Dimitri’s waist while Dirks caught the hand holding mine.
“Let her go,” Alex demanded.
While I wanted to do this by myself, I needed the help, and for once in my life, I relied on someone to protect me. Someone who respectedandprotected me.
“Do not fucking do this. After all those nights we spent together, you betrayed me,” Dimitri spat.
Dirks tried to pry him off me, but his grip only tightened around my wrist.
“Fuck off,” Dimitri growled. “You betrayed me. You sided with the fucking whore. I’m taking her away from here. I’m going to fuck her, so when she goes back to him, she reeks of me.”
“The hell you are,” I shouted, wrenching my wrist from his grip.
But before I could take another step, Dimitri’s iron hand clamped down on me again, and he drove me backward, slamming me into the wall next to the elevator.
“Got you now, bitch,” he hissed, pinning me with his body.
My breath came in ragged gasps as I tried to push him away, but it was like shoving against a brick wall.
“I was never yours,” I spat, my voice trembling with rage as I struggled against him.
I twisted, kicked, and clawed, but he held me fast, his grip tightening like a vise around my wrist. My legs trembled, barely able to hold me up as he leaned in closer, his breath hot and heavy against my ear.
I couldn’t fight for much longer. My body was shutting down. I went limp, and Dimitri seized the opportunity to push Alex and Dirks off him. He sprinted down the hall to get to the second elevator bank on the other side of the building, dragging me behind him.
“Mine.” He yanked me toward the second set of elevators, moving with a speed and strength that left me no chance to resist.
As we reached the doors, he slammed my limp body against them, the elevator button glowing ominously just inches away.
There was no escape.
Behind him, Alex was closing in fast, his eyes blazing with fury. He was nearly on us, his footsteps echoing in the narrow hallway. Dimitri sensed it, too. The doors opened slowly, and I stumbled in. Dimitri let go of one of my arms so he could press the ground floor button.
That was all Alex needed. In a blur of motion, he lunged forward, crashing into Dimitri with the force of a freight train. Dimitri staggered, caught off guard, and in that instant, Dirksdarted in, grabbing Dimitri’s arm and wrenching it away from me. Dirks yanked Dimitri out of the elevators and started pounding on his face.
The three of them were locked in a brutal struggle, bodies colliding, fists flying as they battled for control.
Boots pounded against the ground as I tried to army crawl away from the brawl. My legs had quit working.
“Hands in the air.” The command echoed through the air, sharp and authoritative.
Men in uniform swarmed the hallway, their presence overwhelming as they flooded the area, weapons drawn and eyes scanning every corner.
My heart pounded as I tried to process what was happening. Then I remembered—Ledger. He had called the police. They had come, just in time. Relief washed over me, but it was quickly replaced by the dizzying confusion of the scene unfolding around me.
Everything was a blur as Alex scooped me into his arms, cradling me against his chest as he carried me down the hallway. His hold was gentle yet firm, his pace hurried but careful, as if he was afraid I might shatter if he moved too quickly. My head rested against his shoulder, the warmth of his body grounding me in the midst of the chaos.
Behind us, the police murmured in low voices as they questioned Dirks. Dirks was gesturing, pointing toward Dimitri, who was being restrained by two officers. His face was a mask of fury, but there was no escape now. The police had him.
Alex didn’t slow down. He carried me with purpose. He fished his key out with one hand, still holding me close, and unlocked the apartment door. His movements were deliberate, almost tender, as he pushed the door open, shielding me from the horrors behind us.
He knew. He knew what this interaction represented to me, the trauma it held, the memories it triggered. He wasn’t about to let me face it again.
“Mommy,” Damien shouted excitedly.
