Lost (Beautiful Beast I)

Chapter-19

Leia

Without any warning he clutched my upper arm in his tight grip and dragged me to hall and threw me on the couch. Pain surged through my back as I tried not to scream and get up to sit. The man sat adjacent to my couch and I struck myself to the extreme corner.

There was complete silence for what seemed like hours. I didn't look away from him, fearing he might do something but all he did was hung his head low and sat still. Thoughts of taking up something and hitting it on his head were constantly killing me, but I know I can't handle his man. I thought of running through the back door but I'm sure, he'll catch me before I even start to run. I'm not taking any chance but at the time if he tries anything, I'll throw all my morals out of the window and attack him with everything I've got.

I have so many thoughts running in my mind because men like him don't visit me often. I truly believe he must've seen me in the Crawford's party and came up with a misconception that Nicholas and I are couple. 

The doorbell interrupted both of us. I felt relief wash through me. I got up only to be pushed back. He gave me a threatening stare and made his way towards the door. I saw him keeping the screw driver near the keyhole and pushing it in. The door snapped open.

The man tried to tackle Nicholas but Nicholas was fast. He threw a punch on his face and slammed him on the wall, holding his hands in his tight grip.

Nicholas eyes scanned the area, searching for me and when he finally caught the sight of me, his eyes softened.

'Alright?' He asked me, not affected by the man who's trashing his hold.

I nodded weakly and that was enough for him.

'Who are you?' Nicholas voice was as cold as ice.

'Your...your death' the man hissed.

'My death arrives only when I want it to come' Nicholas replied 'Who are you?'

'You're dead Nicholas!' The man said finally releasing himself from Nicholas hold.

He punched Nicholas in the face and Nicholas did the same. Soon the got into a serious fight and I was awestruck by the way Nicholas fought. His each move was clean and clear, causing damage to the man. Holding the man by his throat, he lifted him up and threw him. He landed in my kitchen, breaking my glass vessels, shattering the kitchen.

He came running towards Nicholas like a madman but Nicholas dodged him easily by landing a hard punch to his stomach. The man's scream was strangled as his leg moved on its own chord before he fell to the ground, clutching his stomach.

Nicholas quickly started checking him and took out his purse. The man who momentarily came out of the pain, snatched Nicholas by the shoulder before going for his throat. Nicholas easily took the hand from his throat and stood up, turning away from him. He started seeing his purse before taking his phone out and keeping it in his ear.

The man is struggling on the floor and slowly came to a sitting position, coughing out blood. His trembling hand raised up slowly and my eyes widened when I saw him holding a gun.

'NICHOLAS!' I screamed. He quickly turned around but too late. A loud bang resonated in my silent home and I saw the bullet hit Nicholas on his chest. Nicholas stumbled on his feet but stood on his guard. By this time the man was on his feet, the gun now turned towards me.

He looked murderous but his eyes told me another story as he gazed into my fearful ones. I stood rooted, my legs didn't move and he pulled the trigger.

I bent down, letting the bullet hit the wall. I stayed down, hidden by the couch. My hands are trembling and my adrenaline is rushing up. Another bullet came hitting the couch, making me scream. I heard something break so I cautiously peeked up from the couch to see that Nicholas had thrown a vase on his head.

Before he could come back from the soaring pain and aim his gun at Nicholas, Nicholas had already taken out his own gun. Both the men stood at the mercy of the guns.

He slowly walked backwards, his hold on gun not flattering and his eyes not even blinking. Nicholas stood still like a statue with his gun aimed at the mam who slowly made his way out through the back door.

Nicholas stood on his guard for few seconds, thinking he might come back but when he didn't, he slipped his gun back to his pocket. I let out a sigh and grunted before leaning back on the wall.

I quickly ran to him. He was breathing faster and slipped down to the floor. The first thing that caught my eyes were his white shirt that's red on his left side.

'Nicholas you...you're shot' it was more like I said to myself.

Nicholas was grunting and breathing hard, trying to control the pain but failed miserably.

'You''re hurt, Leia' he said, pointing towards my ear. I quickly touched the spot and saw blood in my hand.

'No, it's not mine. That man had my phone in his bloody hand' I said. As if not believing me, he reached for my ear and checked for himself. When he was satisfied, he removed his hand and concentrated on his pain.

I can't take him to a hospital and have the cops involved. I don't even know what to do!

Sliding one of my arms under his armpit, I held his side.

'Nicholas, please help me help you. Hold onto me and get up' I said.

He put his arm around my shoulder and got up. I almost lost balance when he put his whole weight on me but he quickly stood on his legs and we made our way towards the washroom. There is only one bathroom in my house and that's in my bedroom which is locked.

I kept tugging on the knob furiously but it didn't open.

'God!' I screamed in frustration.

Nicholas pulled out his gun and shot the knob. It immediately broke open. Pushing the door open, I made it to the bathroom with Nicholas. Making him sit down with his back resting in the bath rub, I rushed to the shelves, getting whatever first aid I had.

Nicholas removed his coat and his tie while I rummaged through all the items I got.

Quickly removing his shirt, I tried hard to slide the shirt from his hand. My eyes widened when I saw a hole punctured on his left pectoral above.

'Nicholas' I started to cry.

'I'm fine. You need to remove the bullet, Leia' he said.

'I-I can't' I looked shocked at him.

'Give me the forceps' he said.

I quickly gave it to him. I saw him as he tried to pierce the forcep inside his flesh. He gave a controlled scream and stopped his action. I took the forcep from his hand and detol and cotton. Taking enough cotton in my hand and putting enough detol, I started to clear the blood around the bullet hole. Soon, there was bloody cottons thrown on the floor and his body looked clean except the hole.

Taking the forcep, my hand trembled as I went closer to him. I looked at him to see him already watching me.

'Tell me if it hurts, Nicholas' I pleaded. He remained quiet and stared at me.

I took a deep breath and slowly inserted the forcep. Nicholas tried not to scream and held onto the tub. It was so tougher than I thought and it felt weird. My tears didn't stop but my hands were steady. I felt the forcep going in little by little and I was able to the feel hard metal bullet. 

'A little more, Leia' he said.

When I pushed further, Nicholas hand wrapped my waist tightly and he shut his eyes due to the pain. I stopped and waited for him to catch his breath. When his hold loosened, I pushed in making him grip me worst than before.

'Pull it. Pull it out!' He hissed. Clutching the bullet tightly, I pulled it out. The bloody bullet came out. Quickly dropping it down, I took the cotton and cleared the blood that started to leak.

'Take the needle. Stitch it up' he said, eyeing the first aid that's spread out of floor.

My hands started to tremble again when I took the needle and hooked it with thread. When the needle pierced his flesh and came out, the thread pulled his flesh close without a gap. Nicholas calmed down this time as I stitched him up. His eyes are tired and his hold on waist is tender. When the stitching was done, I kept enough cotton and wrapped the bandage around.

'You'll be infected, Nicholas' I said looking at the bandage.

'We have a family doctor. I'll consult him tomorrow' his voice was tried and his eyes are dropping with sleep.

'You'll be fine' I wrapped my arm around him carefully 'Come on, get up'

He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and got up with the support. When we were out the washroom, he took his arm off me and stood still, his eyes looking in the mirror. His hand went to the bandage and he looked at me.

'Do you have a shirt or something?' He asked.

'No' I replied.

'Okay, I need to get going' he said and made his way towards the hall.

'No, you can't drive in his condition' I said.

He turned to look at me 'I'm perfectly fine, Leia' he replied back.

'No, you aren't. You're tried and driving at this condition is not safe. Please, stay here tonight. You can leave tomorrow' I requested. He stood silent for few seconds before nodding.

When he walked out, I followed him. He pushed the side couch to the back door, making it shut before walking to the main door. He inspected the key hole and asked for the key. When I gave the key, he worked for a minute and then the key turned, locking the door.

'I'll take the couch, go sleep' he said.

'No, you need proper rest. You take the bed, I'll take the couch' I argued.

'I can't leave you alone here with broken doors. Let's share the bed' he said and walked to my room while I stood rooted to my spot.

This is going to be difficult. I've never shared a bed with anyone. And not to forget, I sleep horrible. My face looks horrible whole sleeping, I'm sure, and I don't even know whether I snore or talk during sleep.

When I made my way to my bedroom, I saw Nicholas lying on the bed with his eyes closed. Closing the door, I contemplated whether to sleep next to him as he took almost all the place for himself. I wouldn't blame him for his huge body.

Lying down on the bed, I pulled the blanket up and covered him before covering myself and switching off the light. The lamp beside him is glowing and I didn't ask him to off it.

'Leia?'

'Yes?'

'What were you doing when he tried to get in?' He asked.

'I don't know how and when he broke in. I was out with my friend. When I returned back, he attacked me as soon as I opened' I said.

He opened his eyes and turned to me.

'Are you okay?' He asked.

'I don't experience this often, so I won't lie to you that I'm okay' I replied.

He chuckled for my response.

'I didn't mean any of this to happen' he said.

'It's alright. I'm fine' I said.

'You said you didn't' he gave me a tiring smile.

'It came out of habit' I shrugged.

'Sleep, Leia. There's lot to talk to you tomorrow' he said, closing his eyes.

I watched him for a while, for a long while till all I was able to hear was his rhythmic breathing. I don't remember when I fell asleep while watching him.

* * *

When I woke up, the other side of the bed was cold. Last night's events came rushing up but I pushed them aside.

Listening to the voices outside the bedroom, I quickly got up and went out cautiously.

I breath a sigh of relief when I saw Nicholas. He's talking to Boris, his driver. The last time I saw Boris was when he dropped me off to my place.

I looked at my messy home. The blood that hit the floor when Nicholas was shot is now dried. The shattered pieces of vase is all over and my kitchen looks like it was struck by a whirlpool.

When both the men caught my sight, they spoke hastily before Boris bid goodbye and walked out.

'We need to talk' Said Nicholas straight away. He placed himself on the couch and motioned for me to take a seat. Rubbing my sleepy eyes and putting my hair on a messy bun I made my way and sat in the adjacent couch, the other one is still near the back door.

'How's your wound?' I asked, looking at his clothed chest. He's no longer half clad, instead, wearing an ironed blue tux, mostly probably Boris brought them for him.

'Doesn't hurt' was all he replied.

'Alright, there's so much and I...I need to get ready for work, so I'll-

'You can't go to work. Not today, not until Michael Kutcher is caught' he said. I was about to ask what it's all about but looking at my confusion, he continued 'He's the man who invited himself last night'

'I'm not even connected to all this' I mumbled.

'Michael thinks otherwise' he replied.

It's clear that the situation is grave, and after witnessing such a horrible incident, I'm not going to convince myself that everything is okay. But at the same time, I don't want to be involved in this.

'Nicholas' I sighed heavily 'This is all too much. Look, look at my home. It took me months to overcome what my father did to me and I struggled to find a house and make it home. Working at places, going on with my life without any goals and dreams, I'm truly lost. Now, you can't ask me to do this'

All the while he stared at me with those fathomable eyes.

'Do you have a better option?' He asked.

I didn't reply.

Every morning when I wake up I desperately crave for a coffee, not a headache. I ran my hand through my face. I don't want to listen to him but I don't have a better option.

What have I gotten myself into?

Everything is so unreal yet not. The most important and wanted criminal's son is right in front of me and I'm in a mood for coffee. My home was broken down by one of his enemies and there were bullets flying in the air. (I just wonder how the neighbours didn't hear it) I witnessed a damn murder and not to forget that I stayed in a criminal's house for five days.

'Leia' Nicholas caught my attention.

'He was the same man who tried to kill us that night. He was the truck driver' he's words left me flabbergasted.

'I wanted to believe that it was an accident' my voice came out desperate.

'There's no such thing as accidents in my world, Leia. Everything happens for a reason' he said.

'Let me guess, most of the times the reason is you, right?' I stared at him.

A kind of irritation crossed his face.

'Let me put this straight to you. That man is dangerous. I don't even know from which part of my mistake he has merged out. Unfortunately, you're in this too. I didn't help you from Stark only to put you in more danger, do you understand me?' He's voice was stern.

'Yes' I replied.

'Good. As far as I can say he's been watching me closely and yet again he'll target you to get me. And you saw how he didn't think twice before pulling the trigger on you' I involuntarily shuddered at that.

'But...not going to work and staying at home is not going to help either' I said softly. My eyebrows are furrowed with tension and I can already feel a headache making its way to me.

'Yes, I know. That's why you're staying with me'

What?

'No!' I snapped back before I could think.

Nicholas kept his face passive as if he already knew how I'll react.

'It's just a matter of few weeks or a month, really' he argued.

'No, no, I can't stay at your place. I did get enough hospitality before I was thrown out, so no thanks' I hissed out.

'You weren't thrown out' he emphasised the syllables.

'Your mother hates me' I said.

'Who said anything about staying at my place?' He huffed out 'You are staying with me, Leia'

'Nicholas but...why? How's it going to help me, anyways? It's not like you're going to stay with me 24/7 making it easier for Michael to get you' I reasoned out.

'You will stay in my penthouse with guards around' he said.

I had to control the urge to roll my eyes. In his penthouse, he says. I get mistress vibes.

'This is ridiculous' I stood up 'I think you saved me to put me in a bigger mess' I was pacing with my hands all over the air 'I did nothing for God sake! I can't just listen to whatever the hell you say, Nicholas. I can't leave my home, my work, my friends and stay with you in your damn penthouse till some moron is caught'

Nicholas stood up too. The anger controlled for so long is evident through his blazing eyes and clenched fists.

'Shut up, Leia. I didn't put you in a bigger mess. Don't you dare say that again-

'Else what?' I cut him off, glaring up at his cold fury eyes.

'Don't test me, Angel' his voice was gruff and controlled. For a second I let my guard down when he called me an angel.

I remained silent, afraid he might find how his words affect me.

'Are you coming with me or not?' He almost barked the words at me.

I pulled up my guard and stepped back. When I spoke, my voice was slow and steady.

'I'm going to Adam and tell him everything. Right from the beginning. I don't care anymore to say out about my father, I don't care anymore to say out about you too. I'm done lying and hiding to the most important people of my life'

For my surprise, instead of getting a death glaring, I got a sexy smirk from him. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as I looked at him.

'So clever, I'm impressed' his voice was soft 'Is there a better idea than this? Of course, not. You've thought it all so clever. And here I thought that if Afam gets involved, his family gets involved, than Marie and then our beloved Liam. Too unfortunate for Lily to witness another incident, right? And I'm sure it won't be her father shooting at a man, instead another man shooting her father. How good it will be to destroy a whole family for your selfishness' he mocked.

My shoulder slumped in defeat. How didn't I think about that? I can't cause them harm. I've known them for years now and all they've done to me is help me in all ways while I haven't returned that kind gesture. I put my head down when I felt my eyes water. I don't have a choice.

'Get ready and pack your bags. I'll leave Boris here, he'll take you to my penthouse' with that said, he turned around and walked out of my house.

I let down my guard down and slumped on my couch, crying.