He’s behind me as I run toward the street. I can feel him. I can hear him wheezing. I must’ve damaged his throat more than I expected. I smile to myself for the small victory. But if I don’t make it to the road, I won’t be celebrating anything. I’ll be regretting every move I ever made.
My feet hit pavement. Inside my head I scream for joy, but it’s short-lived because I know he is only three strides in my wake. If I slow by one second, I’ll be his. As I run, I see headlights barreling toward me. I almost cry out, but know I need the oxygen more for pumping my legs than giving sound to my voice.
I pick up the pace, pushing myself further than I’ve ever pushed. My muscles scream in agony, but I don’t listen. I can’t afford to. I run and run and run until finally I am right in front of a shiny new sports car, waving my hands for the driver to stop. The car does. Missing me by a mere inch.
I bend over and press my hands to the hood, hoping this is my salvation. The driver door opens and a figure gets out. I can’t make him out because of the headlights blinding me, but I can tell it’s a man.
Then his voice devastates me, and I fall to my knees.
“Allie?! Oh God, Allie.”
Chapter Nine
SETH
When I see her illuminated in the headlights, I can barely breathe. There are bruises and blood staining her pale skin. Her hair is a tangle of fire around her face. She looks like she’s been through hell and more. My hands shake so bad that I fumble at the door in the car. I finally open it on the third try and jump out.
She falls to the ground just as I round the front of the car. But I can’t reach her before Theo catches up and pulls her to his chest. He drags her backwards. I rush him but stop cold when I see the glint of the blade pressed against Allegra’s throat.
“I’ll slice her if you come any closer!” Theo’s eyes glint with madness. “I swear to Christ I will kill her.” He’s sobbing and he looks just as beat-up and disheveled as she does.
Obviously my girl has a lot of fight in her. My gut clenches that she had to.
I lift my hands out to him, to show him I’m unarmed. “Theo, this doesn’t have to end badly. You don’t want to hurt her. I know you don’t.”
“I love her!”
“I know you do. I do too.”
“You don’t love her,” Theo snarls, saliva dribbling down his chin. “Not the way I do. You just want to fuck her. You want to own her with your kinky games. You want to make her dirty like you!”
“That’s not true.” I’m talking to Theo, but my eyes are on Allegra. “I want to take care of her. I want to make her happy.”
“You can’t make her happy.” Theo’s voice is a distorted scream. “She’s mine! She’s mine, and you ruined her! You turned her into a dirty whore! She’ll never be happy again.”
Allegra’s eyes widen as he drags her backwards. The blade is dangerously close to slicing her skin, the creamy white already red from where he’s pressed. My gut churns at the sight.
Those big emerald eyes are fixed on me, and I can see the terror in them. There’s awareness there too, and that’s the hardest thing to see. She knows that either she or Theo is about to die.
“Theo, let her go. Don’t punish her for what I did to you.” I move forward slowly. I don’t want to rush him, because he will stick that knife in her before I can get there. “I know it’s me you’re angry at. You want to hurt me, not her.”
“But if you love her like you say you do, then I am hurting you.” He grins, and it makes my skin crawl. The man is completely unbalanced. I knew he was crazy but had no idea that he would break like this. I underestimated him and now Allegra’s life is in danger. I may not be holding the knife, but I’m definitely responsible for this.
Theo lifts the blade from her throat. I think he’s maybe come to his senses, but that thought is short-lived when I see him raise the knife above her. He’s going to stab her.
I bolt into action.
Springing forward, I reach for him. As his arm slices down, Allegra elbows him in the gut and stomps her foot down on his shin. He releases his hold on her enough that she springs forward, dropping to the ground at the same time. I’m just able to grip him around the waist, as I plummet forward.
We both collapse to the ground. His arm comes down, and the knife with it. It misses its intended target, and grazes me across the shoulder. Thankfully my leather jacket protects me from a more grievous wound. As it is, I can tell it’s just parted my skin. The pain is instant and I grimace but I don’t relinquish my hold on Theo. I have him now. And I don’t intend to let go until he is subdued forever.
On top of him, I knock the knife away. He tries to hit me in the face, but I’m able to dodge him easily. I wrap one hand around his neck and squeeze. He kicks and bucks beneath me, but I’m stronger. I have more rage.
As I glower down at his face, all I can think of is hurting him. I want to end his life so badly I vibrate with the force of it. His eyes bug out. His lips are turning purple. A few more minutes and it will all be over. Allegra won’t ever have to worry about being terrorized by him again.
It’s the thought of her that stays my hand.
I gradually release my hold on his neck, and push away from him. On hands and knees, I scramble toward where Allegra lies on the ground. I grab hold of her and pull her head into my lap. Her whole body trembles. I brush the hair from her face. I need to see her eyes. I need to see her face. I need to know she’s all right, that I got to her in time.
Her eyes blink open. “Seth?”
“I’m here, babe. I’ve got you.” She breaks then and sobs into my leg. I hold her close and run my hands over her. “You’re all right. You’re safe.”
“Did... did you kill him?”
I shake my head. “I couldn’t.”
“It’s okay,” she murmurs. “I didn’t want you to.”
The sound of sirens approaching lifts my head. Tristan was true to his word. Once I got the address from Hector, I called Tristan and told him to call the police with an anonymous tip about a violent attack on a woman. He gave me thirty minutes to do what I needed to do. I had full intention of ending Theo for hurting Allegra, but when it came down to it, I couldn’t do it. I wanted to. I shook with it, but I knew it would destroy her.
She’s already been through so much.
As the blue and red lights wash over us, I rock her in my lap. Officers swarm the place but I won’t let them touch her. It’s Officer Martinez who finally tells the others to back off. He sees right through the polish I now have—he remembers me. Remembers what I once did for love.
He knows I’ll never let her go.
Chapter Ten
ALLEGRA
I don’t mind looking in the bathroom mirror so much anymore. It’s been two weeks and my swollen black eye is now just a gross green color. My nose thankfully didn’t break, but it’s still tender when I touch it. My lips healed first. Which was beneficial, since Seth wanted to kiss my mouth and he was so desperate looking I didn’t want to crush him by telling him it hurt too damn much.
My dad knocks on the bathroom door, startling me a little. “I made you some pancakes, pumpkin.”
Pumpkin. He hasn’t called me that since I was in grade school.
“Chocolate chip?”
“Of course.”
I smile. “I’ll be right down.”
He’s been attending to me 24-7—whenever Seth lets him, that is. Seth hired a nurse at the beginning to take care of me, and wanted to hire a maid and cook, but Sam would have none of that. He allowed the nurse for the first few days, but then sent her away. I know guilt is eating him up inside, no matter how much I reassure him that none of this is his fault. Every time he looks at me, I know he’s wondering how he could have prevented his son from hurting me. What went wrong with Theo. Seth does it too. I tell them both that absolution is theirs if they want it. I don’t blame either of them. I blame Theo. Period.
I slick my wet hair back into a ponytail
and slip on some old ratty shorts and a T-shirt. Seth’s T-shirt. The one I wore that night. I had it washed, obviously, but I didn’t want to give it back to him. Although it doesn’t smell like him anymore, it does remind me of him, and of what he did for me.
When I walk into the kitchen, my dad has a fluffy three-stack of pancakes on a plate ready for me. He hands me a fork and the syrup, real maple all the way from Canada. Seth got it for me.
“Bon appetite.”
Sighing, I sit and dig into them. The first bite is like ambrosia on my tongue—my appetite has slowly come back. I smile at my dad. “You are a pancake wizard.”
“I have my talents.” He returns the smile, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.
I reach across the table and squeeze his hand. “I love you, Pops.”
“I love you too.”
“And I love the both of you.”
I turn to see Seth standing in the doorway from the living room. He’s become a permanent fixture at the house. Sam had no choice but to let him move back into the room over the garage, because basically Seth didn’t give him one. He said he was staying and that was the end of the conversation. I reassured my dad that at least he wasn’t sleeping inside the house.
I don’t think it gave him much comfort.
Secretly though, I think he was happy that Seth demanded to stay. I think in a way he was glad of the opportunity to absolve his guilt when it came to his former stepson.
My dad stands. “I’ll leave you to it.” He backs out of the kitchen.
Yeah. Big change.
Seth sits in the vacated chair and picks off a piece of my pancake. He pops it into his mouth. “Mmm, not too shabby.”
“Don’t get too excited, I didn’t make them. My cooking skills are mediocre at best.”
He grins and steals off another piece. “So. I’m taking you for a drive.”
He looks entirely too innocent, and I narrow my eyes at him. “What are you up to?”
“Nothing. Don’t you want to get out of this house?”
“Yes, but you’re looking at me funny.”
He shifts chairs so that he’s sitting next to me, then leans in and nibbles lightly on my mouth. “That’s cuz I love you so much.”
I sigh. I admit it. When I hear him say those words, I melt into a lovey pile of goo. I never tire of him saying it to me. I know he wants me to move to New York with him. He’s told me as much. Says when I’m all healed, we can get a flight and we can live happily ever after in his penthouse apartment in Manhattan.
I’m not sure I want to go. I love him. I do. More than any man I’ve ever known, but I’m not sure I can leave this town. Or my dad. He’s all alone, now that Theo is locked up for a good long time. I can’t abandon him. I won’t.
I put on a simple sundress so I don’t look too shabby. I don’t want people to think I’m some homeless bum. When I walk out of the house, Seth is waiting for me by the car. The ’69 cherry-red Mustang he had shipped down to him from New York. He opens the door for me and we’re off.
Ten minutes later we’re cruising along the waterfront. We pass large, expensive condos, then gated communities. I look around, wondering where the hell he’s taking me. I’ve never been in this area of town before. Too rich for my blood.
He pulls the car into a half-moon driveway and parks in front of gorgeous Georgian-style house. Actually it’s more than a house, it’s a mansion.
“What are we doing here?”
“You’ll see.” He gets out of the car, comes around to my side and opens the door for me. He gives me his hand and I let him help me out of the car.
He unlocks the house and we go in. It’s huge and empty and I’m not sure what the hell is going on.
“Whose house is this?” I peer into the massive living room. “Cause the local police really frown on trespassing.”
“It’s yours.”
Say what? “What do you mean it’s mine?”
“I bought it for you.” He hands me the keys, then rocks back on his heels, nerves dancing over his face.
I gape at him. “Um, you can’t just buy me a house.”
“Why not? It’s not like I don’t have the money.”
“I know, it’s just... so obscene. You buy your girlfriend some jewelry; you buy her a new iPhone, maybe, or maybe a car, but a house...?” I spin in a circle.
“How about a wife? Can I buy my wife a house?”
I slowly turn back around to look at him. He’s down on one knee.
My heart drops to the pit of my stomach then then goes soaring off into the stratosphere.
“Seth.”
He raises his hand up to me. Lying on the palm is the most spectacular ring I’ve ever seen. White braided gold with a ruby the size of my head.
“Allegra Flynn, will you marry me?”
“Are you kidding me?”
He chuckles. “No, I’m quite serious right now.”
“Where did you get that ring?”
“I bought it years ago when I was in Tangiers. It reminded me of you. I’ve carried it around ever since.”
The tears come. I can’t hold them back. I reach for the ring, and then stop. “Does that mean we’re not moving to New York? Please say we’re not moving to New York.”
He doesn’t roll his eyes, but I can tell it’s hurting him not to. “No. We’re not moving to New York.”
I squeal. “Then yes. Yes, Seth Thorne, I will marry you.”
Seth takes my hand and slides the ring onto my finger. I blink down at it. It looks so foreign on my hand.
Foreign, and yet so right.
Seth stands and swoops me up into his arms. His mouth covers mine and I don’t feel any pain whatsoever. He pulls the tie from my ponytail, and buries his hands into my hair. He deepens the kiss and I’m lost to him.
It nearly kills me, but I pull back. I have one very important question to ask him.
“Hurry.” His hands slide from my hair down to my butt, where they squeeze. I try to slide away, but that just brings me into contact with his erection. “What is it?”
I sigh into his mouth, savoring the sensation of his hands on my body. But I have to ask. It’s important.
“Spit it out.” He kisses down my neck, and I shiver. When I finally manage to speak, I almost shout.
“We’re not going to tell anyone that you were once my stepbrother, right?”
He doesn’t answer. He just laughs. Finally I join in, lust mixing with the mirth until we collapse on the floor, our legs unable to support us.
“Allegra.” He kisses the top of my head, his voice cracking with laughter. “You’ve been a lot of things to me. But let’s get this straight...
“I never thought of you as my sister.”
Coming June 2015... The Other Fighter!
Freedom.
I want lots of things out of life, but this... this is what I crave most. And with a dead-end relationship in my rearview mirror and a new business ahead, that freedom is finally within reach.
Of course, fate is an evil bitch.
People I have nothing to do with expect me to settle my brother’s debt— and if I don’t pay with cash, I pay with my life. I’ll be dead very soon... but not if a certain sexy-as-sin fighter with a Prince Charming complex has a say in the matter. One who’s decided to help me out of this mess, whether I want him to or not.
I might escape all of this with my life. But I already know it won't be so easy to hold on to my heart...
Read on for an excerpt from Dahlia by Design by Tawny Stokes, coming soon!
The music blasting from the speakers thumped over me. It brushed my skin looking for a way in. But it was already in. Deep. It was part of me now as I gyrated on the dance floor. There was no escaping the tendrils of bass and tempo. I was its prisoner. It had a hold of me and I never wanted to let go.
This was where I lived. This was my house. Here and now. The dance floor. The club was my place of worship and I fucking prayed all night long. Give me an
Amen sister!
The night out was a welcome reprieve from the stress of ending a semester of school and starting a new one. I also had my first interview for an internship at a design firm. It was between me and two other candidates. I felt like I nailed it but it still wasn’t a for sure thing. My stress levels had skyrocketed and I needed a night out to just let it all go. I planned on doing that and more.
My friend Fiona nudged me in the side to get my attention. When I turned to acknowledge her she handed me another shot. I took it, downed it, not caring what it was. At this point in the night it didn’t really matter. One alcohol was the same as the next. It was just all fuel to me now. To keep me on the dance floor. To keep my body moving to the seductive rhythm coming from the speakers.
I lifted my arms and closed my eyes as the next riff clicked into gear. My skin was sweat slicked and my clothes stuck to my body. I knew that my nipples were likely visible now through the thin material of my white cotton t-shirt. But I didn’t care. Men stared at me. I could feel their probing gazes on my body. I welcomed it. I was on display and that was fine by me.
I turned in a circle and swayed my hips letting the sound wash over me. It was a religious experience. The DJ was my deity.
Amen motherfucker.
“Dahl.” My other friend Rachel tapped my shoulder.
“I’m dancing.”
“Dahl. Open your damn eyes.”
I did. And that’s when I saw him.
It was kind of hard not to see him since he was standing directly in front of me with a lop-sided sexy grin and piercing blue eyes.
He had on a button down dress shirt that had the top two buttons undone. Jeans that fit him real nice and a red tie draped around his neck. My fingers itched to reach up and tug on it. His golden blond hair was a little shaggy, a little messy but all kinds of sexy. I wanted to stroke my fingers over it to see if it was a silky as it looked.
“Hi,” I said. Not the most eloquent thing to say but it was all I could muster. My tongue felt thick in my mouth just from looking at him.
The Other Brother Part 3: Illicit Page 6