“Actually—” She broke off, casting her eyes down at her clenched hands.
“What is it? Tell me.”
“Could I have some food?”
Her question stunned him. “When did you last eat?”
“This morning. I needed to make more money first—”
And now he was pissed. Seriously pissed. “Why the fuck didn’t you say anything?”
“I’m used to it. Usually, when I’m broke, I wait until the client’s paid me, and then I grab some food—”
“Fuck!” He left the bed and walked out, slamming the door behind him. It was only when he reached the kitchen that he realized he knew nothing about Alyssa. What she liked to eat, what she liked to do. And what the hell was he going to make her, anyway? He’d never cooked in this kitchen, and although it was kept well-stocked, it would take him the best part of half an hour to navigate the numerous cupboards. When he returned to the room, she was sat where he had left her, her green eyes wide. When he approached her, she flinched. “I’m sorry, Blade—”
What the hell? She was scared of him? He softened his voice. “You’ve done nothing wrong. I was pissed at myself for not realizing—” For not realizing what? That the city was teeming with people who didn’t own hotshot clubs like him and his friends? People who lived in fear. People who went damn hungry, while entrepreneurs like him forged partnerships with those who made money off misery? “What do you want to eat?”
“Anything.”
He sat by her, his bare feet on the Persian rug that covered the wood floor, and then leaned over to the bedside table and opened the drawer. Inside it was a selection of menus. He took out the one for the Dragon restaurant, because it was the most eclectic, and then handed it to her. “Choose.” Her eyes widened as they flitted between the choices and prices. “Don’t worry about the damn price. It’s my place. Have what you want.”
“Chicken pizza?” she ventured.
“Anything else? Fries, onion rings—”
“Are you sure?”
He curbed his frustration and took the landline phone from the bedside table. Leke had insisted on installing one in each villa when they were built, but Blade only ever used it to order food. In addition to the pizza, he asked for a selection of side orders. “Make it fast.”
She seemed calmer now. When he reached for her, she came to him, resting her head against his chest as her arms went around him. He held on to her, her naked body soft against his as he inhaled the scent of her hair. No idea how long they remained like that before the entrance bell buzzed. He pulled on his discarded boxers and pants and then went to the glass doors. The waiter’s expression was blank as he handed the food over. Blade gave him a tip and then returned to the bedroom. When he placed the tray on the bed, she stared at it, her mouth moving as if there was already food inside. “It looks…amazing.”
He smiled. “Well, don’t just stare at it.”
She picked up a piece of pizza, and glanced at him as she bit into it, tentative. She took another bite and then another. And then it was as if she forgot about his presence as she wolfed the rest of the slice down. Another one soon followed. When she picked up the third slice, she glanced at him. “What about you?” He grinned, taking a piece. It was great pizza, its base thin and toppings generous, but better than its taste was the sight of Alyssa making her way through the tray of food. Damn, she had been famished, hadn’t she? He wasn’t hungry himself but took a bite here and there when she insisted. Finally, she was done.
She leaned back against the wall, with her eyes closed and a satisfied smile on her face. Bliss. This was what it looked like. Her highlighted hair fell forward over her face, covering it. She shifted it aside as she opened her eyes. “Thank you, Blade. Tonight has been the best time ever.” And then she came over, settling into his lap as if she belonged there. Her body was warm against his…just right. She lifted her face for a kiss, and as soon as their lips made contact, desire reared its head. His hand went to her breast, cupping and fondling the soft flesh…and then the alarm went off. The damn alarm that he’d set to remind himself of the three hours they’d agreed.
She squirmed in his lap, driving his cock wild. “I’ll leave after this, demon.” Damn right, because there was no way he could let her go now. Part of him wanted to ask her to stay longer, pay whatever it took to keep her here the whole night and even longer, but that wasn’t him. This situation was already messed up, and it would be downright stupid to complicate it further. One more fuck and then he’d let her go.
Make that two fucks.
Afterward, she gave him a gentle kiss on his lips, lingering, and when she stood, he had to resist the urge to bring her back to the bed…pull her into his arms so they could hide under the duvet together. He couldn’t take his eyes away from her as she got dressed, watching as that dress caressed every curve of her body. Once she was ready, he pulled on his pants and then walked her to the living room. He grabbed the money from the table and placed it inside her bag.
She stared up at him, eyes wide and…hopeful? “Meet again, Blade?”
It was what he wanted, more than anything. “Let’s see.”
She walked out and then paused, glancing over her shoulder at him through the open doors, a small smile on her lips. Something resembling fucking joy lit up inside him.
And then she was gone, leaving that emptiness behind.
CHAPTER SIX
* * *
THE DEMON HAD A REPUTATION and was supposed to be hard-assed and all that, but when she was in his arms, she felt safe. He cared about her…didn’t he? She couldn’t think like that. At the most, he might become a regular client, but even that was enough.
I have something to look forward to in my miserable life.
“Hooker! Whore!” The shouts from the young men who crowded the entrance of her apartment block didn’t bother her today. They lived in the same building, and most of them were involved in illegal activities, and—yes—they frequently spent whatever ill-gotten cash they could get together on women like her. Yet, apparently, she was rotten. Even though what she did hurt nobody. Only herself.
She kept that smile stuck to her face, looking ahead and avoiding their scowling faces as she walked through cracked glass doors. They opened into a reception area, but apparently it had been years since a security guard manned it. And even longer since a cleaner touched it. As always, she avoided the elevator that was used as a public toilet by residents who came home drunk, taking the stairs instead. When she reached her floor, the apartment door was ajar. Had Daisy forgotten to lock it? But when she touched the handle, the lock had been broken. That only meant one thing—James’ men had been around. She opened the door to enter the living room and then froze. The lock was only the beginning—the whole place had been ripped apart. The sofas were upturned, curtains shredded and even the peeling wallpaper had been ripped from the cement. And in the middle of all that chaos sat Daisy, against the wall with her knees drawn up to her face.
“Daisy?” Her housemate looked up, black mascara running down her cheeks and lips trembling, but thankfully, there were no new bruises on her face. “Are you all right?”
“Am I all right? What do you think? I told you not to take on those fuckers.” Her housemate stared at her as if this was her fault. Yes, she had refused to go back to James, but even she had the right to say no. Didn’t she? “Why the hell wouldn’t you just listen to me? He’s never going to leave you alone, and when he gets hold of you, you’re going to wish you’d gone back to him the first time he told you to.”
Alyssa pressed herself back against the wall, trying to escape the other woman’s anger. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
“What else did you expect to happen? I didn’t deserve this, Alyssa.”
No she didn’t, no more than Alyssa had deserved what she’d been given. She hadn’t asked to be abandoned as a baby by her mother and left in the care of an abusive father. Yes, she’d been naïve when she made her way
to Manhattan, but she didn’t deserve what she’d gone through at the hands of James and other clients. “Daisy? They didn’t touch you, did they? Are you all right?”
“Yes,” she spat. “No thanks to you. They were wise enough to not rough me up for nothing. They need me to work, don’t they, for those few extra dollars I earn for that miserable cunt James?”
Thank God for that. Alyssa would have been unable to forgive herself if Daisy got hurt. “I’m so glad you’re safe—”
“Get out,” Daisy told her. “I want you out of this apartment and my life. I’ve got enough shit of my own to deal with without getting involved in yours.”
Alyssa didn’t argue with her. After what Daisy had just been through, the least she could do was leave without a fuss. She went into her tiny room, with its single bed and a chair where she chucked her clothes. Luckily, the guys had left the bedrooms alone. She picked up the rucksack she’d brought with her to Manhattan and packed it with her belongings, as sparse as when she arrived. She didn’t want to spoil the red dress she’d worn to Eclipse, so she removed it, rolling it to place it inside the bag. After wrapping a towel around herself, she stepped out of her room and into the bathroom for a quick shower before dressing in old jeans and a tee shirt. She took out the money that Blade had given her, keeping some of it in the rucksack pocket. The rest of it should cover the damage done to the apartment.
Rucksack in hand, she returned to the living room and placed the money on the floor, next to Daisy. “Use this to fix up the apartment.”
Daisy glanced between the money and her. “I can’t. You’ll need it.”
She’d manage, somehow. “Please let me do this, at least.”
To her surprise, the other woman scrambled to her feet and hugged her. “I’m sorry, Alyssa.” And before she stepped away, Alyssa glimpsed the woman Daisy might have been, if she had not been roughened by her experiences. “Listen to me. James has put a load of men out, and they’re crawling all over the borough looking for you. He’s also sent out messages to local businesses with your details. Don’t travel anywhere. Find a place to hide and stay there.”
Shit. She stepped away from the woman she’d never been able to share more than an apartment with and then picked up her rucksack and flung it over her shoulder. She walked out of the place for the last time and closed the door behind her, with no idea of where she would hide.
BLADE WAS JUST ABOUT TO leave the office when he received the call. He picked it up immediately—no choice when it was Drake. He just hoped there was no more trouble for him to deal with. Even before the mobster spoke, his head went through a million scenarios as he tried to figure out why James’ right hand might have contacted him.
The other man’s voice was pleasant enough. “James has asked me to double-check on how things are going with tightening up on his girls.”
Not that crap again. “You’re happy to be involved in this scenario, are you Drake?”
“What the fuck do you think?”
No. From what he knew of the human, he hated getting involved in this side of things, especially because many of the girls were forced to work for James. “Everything’s fine. Junaid’s doing a great job of keeping your girls away. In fact, he’s reported a few to James.”
“According to the list I checked, fifteen now.”
“I just hope they didn’t get into too much trouble.”
“So do I. But you know how unreasonable James can—” He stopped without finishing, but it was the closest Drake had come to criticizing his boss. Was he also fed up with James’ way of doing business? He stored that piece of information at the back of his mind, ready to be used at a future date.
“Everything’s going well. To be honest, once the girls figured we were serious about reporting them, there aren’t as many trying to get in. They’re getting the message.” That’s what he tried to convince himself.
“I’m concerned about a particular girl…Alyssa.”
Blade sucked in his breath. When he spoke, he ensured his bloody voice remained calm, because he couldn’t let the human pick up on the fact that he knew her. “Alyssa? Who is she?” And why the fuck was Drake interested in her? Yes, she worked for the mob boss, but so did the other girls who had received warnings.
“James has declared she belongs to him, and nobody else is to fuck her. No clients, lovers, nobody.” Tension clenched Blade’s chest. What the hell was going on? “James is trying to track her down. Has she been around the club, Blade?”
“No.” It was a miracle he kept his voice under control, even though half a million thoughts rushed through his head. The sadist had laid a claim to her? The thought of her in his hands made him want to fucking kill someone.
“Well, if she turns up—” For a moment, Blade toyed with the idea of telling Drake where to stuff the fucking request, but he came to his senses before he did. After all that work to maintain harmony in the borough, he couldn’t let it fall apart just because he couldn’t keep his dick in his pants, not when it affected so many. “Demon? Listen to me. James is well pissed with Alyssa. If he tracks her down, he will rough her up big time…worse than he has already. I don’t know…maybe it’s best she just comes to him and apologizes. Soothes his ego.”
Damn, the guy hadn’t called to track Alyssa down…he wanted to help her. “Thanks, Drake.”
He ended the call. James was looking for Alyssa, and when he found her—because he would, eventually…the pressure raged through his mind, so intense he wanted to bang his head against the wall. The demon’s rage didn’t come over him often, but right now, when he thought of the danger she was in, it threatened to engulf him. As red flashed before his eyes, he went to the bar in the corner of the office and pulled out some whiskey, drinking it straight from the bottle. And then he took another gulp.
She meant nothing to him. She was just a hooker he had fucked a few times. He’d spent enough time lecturing other supernaturals for losing it over females and wasn’t about to pull the same shit himself. He turned off the laptop, unable to focus on anything else, and then slammed the door behind him before making his way to the villa. His steps were labored as he walked through the garden. Soon, he was inside his compound.
Tonight, even this sanctuary brought no relief.
A shadow shifted before him, and for a moment, he thought his demon senses played with his mind, conjuring up an image of what he wanted to see. But there she was, sat by the bloody pool, a rucksack resting against the lounger. He really needed to start shutting that gate. And what the hell did the security guards do all day? They’d be looking for new jobs if anything like this happened again. “Alyssa? What the fuck are you doing here?”
Her eyes widened as she stood up. She glanced down at her clenched hands. “I’m in trouble”—she could bloody say that again—“and I need your help, Blade.”
“My help?”
“You know James?”
Did he fucking know James? The guy who’d been driving him up the wall for years. “You know I do.”
“I need to get away from him—”
She could say that again. But what the hell was he supposed to do? He couldn’t hide her here, because someone would find out sooner or later. And nowhere in the borough was safe from James’ men. “I can’t help you.”
She stepped closer. “Please…I’ll do whatever it takes.”
He shifted to maintain the distance between them. If she thought this matter could be settled with a fuck, she had another thing coming. “I said no.”
“Please.” Those green eyes misted over, pleading with him. “I’ve got nowhere else to go. Can I stay here, just until I’ve got myself sorted? Just a night or so?”
“Are you bloody kidding me? Where the hell do you get off coming here and expecting to have a place to stay? I hardly know you.”
Her voice was small. “James’ men came around last night and trashed the apartment. My housemate doesn’t want me there, anymore. I don’t blame her, but I need somewhe
re to stay.”
They came around while she was here? The thought that she might have been at home when they came—and what they might have done to her—made him want to roar in frustration. But, damn it, he couldn’t let her stay here. Such an action would only drive a wedge between supernaturals and the mob, and it wouldn’t guarantee her safety, either. Only one thing would. If James was placated.
“Why don’t you go back to wherever you came from?” he suggested, even though the thought of never seeing her again made something tear inside. But that was better than what James might do to her.
“James’ guys are out everywhere looking for me. I can’t risk it. If they catch me—”
Shit. There was no other choice. “You have to make things right with James. If you go to him of your own accord, it will salvage his ego.” It killed him to say it. “I’ll come with you and talk to him, make sure he understands he can’t hurt you. Apologize, and be nice to him.” He nearly choked on his next words. “Beg for forgiveness if you have to…subjugation is what he wants. Do what it takes to bring him around.”
“I won’t go to him. Never.” Her face crumpled. “You’ve got no idea of what James wants. Those cigarette marks and bruises, they’re nothing compared to—” When he said nothing, her eyes widened. “But you do know, don’t you? You know exactly what James is like?” He just about stopped himself from slamming a fist into the wall. No need to scare her even more. She didn’t deserve the shit she’d been through, and he fucking hated himself for not being able to do anything to help her. “Look at me, Blade…if you haven’t got the balls to look at me, then listen. James is a goddamn sadist who doesn’t take no for an answer. I rejected him, and he’ll make me pay, just to set a bloody example.”
There was only one other option left to her. “In that case, you have to hide…somewhere other than here…and make sure he doesn’t find you.”
“But where?” When he remained silent, “So you won’t help me? Blade?”
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