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However, that short moment while I was staring at heroin or cocaine got me in a lot of trouble. Before I could stand up and try to find help for the unconscious girl, two huge guys dressed like special commandos burst through the door, pointing their guns at me.
I was so shocked by their appearance that I probably forgot how to breathe, yet they didn’t care about my state or about the young woman. In a few seconds, my arms were cuffed behind my back, and some police officer was telling me my rights. I was arrested in the bathroom with drugs in my hand.
Why didn’t I go to that stupid barbecue?
11
The Party
Bastian
Iwalkedthroughtheback door of Genaro’s restaurant two minutes before nine. Almost the whole company was assembled in the huge backyard, enjoying the fantastic cooking skills of one of the best cooks in the city.
Armando’s father, Genaro, helped me when I ran away from home to Australia. He gave me a job and a place to stay, so when his son called me a few years ago to say he wanted to open a restaurant in the United States, I didn’t hesitate for a second. I found the biggest place with an enormous garden, and in seventeen months, we turned it into the best restaurant in the city. Armando, like his father, was a gifted and exceptional cook. Thanks to his hard work, skills, and my sponsorship, he achieved something many people could only dream about.
I stopped on the patio, glancing around. On the right side, there were big white tents, under which were tables full of delicious food and tasty drinks. People were gathered in small groups, enjoying themselves, talking, and laughing. The band was on a small stage on the other side of the garden, along with a dancefloor. The whole party looked like a wedding. The event manager did a perfect job, and a feeling of satisfaction settled in my chest. Everything was as it should be.
Well, not everything. For an hour, I tried to locate my assistant. I didn’t want to raise suspicion, so I didn’t ask about her. But when I didn’t see her anywhere after two hours, I asked Lena where she could be. Her concerned expression gave me chills. She didn’t have any idea, and apparently, Electra wasn’t replying to her texts.
I waved at the head of my security team, thinking about where the person of interest could be. She didn’t say anything when I saw her before she left, so I presumed she would come, but the event wasn’t mandatory. Maybe she had other plans and didn’t want to spend more time with me than was necessary.
That thought had my stomach in knots. I was sure about the attraction between us, but given my toying and teasing, I shouldn’t be surprised that she chose not to be around me. I wanted her to think about what I told her, but in return, she avoided me. Only two options were possible here. Either I scared her with my words, and she was hiding from me, or she understood my point without me actually explaining anything, and she wasn’t interested in it. No matter what the reason was, I lost my own game. Shit!
"What do you need, Mr Thorn?" Daniel, the head of my security, asked, stopping in front of me, dressed in a perfectly fitting black suit with his hands behind his back. He was a former navy seal and was built like a mountain. I trusted him with my life.
"Find my assistant," I commanded without further explanation, and he only nodded, leaving me under one of the tents.
"You’re nervous. What's going on?"
I turned in the direction of the familiar voice of my brother, who had just come to keep me company. I didn’t have friends among my employees. I wanted to keep the relationships on a professional level…well, except for Electra, of course. Andreas was not only my sibling but my best friend and confidant as well, though. Along with Rosalind, they were my closest people.
"She isn’t here," I groaned, killing the meat on my plate with a fork. I had lost my appetite.
"Shame. I was excited to finally meet her," he replied, smirking. He was making fun of me and of my plan to turn my assistant into my submissive for months. And now, when I was finally getting somewhere, I probably messed everything up. I wasn’t nervous; I was furious.
"Something might have happened to her," I pointed out, putting the food away. My quivering stomach wouldn’t be able to digest it.
"Have you checked your email?" His question didn’t make any sense, and he shrugged at my perplexed expression. "Maybe she resigned. I wouldn’t be surprised."
I clenched my palm into a tight fist, overcoming the urge to punch him. His stupid remarks were only deepening my anxiety. I was immensely concerned she was involved in an accident. There wasn’t any reason for her not to reply to her former boss’s texts. They were friends.
"She wouldn’t just leave. She's been here for eight years." I was saying those words more for myself to calm down my speeding heart than for my brother, whose doubting expression was getting on my nerves.
"You can push people to the edge, Bast." He took two glasses of some alcohol from the tray, handing me one. "Just admit that you crossed the line."
He sniffed the liquid, grimacing. He’d developed an extremely sensitive taste for drinks, and anything that didn’t match his standards was disgusting to him. I wasn’t as spoiled, and I needed something to quiet that annoying voice inside my head that was agreeing with my brother. So, without knowing what I was consuming, I gulped down the generous amount in my glass, instantly starting to cough.
"Bacardi 151," he announced nonchalantly, watching me as I tried to catch my breath. My throat burned, and I felt the taste of that poison in my nose. "Very strong. You should be more careful, brother."
"Who the hell is drinking this?" I grabbed the coke from the table, drinking it in one gulp. I had to extinguish that fire in my mouth.
"Suicidal people," Andreas replied, nodding in the direction of the building, and when I turned my head, I saw Daniel approaching us.
"Mr Thorn, the police have raided every club in the city," he said, showing me pictures on his phone. I owned a few high-class spots, but they should stay untouched. The connections I had with tremendously powerful people were protecting me from these kinds of problems. "Miss Hernandez was arrested."
"Arrested?" Andreas echoed, chuckling. "This is great. Did she attack a police officer?"
"No." Daniel slightly shook his head, shooting me a glance. "Heroin."
