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“You are under Mr. Thorngren’s protection, effective immediately.”
I stare at him like he just dropped from another planet, and I’m not the only one. All of the patrons are gawking, and it all goes eerily quiet except for the clinking and clattering behind the counter. Mia made sure she was only wearing light make-up and an elegant scarf wrapped around her head to keep her person as anonymous as it gets, but now that she stood up, people start recognizing her. Some gasp and whisper at hearing Thorngren’s name, too.
Luke moves out of the way, an invitation for Mia and me to walk ahead of him.
“Mrs. Carter,” he prompts, the name scraping my eardrums. I rub my arm as if that could scrub my married state off of me somehow. I don’t owe Joseph anything after all the shit he’s done to me, especially not loyalty, but I still feel like a hoe for having sucked another guy off. A satisfied and giddy one, but a hoe.
“I’m at your service,” the man pushes when we don’t move, Mia glancing between him and me before taking a single step.
“Yes, at my service,” I hiss. “But at his orders, right?”
He lifts his chin like he’s proud of it, too.
Of course. Who wouldn’t be proud to be working for the most prestigious evil genius in the country?
I straighten my shoulders and jut out my chin. With my leather coat closed around my body no one can see the provoking outfit underneath, but I’m fully aware there’s still something about my appearance that screams “Just fucked”.
“Well, one thing you should know before you put yourself at my service, Luke,” I say in the most dignified tone I can muster, holding my face up as a sign of defiance. “Mr. Thorngren and I have an arrangement, and you might be at his orders, but I’m not at yours. Quite the contrary. So don’t you dare rush me or my friend again.” I lower my face just enough to stare at him from under my eyebrows, giving him the look that has made many a macho bastard learn their place.
***
Sirenna
MY SHOW OF CONFIDENCE at Starbucks sent murmurs through the entire place, and it got Luke to understand who’s boss, too. His back wasn’t quite so stiff as he accompanied Mia and me to the car, and he even tried to strike up some conversation on our way back to the hotel. Mia keeps the conversation going, while I’m staring out the window, bracing myself and rubbing my arms.
I sink into the buttery leather seat that reminds me of the sofa where the sicko fucked my mouth.
What the hell was that even? What happened in that office? And I don’t mean our arrangement. It’s pretty clear what that was. I mean the way my body responded to him, betraying me.
In one thing, Zayne was right. I have always loved sex, and I even enjoyed it with Joseph until I discovered what a monster he really was. Until the beatings and the threats started, and I found my escape in alcohol because everyone in his world seemed twisted and vile. I suppose you don’t get so high up the food chain unless you’re like that, but at least Jax and Declan have backgrounds to explain their penchant for violence, if not to justify what they became. But Joseph? There was nothing to explain the heights of his villainous nature. Yes, his father was as much of a hustler as him, he never loved Joseph and only ever demanded more and better from his only son. But Jax didn’t even have a father to begin with, and Declan’s made him fight his own brothers almost to the death to become the sole heir of his empire and his title. He didn’t even give Declan a choice, it was destroy or be destroyed. Compared to that, Joseph was a spoiled brat.
And Zayne? I can’t believe I went to see him practically blind. Fuck, I should drink less, because I started to do some stupid shit. Okay, so I didn’t have the luxury of time with all those sharks out to get me, but I should have gone in with more than just “he’s the biggest big shot of the pharma industry”. But the main question remains–why the fuck did I get so horny while he fucked my mouth like a caveman? Was it because he took control, and if I found pleasure in being used?
“What in the actual fuck?” Mia’s gasp pulls me back to reality. I emerge from the ruminations in my mind to find my hotel surrounded by cars, the entrance swarming with people. Men in black move hastily about the place, talking into their devices as if the FBI pipe ruptured inside my lobby.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” I murmur, staring through the tinted window.
The Gala Hotel is a boutique place that Joseph gifted me shortly after our wedding. It’s small and homey but still luxurious and well-situated in the city. Many important people have held secret meetings here, from world-class CEOs to senators. It’s also one of the few things I have to my name, along with a nail polish brand and a small store chain that I left in more capable hands when the emotional drain with Joseph rendered me incapable of focusing on anything but ways to bring him down.
But I’ve always had a soft spot for the Gala. For years, it’s been where I came to clear my thoughts when nothing else worked. I have security systems in place and a few people I trust who make sure no one comes in without getting scanned first. But now my guys are smoking a few feet from the main entrance, allowing this squad of agents to take over.
“What the fuck is going on?” I breathe as I try to push the door open. It won’t budge.
“Allow me to do that for you,” Luke says. By the tone of his voice, that’s another order he’s gotten from the man who appears to have taken over my life–protect me to the point of imprisonment.
He helps both Mia and me out of the car, then walks with us among the busy agents. Some of them stop in their tracks to greet us curtly, then go about installing surveillance devices in nooks and crannies that I thought no one but me knew existed. Well, me and the concierge, Vernon, who some people believe is older than this building.
When Vernon sees me walk in, he wobbles out from behind the front office counter, pointing at the working men.
“I must say, Mrs. Carter, it’s not that I didn’t expect you to sell this place to a big chain sooner or later, but I wish you’d told me before they sent their people in to change everything. I would have appreciated more time to look for a new job, especially, well, considering my chances.”
My eyes rest on him. He’s smaller than me, too thin and hunch-backed, but his suit is always flawless, and he always strives to stand up straight even if his face distorts in pain.
“What makes you think you’re getting fired?”
He scoffs, his eyes following the men around. “I heard big corporations like the words restructuring and optimization a lot. Oh, and let’s not forget cutting costs. Who do you think they’ll be cutting off their payroll first?”
I place a hand on his shoulder carefully. I have wanted to hug Vernon many times, but every time I’m afraid I’ll break one of his bones.
