Page 11 of Vow to Protect
An ice cube jangles, and my thoughts drift to Tilly. I’m her father. Her sole guardian. The guy to shelter her from the flimsy walls of hope that will ultimately disintegrate. I can’t stop the world from turning or prevent bad things from happening. My heavy heart thrums to a different rhythm for that little girl of mine, like a feral drum beat warding off danger.
“Top up?”
I shake my head. The barman knows my struggle. I pay him enough to make sure he never pours me another drop of alcohol. Perched on a tall stool in my local, I listen to the same aged pianist who plays in the corner most nights. Glasses clink in ceremonial cheers, making me lonelier in a room full of people than I would at home with my girl. I’ve spent many evenings slumped on this very seat, in this very setting, in this same destructive mood.
Tonight, I find myself back here again, with the pull of a Scotch or whiskey or whatever has the edge to ease the antsy jitters. The soda water and lime will ensure I make it home for our bedtime ritual.
It’s time to call it quits. I’ve got someone important to kiss goodnight. With a flick of my suit jacket, I slide my arms into the sleeves, preparing to go home. I stuff a few bills under my glass for the barman.
A faint waft of violets drifts around me. I tug at my cufflinks, rounding my shoulders and ignoring the sweet lure of a female. Since I met Raen, the possibility of opening that trap door taunts me. There is only so long a hot-blooded male can abstain from sex. I shake off the idea and fix my collar in the mirror.
In the mirror, I witness elegance wrapped in a silk green dress weaving the tables. Delicate wrists dazzle under white diamonds. Sable lengths with a subtle bend drape an exposed spine like a calm pond at night, glossy and uninterrupted with a shimmer of light on the surface. Slender shoulders, curved hips and skin so smooth it carries a sheen of silk, builds the perfect woman.
Several suited men flank her side. Another two wait by the door, and one familiar face surveys the room. With a snippy nose and vacant eyes, I recognise the ruthless Zatruc. His proper name isn’t known to the club we both fight in. We all use an alias. And now I know he’s on Blaine Casey’s payroll.
My legs lock when the foreign beauty glares at me. Raen. Fluttery lashes tap her brow bone as her eyes widen, and her jaw slackens with surprise.
Even a few steps away, those piercing green eyes drill into mine with an intensity of hatred. I observe the slight sweep of plush red lips, her chin hitching in defiance like her opinion of me is forever shattered. Our awareness of each other magnifies when she swallows hard. The last time we met, she was shaded in mystery, hidden behind baggy fabric and shaking like a druggy coming off crack. But now she’s curves and flesh, sophisticated and exquisite.
Her all-consuming presence spears me in place. The music around us fades so it’s just the two of us in this spell of awareness. An arm snakes her shoulder. Instantly, her body jolts. My muscles brace with the chill running through my veins. Our silent recognition breaks as her gaze revolts against the physical intrusion.
A man wearing a three-piece suit and neatly kept beard directs her to a table with his arm slung around her so the room knows who she belongs to. I reach for my mobile phone, take a snap of his profile and send it to Malakai. He’ll confirm if the asshole is Blaine Casey.
Raen knows I’m here.
I have to speak to her.
My head motions to the washrooms when she dares to glance back at me. A surge of adrenaline charges my blood as I march in the opposite direction of the exit. I need answers.
I’ll demand the fucking truth. If that leads to snatching her out from under that guy's nose, then that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’ve got affluence, connections, and enough money to bury an asshole like him alive—with no witnesses.
When the fire door shuts behind me, I pace the corridor, dragging my hands through my hair. I should be in the town car on my way home. My daughter comes first. The rush of danger spikes. I both love and hate the thrill. Pumped at the prospect of her walking through the door.
I drive my fist into the wall, detesting the need to find reparation in Raen’s pitiful plight. Pain splinters across my knuckles, stinging as I withdraw. The ache is real, numbing all the emotions crowding my mind.
A bustle of noise whooshes into the corridor, hushing when the door swings closed again. I sense it’s Raen before I even glance over my shoulder to find her. When I do, I’m unwillingly trapped in her polished beauty. My heartbeat increases to a fatal pound of hunger. Particles of broken light bounce free from diamond encrusted earlobes. A wicked shadow masks half of her fine features as she glides towards me. Shoulders high and chin elevated, she stops a few brief steps away. Lustrous eyes glint. Unclear emotions snare me with vicious hooks.
I wait in her muted inspection. My arms are crossed, stance confident, but inside I feel like a traitor when my pulse sends too much blood to my dick.
Repeatedly glancing over her shoulder, she lowers her face, dipping closer. “Whatever you do, do not give away that we’ve met before.” The husky feminine pitch isn’t quite as confident as her posture.
A rich foreign accent licks the tip of my dick, so it jerks. An ebony polished nail flicks a lock of hair away from her fresh face. Brilliant white teeth clamp shut behind her words.
“You look different.” My brow arches, giving nothing away. Stunning.
Green eyes scan my suit, finishing at my unbuttoned collar. “So do you.”
“I thought you were a destitute prisoner?” Lust thickens when she unintentionally licks her lips. This wasn’t the plan. Attraction isn’t in the cards.
“I’m his puppet. Something new to flaunt about the city.” Fingertips trace the precious stones edging her throat while her neck stretches like she’s being choked.
“If Natalie worked for him, then why didn’t she show up at my place wearing diamonds and silk?” It was Natalie’s fine denier stockings and laced sandals crisscrossing lean shins that had turned me on when we first met. But when she showed up to see Tilly, she wore plain clothes. Not a flashy jewel in sight.
“She chose another option.”
My collar tightens. Golden skin peeking out from under a multitude of diamonds mapping Raen’s chest reminds me how it feels to want to fuck. There’s nothing sexier than a naked female draped in glittering jewelry—that I bought for her.
An unquenchable thirst creeps up my throat. This time, it’s not a desire for booze, more of a feral appetite to indulge in new fantasies. To steal her for myself, regardless of the consequences. I count back from ten, battling the darkness inside me.
