He lost his grip, but I knew it wasn’t enough. Working on pure adrenaline, I aimed one more time, this time into his face.
And luck was on my side this time—the heel sank right into his eye.
The scream that left his vocal cords was horrifying. Hot blood gushed right onto me, and Xavier arched his back, staggering off the bed and dropping to his knees.
Astounded, I watched the way dark blood seeped between his fingers that clutched at his eye. Was this enough to kill him?! Enough to blind him?
“Fuck you!” Xavier screamed, but I was already bolting off the bed and out of his room. "Come back here, you fuckingcunt!"
My feet padded on the carpet and down the stairs, all of me shaking. I could run out of the house and throw myself under a car. I could escape and jump off a building.
The more hope grew inside me that I could escape, the louder his steps sounded right behind me. Breathless, I twisted myhead to see him stumbling after me in enraged shock, the sight of him straight out of a Halloween movie.
My legs tangled on the landing, but I lurched forward, almost at the front door. Just a little bit. Just a few feet. I could run away and drown myself. Throw myself under a bus, a train, a bicycle—anything!
"Baby!”
His fingers scraped my back, making me yelp.
“Baby! Baby, wait! Please! I'm sorry!"
And just like always, he locked me in his arms. His hot blood gushed onto my shoulder when he slammed me against his chest, reminding me once again that there was no way out.
He always won.
"I'm sorry!" he wailed and dropped to his knees, his hands clutching at my waist. “I’m sorry I did that!”
We both stood there sobbing, him on his knees and me flush against the front door, my bloodied hands raised, refusing to touch him. I panted loudly, calming my sobs and doing my best to hold back the vomit.
"Please, Jade! I love you! I'm so sorry, baby! I'm so sorry!"
He pressed his face into me, smearing his blood and tears all over, andbegged.Begged on his knees for forgiveness.
Just like before.
And just like before, there wasn’t any truth to his words. Xavier wanted to own me. Wanted to control and submit me, and that’s not what a man in love does.
A man in love loves.
43
That Kind Of Girl
Jade
Iclicked the mouse and opened a new browser window, typing in his name with trembling fingers.
Alexander Martinov
I expected to see his pictures. A whole spread on The Nightcrawlers. Articles from local and national newspapers, maybe some videos of Andrei's arrest. Of course, there would be an interview with my father—his achievements in this case and how he was the one who brought down the ‘Bratva thugs.’
But there was nothing. I scrolled through the first and second pages of Google’s results, anxiously reading every link, but it’s like Alex was a ghost.
Like he’d never even existed.
“Jade? I want you to take the lead on this case.”
My father walked into my office, startling me. He peered over his glasses, holding an open file in his hands. “You need to catch up on this because Justice Rowan is expecting a coherent rundown, not a bunch of crap.”
