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“I helped pay for it,” interjected Danny loudly. I shot him an amused grin.
“Thank you. This is so perfect,” I told them, holding the book close to my chest. “Except I didn’t get you guys anything,” I moaned suddenly.
“That’s quite alright,” said Danny, pulling me into his lap. “I’m pretty sure that you’ve given me some unforgettable gifts over the last few days,” he joked as he began to tickle me. I knew I had turned scarlet in color as I thought about our interlude in the mall and the red ribbon scene from yesterday. Max just gave me that trademark smirk of his when I made the mistake of looking at him. He knew exactly what I was thinking about.
They stopped teasing me finally and we settled in to finish our movie. When Danny decided to order some hot chocolate, I decided to run downstairs and grab a bottle of peppermint schnapps from the hotel shop downstairs. I had seen it the other day when we had been perusing what they had for snacks and I knew it would be a perfect way to end the day. “Tis the Season” and all of that…
I was walking through the lobby when an uneasy feeling crept up my spine. It felt like someone was watching me. I looked over my shoulder, but no one looked out of the ordinary. Shaking it off, I walked into the store and made my purchase.
Out in the hall, I gripped my plastic bag with the bottle and headed toward the elevator. It was Christmas, after all, and a special drink was a must. I fiddled with the bag when someone stepped out in front of me from an alcove branching out from the hall.
They stepped in my way as I tried to shuffle out of their way.
“Hello, Belle.”
When I heard that voice, my entire body went rigid, the sound sickening me to my stomach, I lifted my gaze.
“Todd?” his name fell from my mouth like a stone sinking to the bottom of the sea. My feet already slipped backward, taking me farther from him.
He groaned, like he always did when I pushed away from him. Spearing his hand through his short dark hair, he glared at me with those large brown eyes crowned by the thickest brows. His upper lip quirked at the edges.
“You don’t seem happy to see me,sis.”
“What are you doing here? Have you resorted to stalking me now?” My words trembled and I glanced up the empty hall with reception farther ahead. But no one was here to help me quickly get past him without him making a scene.
His eyes flickered behind him and back at me like he’d read my mind, then he lashed a hand out and grabbed me by the throat before hauling me into the shadowy alcove and slamming my back to the wall.
“You think it’s funny to ignore my messages? I pour my heart out to you, and you think it’s a big joke.”
My heart was pounding so loud, my flesh covered in cold shivers, and I was surprised Todd couldn’t hear it as he stood so close, studying every inch of me. It made me sick to my stomach.
Those dark eyes pierced into me as my breaths wheezed from my lungs. I was barely drawing breath while this monster was glaring at me.
Fury whipped through me, and I fiddled to grab hold of the bottle in the bag. When I finally gripped the neck, I swung it up and into the side of his head.
He released me and roared with pain as he clasped his head.
I stumbled on my feet; my knuckles white from holding the bottle so tight. “Are you a psycho? I’m not interested in you. You’re my step brother and nothing more. I’ve made it clear for so long I want nothing to do with you.” I hated him more than I thought possible, but on the inside, I was terrified of what else he was capable of. And my throat ached from where he had seized me.
His gaze locked on me as he tilted his head back, a sneer on his lips, and hatred spewed from his expression.
“The thing is,princess,” he said, his voice mocking me. “I’ve already made the decision for you, and I always get what I want.”
My head was spinning. Who was this lunatic?
When he stepped closer, I backed away, my hackles raised as was my bottle of Schnapps. “Come any closer, and I’ll scream, and then you’ll bleed a lot.” I waved my weapon.
But he moved so fast, I barely had time to react. With a swing of his hand, he knocked the bottle from my hand, sending it flying and bouncing over the carpeted floor, barely making a sound. His other hand grabbed my wrist and he hauled me toward him with unimaginable strength, pivoting me to look away from him as he hooked his arm around my throat.
“Now, sis, you’re coming with me to spend Christmas at a nice hotel I got us.” His hand reached for my breast, squeezing, and I gagged with disgust.
Thrusting an elbow into his gut, he tightened his grip around my neck.
My voice came out as muffled sounds. Panic rocked through me that somehow, he’d take me, and no one would know where I ended up. I couldn’t even bare to think of what waited for me in his hotel room.
One minute, Todd was choking me, the next he was gone, and I scrambled forward and snatched the bottle from the floor. I spun, my lungs filled, a scream pressing on the back of my throat. Except it wasn’t him standing there, but Danny, concern creasing his brow. Max shoved Todd into the wall, snarling at him like a predator. My heart soared at seeing them. I rushed to Danny, and he embraced me, kissing my brow.
“Did he hurt you?” His fingers trailed over my neck, probably red from Todd’s fingers.
