Page 35 of Strength in Submission
"Santiago!" Her voice comes from the bedroom, shaky but strong. Relief floods through me so fast I almost stumble.
I find her sitting on my bed, knees drawn up to her chest, my baseball bat across her lap. The sight of her—alive, unhurt, but clearly shaken—unleashes something primal in my chest.
"Baby," I breathe, crossing to her in three quick strides. "Are you okay? Did he get in? Did he hurt you?"
She shakes her head, melting into my arms as I pull her against me. "No, he never got inside. I heard him trying to pick the lock, but then you guys must have arrived because everything went quiet. I was too scared to check."
"He's gone," Cruel reports from the living room. "But he left something."
I reluctantly release Violet and follow Cruel to the front door. Scattered on the hallway floor are two dozen red roses, their stems snapped and petals crushed. A note is taped to my door.
This isn't over. She belongs to me.
Rage burns through me like acid. "Where the fuck is he?"
"Building security says a delivery man left about ten minutes ago," Kane says, hanging up his phone. "They're checking cameras now."
"He can't have gotten far." I turn to Cruel. "Tell the others. I want every street in a five-block radius covered. Find this cocksucker."
"Already on it," Cruel nods, speed-dialing his phone.
Within minutes, the hallway fills with the sound of boots as the rest of the club members arrive. Ripper barks out orders, coordinating which way we’ll search and when they need to check in with each other. I want to join them, want to hunt Derek down myself, but I can't leave Violet alone again.
"Go," she says quietly from the bedroom doorway. "I'll be fine."
"Like hell." I shake my head. "I'm not leaving you."
"Santiago—"
"No." My voice comes out harsher than I want it to, and she flinches slightly. I soften my tone. "I'm not leaving you alone again. Not until this is over."
Ripper claps me on the shoulder. "We've got this, brother. You stay with your woman. We'll handle Derek."
After the others leave, I triple-check all the locks and activate the building's security system. Then I return to Violet, who's back on the bed, still looking shaken.
"I'm sorry," I say, sitting beside her. "I should have been here, should have known something like this was gonna happen."
"You couldn't have known," she replies, but her voice wavers slightly.
"Yes, I could have. I knew he was escalating. Knew he was desperate. I should have posted someone outside the building, should have?—"
Violet silences me by pressing her lips to mine. The kiss is fierce, desperate, full of relief and fear and need. When we break apart, she's breathing hard.
"You're here now," she whispers. "That's what matters."
"Baby, I was so fucking scared." I cup her face in my hands, thumb tracing her cheekbone below the fading bruise. "When I saw those texts, when I realized he'd found you..."
"But he didn't get in. I was safe."
"This time. What about next time? What if?—"
She stops my spiraling thoughts by climbing into my lap, straddling me. "There won't be a next time. You and your brothers will make sure of that, right?"
The position presses her core against my rapidly hardening cock, and even with everything going on right now, the fire between us is hotter than ever. Her pupils dilate as she feels my response.
"Violet," I warn, my voice strained.
"I need you," she whispers, rolling her hips slightly. "I need to feel safe. Need to feel claimed. Need to forget everything except you."
