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The feeling of peace was broken when two police cars appeared with all the bells and whistles going. We stood up and waited for them to approach. “I’ll be by your side through all of this.”
Lora looked at me and nodded before she started answering questions and telling the police everything going on and what she discovered. As she continued to talk to the one female officer the other three went up to the apartment to make sure her stalker was long gone. Once it was confirmed clear, they started to process the scene.
As I took in everything, my phone rang. Seeing it was Saint, I stepped away and answered.
“We’re getting closer to discovering who the asshole is.”
“Good, talk later.” I knew that he’d be able to tell by what I wasn’t saying that I couldn’t talk. We were experts at talking in code.
He simply hung up and as I placed my phone back in my pocket, I returned to Lora’s side as the police woman said to her, “Your apartment is now an active crime scene. Do you have someplace safe you can stay at?”
“With me.” Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out a business card and handed it to her.
“Thank you, Mr. Knight. We’ll be in touch. With the mess this guy made, we’re hopeful he left clues to who he is and we can catch him before he hurts anyone. Please don’t go out alone. He’s obviously escalating and is dangerous.”
Lora nodded as tears filled her eyes. I pulled her into my arms as I led her to my car. “Can we go to the Belladonna? I don’t have to work but I want to see Ezra. He never answered me or called me back. I’m worried about him.”
“Of course. I’m sure he’s fine. He may have been sleeping when you called. It’s still early and being Friday night, it’ll be a busy one. I’m surprised you don’t work tonight.”
“Ezra prefers me to work Saturdays since they are insane. He tries to give every employee one of those days off so they don’t get burnt out. He’s a really good boss.” Her slight smile eased my heart some. Keeping her talking about anything other than her apartment would help her to ease her fears. “Thank you for coming. I’m sorry I’m such a bother.”
“Lora, you are never a bother to me. EVER. If I found out you hadn’t called me I’d have been upset. Now let’s go find Ezra.”
Chapter 4
Lora
We arrived at the Belladonna Club and found Ezra busy setting up the restaurant for the dinner crowd. He blinked in surprise when he saw me with Devrim and scowled when he saw my tear-stained face. “What’s going on, darlin?”
“He was in my apartment. He destroyed everything and spray painted ‘slut’ and ‘whore’ on the walls. It was horrible. I tried and tried to call you. Where were you?” I sobbed as I threw myself into his arms.
His arms tightened around me as he kissed the top of my head. “Shit, I’m so sorry, Lora. I’ve been here all day dealing with a busted pipe in the kitchen. We finally got it all taken care of and the mess cleaned up not long ago. Everyone has been in a rush to get ready for dinner.”
I felt myself being pulled from Ezra’s arms back into Devrim’s safe arms. I looked up at him as he wiped my tears around. “No need to cry, angel. You’re safe now. Thank you for taking care of things here, Ezra. The police are handling things at the apartment and my associates are looking into who the asshole is.”
“That’s a relief.”
“I’m going to take Lora upstairs to relax, can you send a bottle of wine up and some food?”
“Absolutely. Have fun.” I blinked in confusion at Ezra’s wink. Then it hit me. He was taking me to the upper ultra-exclusive levels of the Belladonna. Those levels were used for all manner of things from a swingers and bdsm club to a performance area and even included an area for conducting less than legal affairs. Built into the walls were protection from outside observers. I didn’t know who the owners were but I figured it was better not to know than to understand why those areas were desired.
“Have you been to any of the upper levels before, angel?” He whispered into my ear as we entered the private elevator.
The elevator started to move before I answered. “Briefly. Only enough to get a basic idea of what was up here.”
He ran his nose up the side of my neck, causing me to close my eyes and expose more of my neck to him. “My associates and I all have different tastes. We wanted a place where we could indulge without judgement.”
“What’s yours?” I asked softly, almost nervously. I wasn’t a virgin but I didn’t have a wealth of experience either.
“I enjoy a good show but my own privacy. I was thinking you need a distraction, baby. A place where we can relax, enjoy a meal, that sort of thing. We don’t have to watch anything or do anything you aren’t ready for. No one will bother us.” The whole time he was talking, his hands were caressing me. They never wandered anywhere uncomfortable, they simply made me feel like I had the whole of this handsome man’s attention.
I turned in his arms and looked into his gorgeous hazel eyes. “I think I’d like that. Devrim, why are you so interested in me? I’m no one. Just a simple girl working as a bartender while working hard as a dancer.”
“The first time I saw you, it was like finding my missing half. I know that sounds insane but it’s the truth. The more I watched the more I was ensnared. I wanted to be the person to love and support you so that every one of your dreams came true. I don’t want to control or own you. If you decided you’d rather have nothing to do with me, I’d be heartbroken but I’d still support you and make sure your dreams came true in any way I could.”
The elevator door opened to a dimly lit room that looked like it was part office and part living room. He pulled me into the room before backing me into one of the walls. “Can I kiss you?” I asked as I reached and caressed his face. I knew I should have been nervous with him but he didn’t scare me like my stalker did. He seemed to want the best for me whatever that meant for me.
“You never need to ask,’ he whispered, his voice husky.
