Chapter 21 Episode 21
1643 Words
I watch as Belle grabs her sister and jerks her around to faceher. They’re yelling back and forth, but I’m too far away tohear much of anything. As I approach, though, I can tell Eliseis having a hard time staying on her feet.
“Are you drunk?” Belle screams. “Who served you? You don’teven have a driver’s license!”
“I d-didn’t drink any… anything,” Elise slurs.
“Oh my God. Are you on drugs?” Belle turns back and looksat me, her eyes wide and terrified. And I want nothing morethan to solve this for her.
I turn around and immediately spot the man responsible. He’sblonde and muscled, but in a way that says he spends all of hisfree time in the gym. His bulk is for aesthetics, not
functionality. And he’s watching Belle and Elise with horroron his face.
I wave him over. He obeys, albeit reluctantly.
“What’s up, man?” he says, bobbing along with the music.
He looks at Elise and shrugs.
“What the hell kind of answer is that?” I ask. “Do you knowher or not?”
“I know her, but I just met her. She showed up here.”
“How did she get in?”
He shrugs again, and I’ve never wanted to deck someone morein my life. But that would be counterproductive.
I smile pleasantly and lean in. “They’re sisters, did you knowthat? Good genes.”
“Very good. I wouldn’t mind taking a dive in that pool, if youknow what I mean.” He cackles at his own joke.
I clench my fist behind my back so he can’t see it. “I’ll buy thefirst round of drinks and you can get the second.”
“Not necessary, man,” he says, wagging his brows at me. “Theyounger one is already plowed. She’s a lightweight.”
“That saves you some money, then.”
“And time,” he chuckles. “If you know what I mean.”
I taste blood from clamping down so hard on my tongue.Everyone knows what this fucker means.
“I’ll be back in a minute,” I say.
Then I turn back to Belle and Elise. In the minute I’ve beengone, Elise has lost even more coherence. Belle is practicallyholding her upright.
“She’s on something,” Belle cries, tears burning in her eyes. “Ihave to get her out of here.”
I nod. “Meet me out front. Stand by the bouncer until I getthere.”
Belle looks like she wants to argue, but Elise is going tocollapse soon. She knows she’s running out of time. So shewraps both arms around her sister and starts escorting hertoward the doors. I head back to Zach.
“They’re going to meet us in a private room,” I tell him.“Come with me.”
His eyes widen. “This place has private rooms?”
I nod and wave for him to follow me.
I follow the path Belle made through the crowd until we’rehalfway across the club, then I take a sharp left towards a darkhallway. I don’t need to turn around to make sure Zach isfollowing me. I know he is. He sets traps for unsuspectingteenagers, but he doesn’t have the sense to know when one isbeing set for him.
I duck into the hallway and turn left, clearing the opening. Andthe moment Zach appears there, I grab him by the front of hisshirt and yank him into the darkness with me.
“What the f**k?” he screams, wrapping his hands around mywrists. “Whoa, man. What the hell is—”
I slam him against the wall, knocking the wind out of him.
“You think it’s cool to give fourteen-year-olds drugs, asshole?”
“Fourteen? What? I didn’t know she was—”
I stun him with a right hook to his jaw. “Don’t f*****g lie tome.”
It’s dark, but I can see light reflecting off the growing pool oftears in his eyes. “I’m not lying. I didn’t know—”
“You came into my hotel,” I say, hitting him a second time.“And targeted an underage guest.” I hit him again. “Anddrugged her.”
By the last hit, he’s starting to sag against the wall. For asecond, I think he might be unconscious. But then he spitsblood on the floor and looks up at me.
“Wait… are you…” He frowns up at me. “Are you Mr.Zhukova?”
“Bingo, mudak.” I grab his shirt and lift him up so his feet aredangling just above the floor. “But if you ever pull s**t likethis again, I’m your worst f*****g nightmare.”
All at once, I let go, and he crumples to the floor like a puppetwith its strings cut.
I step over him and then melt back into the crowd.
Belle is waiting outside by a new bouncer. Apparently, shiftchange happened while we were inside. Elise is sagged againsther, drooling on her shoulder.
When Belle sees me, she looks relieved. “What happened?”
“I found Zach,” I explain. “The situation has been handled. Hewon’t be bothering you again.”
Her mouth forms a worried “o” and I want to press my lips toit. “Did you—”
“Everything is fine,” I interrupt. “Let’s get Elise in the car.”
I move to walk past her, but she grabs my arm. “You didn’thurt him, did you?”
Belle isn’t looking at my knuckles, but if she was, she’d seethey’re split and bloodied. I pull my hand away and shove itinto my pocket. “I fired him. But he’s fine.”
I bend and scoop Elise out of her arms, cradling the girl in myarms away from my chest. She’s out of it, but still conscious.Barely.
“Who are you?” she mumbles to me. “P-put me the fuckdown, fucker.”
I snort. Belle touches my shoulder. “Thank you, Nikolai.For… for everything. You didn’t have to do this. But… thankyou.”
She’s right. I didn’t have to do this. So why did I?
Probably the same reason I punched the asshole with the silverchain and beat my own employee to within an inch of his life.
Because Belle Dowan does things to me that I can’t explain.
And she makes me do things that I could never explain to her.
It will be better for both of us if this doesn’t go any further. Itry to find the words to say just that, but they won’t come.
So I just turn and walk away.
“I’m not a f*****g child. I’m a grown up. I’m…” Elise’s voicewavers and fades. Then she lunges for the empty Big Gulp cupand gets sick.
I pat her back. “Get it all out.”
Nikolai doesn’t say anything, but he rolls down the windows.The fresh air disperses the thick smell of vomit, which I’mgrateful for.
When Elise is finished, she plunks the cup in the cup holderand continues her rant. “I was completely fine! Zach waslooking out for me, and I was having fun.”
“Zach pumped you full of alcohol and drugs,” I snap.
“He had plans to pump her full of something else, too,”Nikolai mutters.
Elise doesn’t hear him, but I catch his dark gray eyes in therear view mirror. A shiver races through me at the thought ofwhat could have happened if he hadn’t helped me get insidethat club.
And what could have happened if he hadn’t spotted Elise. Notjust to Elise—but also between us. For a second, I’m back onthe dance floor, his body rock-hard against mine, the musicpumping around us and drowning out the rest of the world.
I felt blissfully free. And I was ready to do anything with him,for him.
“I make my own choices,” Elise blubbers, pulling me out ofmy thoughts. Her anger has turned to tears now. “You’re notmy mom.”
“I’ve only known you a couple days and you’ve made thatcrystal f*****g clear, kid,” Nikolai says.
He hasn’t said much of anything the whole drive, so I’msurprised to hear him speak up. It’s also nice to have someoneelse to defend me. Not just from the verbal attacks from mybarely-teenaged sister, but also in the club.
I’ve never been attracted to the “macho” guys. To men wholiked to pound their chests and face off with other men to seewho was dominant. But watching Nikolai take down thatchain-wearing pervert for grabbing me? Someone hand me apaper fan and let me swoon.
The effect isn’t lost when he’s standing up to my baby sisteron my behalf, either. My face feels flushed, and I purposelyavoid looking in the rearview mirror lest he see the obviouslusty thoughts in my eyes.
Elise seems confused for a second that there’s anyone else inthe car. But then she sees Nikolai and leans forward, strainingher seatbelt. “What was that, f*****g—f*****g BruceWayne?”
“Watch your mouth,” I warn her.
She hisses at me, “Oh, I get it. You’re pretending to be mymom and this billionaire asshole is going to be my new dad?”
“That billionaire asshole is the reason you weren’t rapedtonight, Elise!” I squeeze my eyes closed and take a deepbreath. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t… You just scared me tonight.”
If Elise has any understanding of the danger she was in, sheisn’t showing it. She ignores me and turns back to Nikolai. “Ithought you were her boss.”
“Client,” I correct her. “I work for Roger.”
She snorts. “Okay, so is that why you’re trying to f**k mysister?”
- Writer
