“Yeah!”
Carlos's deep voice rumbles in my ear. “She called Anna and left a message. Wanted to let her know she is safe, and not coming home and that she won’t be at work tomorrow. She’s in hiding for now and said she’ll call Anna tomorrow. Sorry, boss. But that’s all I know.”
“Fuck! So she's hiding from me is what you’re telling me.”
“Yeah.”
I just take a minute to breathe, she's running from me. Not just hiding in a bathroom, but full-fledged trying to escape.
“Fine! Tell Sasha to keep eyes on the bookstore; you tail Anna in the morning till we fly out. If she’s calling Anna, she will again. I know it. I need you back here tonight. I have some detail to go over before we leave tomorrow afternoon.”
“On my way.” He hangs up, and I suck back the rest of my drink.
I head back over to my desk and bring up the camera feed. Her room comes up on one panel. Fine.
If she's running away from me on this level, two can play at this game and I’ve had years of practice to perfect my game.
∞∞∞
Chapter 19 ~ Isabella
Rolling over, pulling the pillow over my head I moan into the stale-smelling stuffing. I don’t want to get up and face today. I should have stayed and gone home with Alexander and faced his wrath rather than being a child and running away again. I’ve made so many mistakes and I haven’t handled this transition very well.
Alexander is going to be so mad and Anna is going to give me trouble for leaving her again.
She thinks I need to confront my problems, but as soon as confrontations arise, I panic and bolt.
I toss the pillow to the floor and roll on my side, groaning and covering my face with my hand. Ugh… today is going to be rough.
“Morning bunny. I hope you slept well.I know I didn’t. As well as half my security team.”
Alexander’s baritone voice cuts through my morning fog, and fear squeezes my chest in its grip. I spread my fingers and look through the tiny fleshy webbing.
Alexander is sitting in the small chair by the window. He reaches out his hand and clicks on the bathroom light beside him, illuminating his face. Anger radiates from his every pore, and he folds his hands on his lap, his legs crossed, one eyebrow raised above his silver glare.
Oh, sweet Jessica Parker.
It's like the calm before the storm. His fury slowly fills the room, which is so eerily quiet that I can hear my breathing as it increases and my heart beating faster. He simply watches me, waiting.
Tingles of fear creep up my neck making my hair stand up on end and my flight or fight instincts kick in.
Flight wins.
I don’t think I just roll over to the other side of the bed away from him, fighting the sheets in my haste to scramble away from him. My hand takes purchase on the mattress edge, and I try to pull my body away from him to put the bed between us, but he’s quick, faster than my foggy morning brain calculated.
His large hand wraps around my ankle, pulling me back as I fight to hold on to the one edge I have in my grip, my other hand reaching out trying to grab more of the bed to pull my body away from him.
I quickly look over my shoulder, my throat constricts and the scream gets choked off by fear, and I stop fighting, staring momentarily at the monster who holds my ankle. Alexander's face is impregnated with sheer, unadulterated hatred. His silver eyes are darker, with his brows drawn tightly, and his teeth are locked together in a snarl. His face is a distorted mask of the punishment he means to inflict once he has me in his hands.
My stomach flips and the hair on my arms rises, and at this moment, I feel genuine fear for my life flow across my body, forcing me back to attention, and I fight harder to get away from him, kicking at his wrist with my free foot and pulling on the mattress with all my might.
Alexander growls and he grips my other ankle, pulling it hard as I try my best to yank it out of his hand. Out of the blue, I feel the sting of his hand on my butt. I scream, and another slap ricochets off the walls as he slaps one cheek and then the other.
I’m crying hard now. It stings and it hurts and it's humiliating. Ikeep pulling my body away from him, struggling with the edge and kicking out with my free foot he let go to slap my butt. I reach my hand back to cover my ass and Alexander tosses it away, holding my thigh down with his knee to land another two smacks in quick succession.
“Don’t touch me, you animal!” I cry as he lands another slap on my butt.
All at once, his hands let me go, the heavy weight of his body is gone and without the tension on the lower half of my body that kept me in place for his slaps to my bottom, releases, sending me flying across the bed to land on the floor.
