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Ah-ha. Gotcha. He was testing me.
I’m at home with Owen going over some marketing details. Will call it a early night. Thanks though. Talk soon.
I called the cab company from the landline and had them send a car over. I didn’t want to risk taking an Uber. I just didn’t know how far Ryzen would go to keep tabs on me. A cab was a perfect way to sneak away.
Ten minutes later, I was sliding into the back of a cab, my head lowered. “Take me to the Hellfire Club.”
Time to find out the truth.
Chapter Fifteen
You could hear the music from the street. Thump, thump, thump. It took over ten minutes for me to compose myself and go inside, every worst-case scenario playing out in my mind. I didn’t know what I was so afraid of suddenly. I was just going in here to ask a few questions and go home. That was it.
I ordered a whisky sour and glanced around the dance floor. People were plastered against each other, dancing, drinking, and doing some other things I definitely would not partake in.
“What are you doing here?”
I jerked my head around, half-expecting to see Cian. But it was Eros, and he did not look happy. So much for being in disguise. My mouth was like sandpaper as I tried to come up with the right words to say. I settled on one word. “Cian.”
He pressed his hand against his ear and turned his head. He was talking to someone on the other end of the earpiece. Were they going to throw me out? I threw back the rest of my shot, bouncing my leg to the rhythm of the song.
“Come with me.” Eros held my hand as I slid off the barstool and walked me over to the infamous stairs that led to Cian’s office—or sex room, whatever you wanted to call it. When we got to the top of the stairs, Eros led me down the long corridor and left me at the door. “Don’t hurt him.”
My body tensed and I opened my mouth to respond, but Eros was already leaving the same way we came in.Don’t hurt him?Physically? Like I had the power to hurt someone like Cian. Or mentally? That made no sense. I took one long, deep breath and pushed the door open.
Cian sat at the bar, his back to me. I shut the door and took a step forward. He didn’t turn, just reached for a bottle of whisky and poured two shots.
“You’re here to apologize, I take it?” His voice was low, not as cocky as he typically sounded.
I sat down, leaving a bar stool in between us for space. Yes, lots of space. God knew what would happen if I got too close to him. He slid the shot over to me and held his up in cheers. I clinked my glass against his and shook my head as the liquor burned down my throat. “I’m here because I want to know who I’m really engaged to.”
Cian’s back tensed, and he turned to look at me. There was a fire in his eyes that I was getting used to. I didn’t know if it was desire or anger, but either way, the temperature in the room shot up twenty degrees.
“I told you already, little mouse.” He stood, taking up the space between us. “If you want to know more, then you have to come with me.” He held his hand for me to take.
A million thoughts ran through my head. Where? Why? Was he going to hurt me? Try to seduce me? Lie to me? I stared at his hand, unsure of what to do. I wished Juliet was here. I should buy one of those earpieces you could talk into, like the one Eros had. It would be a lifesaver in a situation like this. But hopefully I’d never have to be in a situation like this again.
I grabbed his hand and stood. Nothing like a little reckless behavior to end the weekend.
“Where are we going?” I gazed up at him. The top few buttons of his shirt were undone, and I could just make out part of his tattoo. He had a scar there as well, the same jagged mark that ran down his right cheek. Healed completely, but marked for life. You almost didn’t notice it when you looked at him. But I did. I noticed every inch of him.
“If you don’t stop looking at me like that, then to bed.” He squeezed my hand.
It took a moment for his words to register, and the butterflies in my stomach began to wake up again. I bit my bottom lip. “Sorry. I mean, I shouldn’t be seen—out—with you—outside.” I gulped, swallowing the lump in my throat. Apparently, I didn’t know how to speak.
He tugged on my wig. “I presumed as much.” He slid his jacket on and punched a code into a door off the side. “No one will see us.” He held his hand out again.
OK. We were doing this. I was just going to have to trust that he wasn’t going to murder me, or, worse, have his way with me.
We took an elevator down to what appeared to be an underground garage. He held the door open to a black SUV with tinted windows. When he climbed in, he reached over and buckled my seatbelt, the smell of him surrounding me.
Keep your mind out of the gutter. You have one objective. Find out the truth.
We drove out of the city, heading west. I wasn’t sure how long we had been driving, but soon enough the city lights grew smaller and less often, and darkness became the only thing I could see. We didn’t talk the whole ride. Of course I had questions. They were burning inside of me. But I didn’t ask. Not because I was scared or worried. I was just—content, which was an odd feeling to have, considering why I was in his car.
Street after street we passed, with each house looking shabbier than the last. He turned down a dirt road, nothing but trees surrounding us. We pulled up to a gate, and he got out of the car to open it. I could run away now if I wanted. Even though I didn’t know where I was, I doubted he could find me in the darkness. But again, my gut said that I was safe. So I stayed in the car and waited for him to climb back in and drive us further down the road.
When we reached the end, there stood a lonesome house next to a lake. It was more ominous than a few moments ago, and I was having second thoughts. “Um, Cian? What are we doing here?” I clutched my bag to my chest, ready to pull out my mace if need be.
