Collateral Desire

Chapter 4 The Execution Order

"Stop don’t move," Ethan murmured into my ear, his fingers burying deep into the high silk slit of my dress.

He shoved me backward against the cold marble pillar, pinning my hips firmly with his heavy frame. We were tucked just behind the heavy velvet curtain of the VIP balcony box, completely hidden from sight. Yet, only a few feet away, high-society patrons laughed, clinked their champagne glasses, and conversed over the hum of classical music.

"Keep that smooth, perfect smile on your face, Ava," Ethan whispered, his harsh breath fanning across my jaw.

Under the voluminous silk fabric, his hand worked relentlessly, sliding further up my bare thigh. His large fingers pressed hard against my sensitive skin, testing my limit, silently demanding to see if I would break composure in front of the elite crowd.

A sharp gasp hitched in my throat, but I caught it just in time, biting my bottom lip until I tasted copper to suppress the moan threatening to escape. My pulse hammered wildly against the platinum choker locked around my neck. Reaching down, I clamped my hand over his wrist, trying with all my strength to pull his relentless hand away from my legs.

Ethan didn't budge. His wrist felt like solid iron under my grip. Instead of releasing me, he leaned even closer, pressing his lips directly against the sensitive crook of my neck.

"I wouldn't struggle if I were you," he growled softly, his voice a low, dangerous rumble that sent a shivering wave of heat straight down my spine. His thumb rubbed a deliberate, punishing circle into my inner thigh. "Look up at the upper floor, right by the grand chandelier."

I shifted my eyes upward, maintaining a rigid, polite mask on my face. High above the ballroom floor, a shadowed figure stood near the brass railing, staring directly down at our box with his hand resting under his suit jacket.

"He's been watching us since we stepped off the elevator," Ethan murmured against my skin, his hand sliding higher, pushing my gown to its absolute limit. "If you break your smile, if you gasp, or if you make a scene right now... I will draw my gun and put a bullet right between his eyes before he can even blink."

My fingers loosened on his wrist, my body freezing against the cold pillar as his words settled over me.

Before I could reply, the velvet curtain of our box was yanked aside. A stocky, older man in an expensive tailored suit stepped into the private space, a greedy smile spread across his face. Victor Vance—one of my father’s oldest corporate rivals.

"Well, well, Ethan," Victor said, his eyes sliding over me with sickening interest. "I see you're enjoying your new prize. Name your price for her ownership lease. I'll pay double whatever Croft International was worth to take her off your hands tonight."

Ethan didn't offer a word of reply. He didn't even remove his hand from where it rested high against my bare thigh under my silk dress. Instead, his face turned to pure ice.

In a flash of movement, Ethan reached out with his free hand, clamped his fingers around Victor’s throat, and drove the man backward with terrifying force. The heavy glass display case behind us shattered into a thousand pieces as Victor crashed through it, screaming as he hit the polished floor covered in broken glass.

Shrieks of terror erupted from the patrons nearby as panic rippled through the upper balcony.

In the sudden chaos, I seized the moment to scan the upper boxes, searching for the armed threat Ethan had threatened to shoot. My eyes rushed past the frantic crowd, expecting to spot a sniper or a masked assassin hiding in the shadows.

My heart stopped dead in my chest.

Standing directly under the massive crystal chandelier in the center of the private floor was my brother Leo. He wasn't tied up, bruised, or held at gunpoint in some dirty warehouse. He wore a sharp, custom tuxedo, effortlessly sipping a glass of expensive champagne while laughing alongside three notorious syndicate bosses.

A bright red sniper laser dot sliced through the dark velvet curtain, sweeping across the space and locking dead center on Ethan's chest.

Panic flared in my veins. Before I could process my brother's betrayal, instinct took over and I threw my weight into Ethan, trying with all my strength to shove him down out of the line of fire.

Ethan didn't fall. Instead, he grabbed my waist and spun us violently, slamming my back hard against the cold marble pillar. He leaned into me, using his massive body as a human shield to cover me completely with his frame.

"Ethan, move!" I gasped, clutching at his shoulders.

The red laser point shifted off Ethan's chest and locked onto the center of my forehead.

Ethan’s eyes went dark. He lifted me by my hips, slamming his back against the glass as a silenced round shattered the mirror inches above our heads.

"He's not aiming at me, Ava," Ethan roared over the screaming crowd as glass rained over us. "Your brother just ordered your execution!"