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“So what?” She looked back at me. “You can’t take me home because I’m in some kind of danger now?” She scoffed and looked away.So brave.Trying to be so strong.It was a turn-on. “You know nothing about me.” She looked back at me then, trying to hide the fear in her eyes.
But it wasn’t for me. She was afraid of something else. Her past. I wanted to find who’d hurt her, who’d betrayed her, and make them beg me for death.
“I’ve known bad men my whole life. I know how to survive. I don’t need anyone protecting me.”
Something dark and possessive unfurled in my chest, tightening my heart, causing it to grow, the organ pulsing so hard I was sure it would rip through and crack my ribs.
I wanted to be the one to protect her. I wanted to be the one who killed anything that threatened her.
“Why are you doing this?” she whispered, and I hated that she had a tremor in her voice.
You know why. Or maybe you don’t. But you will, and you’ll be even more afraid of me, because you’ll see I won’t let you go.
But I didn’t say any of that. I took a step closer and watched her body tense, her eyes flare. “I caused issues for you with people you don’t want issues with.” I held her gaze with mine. “And until I fix it, until I can make sure you’re safe, you’ll stay here.” She opened her mouth, most likely to protest, but a slow shake of my head and a thinning of my lips stopped her.“You’ll stay here.” I took a step closer. I wasn’t lying about Leonid or the danger he presented, but I also wasn’t being honest about the situation. I wanted her here for totally selfish reasons.
“You know nothing about me,” she whispered again. I didn't answer. “My work. My apartment.” She looked away.
“The apartment is a shithole.”
She snapped her head in my direction and narrowed her eyes. Her annoyance was an accelerant to my lust. “That may be, but it’s where I live,” she said in a low voice, all but sneering the words at me. “And I need to work. I need the money.” The way she clamped her jaw told me needing the money wasn’t just about needing to keep that shithole of an apartment. She needed money for other reasons.
I said nothing as I stared into her eyes. I took a step closer until our chests almost brushed. I had to admit I fucking got off on the fact that she didn’t retreat, that she held her ground and met my stare with a thinly veiled pissed-off one.
“Whatever you need, I’ll provide.”
She shook her head. “I don’t like being indebted to anyone.”
“Non-fucking-negotiable.” I crossed my arms over my chest, knowing she had a hell of a lot more to say. “Besides, as stubborn as you are, you don’t seem like the self-sacrificing type of human. Pretty sure you want to live, isn’t that right?”
She pursed her lips even more. “And if I left when you’re not here? Ran… from you?” There was this challenge in her voicethat had my blood turning to fire. I let a dangerous smile cover my lips.
“I’d find you. No matter where you went.” I closed off any emotion then, turned, and started walking toward the hallway. “I’ll show you where you can sleep.” I knew she’d follow. She was strong, but she wasn’t stupid. Lina had felt the danger where Leonid was concerned, and although she knew I wasn't any better than the bastard, the unhinged aura Leonid didn’t even try to conceal was too strong for her to ignore. And for whatever fucking reason, little Lina trusted me more than she trusted herself to stay safe.
She should fear me just as much as Leonid from principle alone. But she didn’t, and that had that possessive glint in me where she was concerned growing tenfold. One day it would consume both of us.
One day soon.
13
Galina
Istood in the center of what was clearly a guest room. I was pretty sure no one had ever even been in this room aside from a housekeeper. It was empty of life. It could have been a hotel room for how “warm and welcoming” it was.
I scanned the room and took in how sparse everything was. The queen-size bed pressed against the wall in the center of the room. One dresser across from that. A TV sitting on top of it. There was a padded chair beside the lone window, the sheer curtains in place allowing muted light to filter through. There was a small bathroom attached to the room, and one small landscape painting that hung on the wall beside the bed.
I walked up to the picture and stood in front of it. I hadn’t bothered turning on the lights. I was already sucked into the darkness, so I might as well get used to it. I stared at that picture, a serene beach scene with tall grass frozen in a swaying motion from the wind, waves hitting against the shore and causing white peaks, a long stretch of sandy land leading to paradise. There was even a little bridge leading down to the water.
It was generic, probably had come with the apartment.
I turned and looked at my backpack that sat on the dark comforter in the center of the mattress. I walked over to it at the same time I got out of the dress, feeling like the material was permanently stuck to me because of the blood. I let it drop to the floor unceremoniously as I reached into my backpack and pulled out a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
Once I was in the bathroom, I wasn’t surprised to see a toothbrush and toothpaste, soap, shampoo, even face wash sitting on the counter. All unused. I could’ve imagined this was a swanky hotel stay if I wasn’t being kept here against my will. But I wasn’t stupid. I knew that man—Leonid—was bad. Very bad. And for whatever reason, Arlo wanted to protect me. I wasn’t anybody special, had nothing to offer, but I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth in my situation.
I couldn’t pay him for keeping me safe. I could barely even afford to keep myself alive and safe from the men I was running from. I set my outfit on the granite bathroom counter and braced my hands on the edge, closing my eyes and just breathing. I didn’t want to look at my reflection. I didn’t want to see blood on my skin, a reminder of tonight.
So instead I ignored the mirror and grabbed the shampoo and body wash, went into the shower, and cranked it on as hot as I could stand it.
I scrubbed myself for twenty minutes until my skin was raw and red, until it was numb, and washed away any remnants of death. With my shirt and shorts on, I climbed into the bed, pulled the blanket over my head, and then let the darkness take me away.
