The man answered him confidently. “Yes, sir. I will just as soon as I end this call.”
“Very good. And don’t disappoint me again.” Dalton ended the call and nodded to his driver. “I’m ready.” The impressively dressed man swiftly got out of the driver’s side and opened the back door. Stepping out, Dalton straightened his pants and buttoned the jacket of his tailored suit. He looked around at his new surroundings. Scrunching his nose in disgust, Dalton sneered his extreme dislike of the place.
Everything smelled damp, mossy, and fishy. He hated it. The door to the house opened before they even made it to the walkway. Though too skinny for his preference, the blonde drank him in with appreciation. She was obviously excited about his worth in dollar signs. So… she was one of those women. He could use that to his advantage.
Her smile grew wider, and she gave a shy wave as he approached. “Well, hello there, boys. Come, bring yourselves inside. We have a lot to discuss.”
Dalton turned to his driver. “Wait in the car until I’m finished here.” He turned his back, dismissing him. The bleached-blonde was obviously surprised by his curt dismissal of the man. She had a moment’s pause, seemingly apprehensive about inviting Dalton, a complete stranger and foreigner, into her home. She hesitated by the open doorway, but Dalton pushed forward.
He bumped her out of the way, hard, causing her to stumble back into the house. “It’s too late to change your mind now, princess. I’ve already flown out here. The decision has been made.” He shoved her aside like he owned the place. Dalton walked through the front room and down the hall. Not knowing what else to do in the presence of this powerfully imposing man, Shannon hustled after him. She kept her distance, though, staying a few steps behind him. She was frightened and unsure what would happen next. Dalton made his way to her tiny kitchen.
“Shitty place you’ve got here! No wonder you want out of here so bad.” The blonde-in-a-box glowered at him, her brows dipping low giving away her growing anger. This only egged him on even more. “Oh, did I offend you, Shannon? If you love it here so much, I’ll just be on my way. I’m sure there is someone else who could reap the benefits of my wealthy offer…”
Biting her lip, she reached out to him. “No, wait. I… I do want to go to the States. It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me. It’s just your lack of manners that raises my anger so. I don’t like the way you speak to me.” She finished her predictable speech, lifting her head in pride. Dalton’s lip curled over his white teeth in an eerie grin. He would enjoy putting her in her place.
Motioning to the chair at the kitchenette table, he barked out at her, “Sit! Now, Shannon, you will tell me everything you know about Grady’s Pub—all the people who frequent it, and the times they usually come and go. That includes your ex.”
Shannon jumped out of her chair, pacing back and forth in her kitchen and continued to chew her lip nervously. This sounded extremely wrong to her. “Why do you want to know about him? I thought you just wanted information about that bitch he’s with… Ellora.”
Dalton had to stop himself from striking this despicable woman across her mouth. His face turned crimson with rage as he forced himself to hold back the urge to hurt her. Who does this woman think she is? How dare she talk about his dark beauty in such a way. She doesn’t even hold a candle to her magnificence.
He forced his next words out through tightly gritted teeth. “Don’t you EVER talk about her in that manner again.” Shannon jumped at his threatening tone. “Do. You. Understand? What I want and why is not your concern, is it?” His manic expression and sinister sneer startled her, and she shook her head frantically, not wanting to anger him any further.
His tone dropped. Dalton pointed a finger at her accusingly. “I’ll take you back to the States so you can start the new life you’ve always dreamed of, in exchange for any information I need to know. Are you saying you want to back out?”
Shannon’s eyes grew wide, afraid she was about to lose out on the opportunity offered to her over the phone. An opportunity of a lifetime. Dalton watched semi-amused as she finally decided to show him just how much she really wanted the deal.
She tried her best to pull off a runway model strut across the room toward him. Flipping her hair over her shoulder, the overly made up blonde winked at him flirtatiously, pointing to the other chair in the small kitchen. “Sit down. I’ll show you how much I want this opportunity and how much I appreciate you giving it to me.”
The self-righteous, dominant, master manipulator did not like being told what to do. He despised being questioned. If she only knew she already had two strikes against her, she wouldn’t dare toy with him like she was trying to do.
“Anything, huh? You think you’ve got what it takes to handle a man of my caliber?” Shannon nodded, eyeing him up and down. This chick actually thought she had a chance with a man of Dalton’s status. Yeah, right. She was beneath him. She was trash. Nothing and no one compared to Ellora.
Shannon gasped out in shock when this neatly put together man lunged out unexpectedly and grabbed her by the back of her head, pulling on her hair. It tangled in his clenched fist as he dragged her across the room and over to her chair.
“Prove it to me. Right now.” Dalton forced her down on her knees. She cried out in fright as he unzipped his tailored pants. The vile man yanked her head back all the way so she could see his face, and hissed, “Go ahead. Show me what you’ve got. You were so eager a few minutes ago. This is what you want, right?”
Shannon’s terrified eyes and shaking hesitation pleased the evil man. A cruel smile spread across his merciless face. “I didn’t think so!” Dalton pushed her head roughly aside and zipped up his pants. “Don’t put all your cards on the table if you’re not willing to follow through and play them.”
She crawled to the corner, as far away from him as possible, and sobbed silently. What did she get herself into? She should’ve paid attention to the warning bells that sounded off inside her head at his ‘too good to be true’ offer.
Dalton slowly strode over to where she sat trembling. Frightened as to what he might do to her next, she shook violently at his approach. “Oh, don’t worry. I wouldn’t touch you if you offered yourself up on a platinum platter. You are not my type.” He looked down on her with complete disdain. “The moment you accepted my offer… that was it. Your choices and decisions are out of your hands now. The deal is set in stone.”
The terrified girl shook her head in disbelief. How had she gotten into this mess? She didn’t want to tell him anything about Behr. But she also didn’t want to get hurt, or pass up a ticket out of there. Dalton gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as his anger and frustration grew from her lack of cooperation. His patience was teetering on the edge. If she made one more stupid decision, he would strike her.
“I’m losing my patience with you, Shannon. You don’t want a man like me as your enemy. With a snap of my fingers, I could have you shipped off to one of many human trafficking rings and sell you to the highest bidder. It would be an easy enough task. No one would go looking for someone like you. Everyone here knows how badly you want to leave. And that, my dear, is the kindest option awaiting you. I could think of far more twisted scenarios, where I can have your family involved as well. Is that what you want?”
“No! No, please. I will cooperate. I’m… I’m sorry, Dalton. Sir.” Ashamed and still in a state of shock, she stood on shaky legs.
Dalton motioned his hand over to the empty seat. “Tell me, Shannon. Tell me all you know. How can I get close to her?”
Shannon’s voice trembled as she searched her scared and incoherent thoughts, trying to think of a way he could get close to her undetected. His anger intensified as he waited impatiently at her silence. Without thinking, Shannon blurted out, “She lives on the second floor flat at Grady’s. But there is an unused third floor flat. Not many know, but you can gain access to it from outside. There is an old rusted out fire escape that is covered in ivy, as it’
s gone unused for decades. No one goes up there.”
Dalton snaked his thin lips over her forehead, placing a revolting kiss.
“Good girl.”
“Hey, Behr. So, tell me how it feels to be back on the water.” Ellora balanced her cell in between her shoulder and ear while sanding down the freshly spackled sheetrock. The place already looked one-hundred percent better after she hung them on all the walls.
“Aye, it’s a beautiful day for it, that’s for sure. I was just checkin’ in to see if you’re a’right and if you need me for anythin’, love.”
Ellora decided she’d tease him a little bit. He’d been calling every hour asking her the same questions. “There is something I need from you, Behr…” Dropping her voice a few seductive octaves, she said in a husky tone, “But, it has nothing to do with work… and everything to do with being alone with you.”
Ellora held in her laugh when he choked, stammering and sputtering on the other line. She couldn’t hold it in any longer and finally let her laugh go, snorting like a pig. “Ha! That’s what happens when you ask the same question for the hundredth time in a row… Ninety-nine times is my limit, Behr. You’re all out.”
Behr’s roaring laughter crackled through the speakers on her phone as the bass in his voice thundered on the other line. “Ah, you lil’ she-devil. You’ll pay for that. Nearly killed me, ya did. I’m docking now at the terminal. Didja want to go to Grady’s for a bite? I could meet you there and walk you down, love.”
Ellora beamed as she heard him exiting the busy terminal. Behr would go out of his way for her, without exception, even if it didn’t make sense. Always the thoughtful gentleman. “No, that’s okay. I’ll meet you at Grady’s. It’s half-way for the both of us.”
Behr sighed in resignation. “I’d really rather walk with my girl on my arm down there. But, I know how stubborn you are.” He chuckled lightly, changing the subject. “So how’s my favorite handy woman today?”
Smiling from ear to ear, the busy girl stopped what she was doing to sit down. “I’m doing all right, just sanding down the sheetrock on the walls. I should be ready to paint in a week. The custom windows I ordered will be here the day after tomorrow. Thank God! I’ll finally be able to take the plywood off the windows.” Ellora hesitated for a moment. “It gets super creepy in here sometimes.”
“What do you mean, sweetheart? Would you like me to walk through the place again?” After her attack, Behr had become adamant about checking every single room before Ellora ever stepped foot in it… Even at Grady’s. He always walked in her little apartment and made sure it was safe before he left her side for the night. His fear and touching concern was giving him a major case of OCD. It pulled at her heart strings.
“No. It’s just… I don’t know. I feel like I’m being watched or something. I get this sinking feeling, like I’m not alone in here. Maybe this old building is haunted or something?” Ellora forced out a laugh, feeling silly for saying it out loud.
“Maybe it’s your ma and da watching over you,” Behr suggested, trying to ease her nerves.
“No, it’s a completely different feeling I get. It makes my stomach sick. Sometimes, it reminds me of… of the time I walked into a room in my father’s house and he was there.”
Ellora didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Behr’s voice dropped in seriousness. It sounded like he was her very own warrior. “I’m coming!” Before Ellora could tell him it was just a stupid feeling, that she’d probably just imagined it, and she’d meet him at Grady’s, he hung up the phone. Checking the time on her cell, Ellora gave him five minutes before he burst through the door like a beast on a mission.
She dropped what she was doing and hurried to the door. Oh shit. My bags. Ellora cursed, turning back to grab her stuff. Bending down, she reached out to snatch up her backpack and tool belt, when she froze on the spot. The whole world shifted on its axis. A slight breeze wafted at her back, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood in warning. Icy chills trickled down her spine, because there were no windows or doors open for this to be possible. A dark figure moved out of the corner of her eye.
She wasn’t crazy, she told herself over and over. She may have been hyperaware, but she’d seen it! She knew she did. All the blood drained from her face as she got up enough nerve and slowly turned around. With dilated eyes, her adrenaline flooded her system. A cold sweat broke out all over, causing her shirt to stick to her skin.
“Don’t freeze up this time, Lor… Go!” She emboldened herself. Dropping the bags, Ellora sprinted toward the door. She flung it open harder than necessary. Bursting through it, she was momentarily blinded when the bright sun shone on her face, and then she crashed into a wall of hard steel.
Behr. Oh, thank God.
Tears dripped down her paling face. Now that she was wrapped securely in his strong, protective arms, Ellora blushed. Her reaction seemed extremely foolish now.
Obviously, she must’ve imagined the whole thing. After all, she was still skittish inside that building after her last attack, and must’ve psyched herself out talking about ghosts with Behr. It was just her imagination… Right?
“Ellora! What happened? Are you a’right? What’s going on?” He flooded her with questions and only stopped when his green-eyed beauty spoke up.
“Nothing. It’s… I’m okay. I think I just got scared, that’s all. I’ve been cooped up in that dark warehouse for far too long. I think I must’ve just been hallucinating.” A shaky laugh came out nervously, not convincing him in the least, given the circumstances. A few more fat tears rolled down her dampened cheeks.
She was tired and overworked. The hours of hard labor and lack of rest left her suspicious and paranoid. She was making herself crazy. Now would be a good time for a break. Behr softly shushed her as he held her tighter to him. “What is it you thought you saw, love?” he asked, kissing the top of her dusty head.
“I don’t know. I thought I saw a dark figure right behind me out of the corner of my eye. It was probably just the sinking feeling in my gut again, really.” Her giant protector rubbed her back in soothing circles, shaking his head in disagreement.
“No. You should always trust your gut instincts, love. They are a God given gift, an internal warning system. It is what has kept you alive in the past. Don’t second guess it, and don’t second guess yourself. C’mon, Lor, let’s get something to eat, yeah? Gavin and I will head back here later to do a thorough walk through, to double check the place.”
“Okay.” Ellora’s voice came out sounding very fragile and small to her own ears.
It was all she could say. An eerie, horrid, nausea churned in warning deep in the pit of her stomach. She wasn’t sure what brought on such an intense reaction, but she definitely didn’t want to be alone in there anymore.
Looking back at the abandoned warehouse one more time, Ellora was led away by Behr, tucked safely into his side. She could’ve sworn she caught sight of a shadow by the cracked glass in the window of the busted door. After forcefully blinking a few times, she looked again… and the shadow was gone. It was probably just the glare of the sun playing tricks on her… she hoped.
Group session ended, and Giddeon waited patiently in the hallway for Eva, watching the other members shuffle out the door. He refused to share anything this week, and he could tell she was royally pissed at him. It’s not that he was trying to be difficult; he just couldn’t bring himself to say anything. The idea of letting a bunch of strangers into his twisted mind, actually telling his story out loud while they eyeballed him, made everything too… real.
The smell of her delicate perfume made it out into the hallway before his Angel did. Walking through the threshold, Eva jumped at the sight of Giddeon. “Holy shit! You scared the crap outta me.” Her outburst generated a smile from him. His Angel had such a dirty mouth. He looked down at her tempting bow-shaped lips. Eva noticed the gesture, narrowed her eyes, and pursed her lips. “What is it, Giddeon?”
Her agitatio
n took him aback. “I’m sorry, Angel. I didn’t mean to scare you.”
Eva watched as he reached out and absentmindedly tucked a stray hair behind her ear, distracting her from her bad mood.
“Can we have dinner tonight? Let me take you to dinner.” Giddeon was just as shocked as she looked, left staring in disbelief as the off-topic and very random sentence left his mouth. It wasn’t what Giddeon wanted to say at all, but once uttered, he had to own it.
Eva snatched the hair he just tucked away and aggressively untucked it. Chuckling, he shook his head at her defiance. “What? Like on a date? Hell no! Giddeon, I’m your group leader! And… and… you’re a mess. I mean no offense… I’m not judging. I’ve been where you are.”
Her quick refusal stung a little. “I doubt it,” he mumbled under his breath.
Eva continued without pause, “Open up. Use the group to get yourself right, okay?” Giddeon thought about what she said for a minute, but once again, his mouth jumped the gun. “How about lunch? A feisty girl like you has got to have a good healthy appetite on her.”
His golden Angel lifted an amused brow and smirked at him. “You just don’t quit, do you? I should give you a break because you’re new, but I know you could do better if you actually tried. Make an effort in group… for me, okay? Otherwise, you’ll make me look bad in there, all right.” She winked at him and crossed her arms over her chest. This action pushed her cleavage up in a tantalizing fashion.
Completely mesmerized, Giddeon would’ve done anything she’d asked him to do. “How about if you have coffee with me, and I’ll tell you a story from my past. C’mon… coffee is harmless, right?”
Beyond Redemption (Marked Series Book 2) Page 9