“Ouch!” Claudia wailed.
Daniel looked down at her in surprise. Claudia shook her aching hand and glared at him in annoyance. He could at least look a tiny bit injured. Or like he even noticed she had just punched him. Instead he looked mildly confused. Well, here goes, thought Claudia reaching for the other gun still in Daniel’s holster, think Anya and let’s do this shit. Before he could react, Claudia launched herself around the side of the desk closest to the outside doors and started shooting at the marble pillars containing bad guys.
Daniel looked shocked for a split second as he realized Claudia had swiped one of the guns. She feared he would reach out and snatch her back rather than go after the terrified blind woman.
“Go get her!” Claudia snapped, trying to infuse as much command into her voice as she could manage.
Used to acting quickly, Daniel didn’t say another word. He took the questionable cover fire she was laying down and dove for other woman. The shooters were focusing mainly on their target, Claudia, and trying not to get shot by her. It became quickly obvious they were trying to pin her down without killing her. Daniel ran in a crouch and swooped the other girl up into his arms. Her terrified shriek drew the shooters’ attention back to him.
“Motherfucker!” Daniel snarled, taking a hit in the back.
Claudia felt sick and desperately hoped he was wearing his usual armour underneath his jacket. She flung her arm around the side of the desk and squeezed off several more shots, trying to lay cover so Daniel could get back to the relative safety of the big reception desk. The attackers responded by shooting all around her again without actually getting too close to her position.
Using his body to protect the terrified woman in his arms, Daniel dove for cover behind the concierge desk. “You’re safe,” he said in his gruff voice, dropping the terrified woman and using his weapon to draw fire back to himself.
“Get your ass back here,” he snapped at Claudia.
Relieved that Daniel and the woman were safe once more, Claudia crawled back toward him, her hair swinging wildly around her face. When she reached his side, Daniel snatched his gun from her shaking hand, checked the chamber and shoved her down next to the other woman. Claudia went willingly, happy to relinquish control to the big bodyguard once more.
“Are you hurt?” Claudia asked the woman, touching her shoulder gently. When she flinched away, Claudia said soothingly, “I’m not going to hurt you.”
“Wh… what’s happening?” The woman asked, pushing dark curls off her face and sitting up with Claudia’s help. Her blank, brown eyes reflected her confusion and terror.
“We’re being shot at,” Claudia answered quickly.
“I’m blind, not stupid. I figured that much out from the shooting sounds!” She snapped back. “Why are we being shot at in what’s supposed to be one of the most secure and safe buildings in the city? Tyson King lives here, for the love of god! This place should be a fortress.”
Claudia blinked in surprise and then smiled involuntarily. The woman had spunk, which Claudia could appreciate. She reminded Claudia a little of Anya. “I’m Claudia, Tyson’s… girlfriend,” she supplied. “And the guy that grabbed you is Daniel Mercer, Tyson’s head of security. If anyone can keep us safe until help arrives it’s him.”
She conveniently left out the part where it was her fault they were sitting in a shooting range. Her desperate gaze lifted to Daniel, silently begging him to save them. Daniel looked back, his eyes hooded, expression grave. Claudia had put her arm around the other woman to protect and comfort the blind girl. The woman seemed to accept the embrace, clutching Claudia back.
Finally she spoke, her voice shaking a little. “My name is Addie… Addie Sterling.”
“Hi Addie,” Claudia said into her ear over the sound of gunfire. “It’s nice to meet you.”
The absurdity of their polite meeting hit both women and they laughed together quietly crouched on the floor. Claudia was busy reassuring Addie as best she could when Daniel’s sharp gaze swivelled to the right, toward the elevator bank. Claudia followed his line of sight and watched in horror as two men burst through the stairwell door next to the elevators. The three of them were completely vulnerable where they were crouched, not even hidden from that angle.
Luckily Daniel saw the men before they had time to register the trio. He ruthlessly took them out where they stood. Both bodies hit the floor, one right after the other. Daniel shouted at two more men that came hurtling out of the stairwell. Claudia stiffened in terror before she recognized them. They were Daniel’s men, and by extension Tyson’s! The tension left her as the two used the doorway for cover and shot up the marble pillars, forcing the remaining gunmen to flee. In a matter of seconds, the entire ordeal was ended. The gunmen covered each other until they could reach the main doors and run for safety now that they were outnumbered.
Daniel stood, taking Claudia’s arm and forced her to her feet. She yelped and stumbled, dropping her arms from Addie. The other woman lay on the floor, pushing herself up by her arms and staring blankly around in confusion.
“Daniel!” Claudia gasped, bracing herself against him. She hastily removed her hand when his icy eyes swept her with chilling intensity.
“Is the penthouse still secure?” Mercer asked his men.
“Yeah, I think so,” muttered the closest one. “We caught these bastards on their way up. They had equipment to break through the reinforced stairwell door, but didn’t get that far.”
“Good. Take her upstairs,” he snapped, shoving Claudia at Brandon, one of the other bodyguards. “King is on his way, he’ll want to see her safe. Stay with her until he arrives. Sweep the penthouse for good measure.”
Turning to Theo, he said, “Stay for the police report. Give only the necessary information. They can talk to me if they have a problem. Have the rest of our guys sweep the building. I’ll be with Miss Sterling in her apartment, suite 1210.”
Claudia stumbled a little as Brandon forced her to step around a dead body. Claudia was beginning to wonder if being an unbearable asshole was a prerequisite for becoming a bodyguard. She also wondered how the heck Daniel knew where Addie Sterling lived. Did he memorize everyone in the building for potential threats?
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” Addie snapped crossly, earning a smile from Claudia as Brandon pulled her past them. She reached out and gave Addie’s limp hand a quick squeeze.
“I heard what you said to that other guy. You know where I live, which under any other circumstances would make me extremely uncomfortable. But since I just survived some kind of wild west showdown, I’m just going to be grateful for my life and not question why you seem to know my name and apartment number. But I’ll thank you to leave me the hell alone. I don’t know you and I don’t trust you.”
Claudia craned her head to hear the rest of what Addie was saying to Daniel. She wanted to cheer for the other woman and tell her to give the guy hell. Another part of her wanted to warn the woman to tread carefully since she couldn’t see the extent of Daniel Mercer’s icy, terrifying demeanor. At the moment his visage was decidedly more grim than usual.
The last thing Claudia saw was Daniel reach for the other woman and say in a growl, “You’re coming with me.”
The elevator doors closed behind Claudia and Brandon. Claudia yanked her arm out of his steely grip and glared at him. “Why don’t you guys make it easier for a woman to appreciate your protection?”
Brandon looked over at Claudia. He was about the same height as her, but thickly muscled. He shrugged and answered, “We don’t get paid to make nice with the boss’ woman. Just save her ass when it gets shot at.”
Claudia shot him a look and crossed her arms in front of her. “Is that right? I bet if I asked Tyson, he’d make you guys smile for me.”
His face finally cracked in a half grin. “Probably. But you ain’t going to do that.”
“And why is that?”
“Because bodyguards are more effective
and sexier when we’re being serious and menacing,” he said completely serious.
Claudia laughed as the elevator arrived at the penthouse suite. The doors slid open with a ding. She looked up into the face of Dante Marquez. He was holding a handgun out and it was trained on her head. Her mirth fled as she turned anguished eyes on Brandon who was reaching for his gun. Before he could get it out of the holster Dante shot him in the head. Blood sprayed across the elevator, splattering across Claudia’s white skirt, Brandon hit the floor of the elevator, dead.
Dante tucked his gun into his pants and reached for Claudia. She balled her hand up into a fist and sent it flying into his jaw, hoping to distract him enough to run past him and make it into the penthouse.
The hit wasn’t hard enough. It only swung his head to the side. He turned back to her, his black gaze cold and merciless. He retaliated swiftly, striking Claudia in the side of the head with so much force she was knocked right off her feet and into the side panel of the elevator. He grabbed her arm before she could slide to the ground and held her tightly.
Claudia whimpered and reached out to brace herself against the wall, her head swimming unbearably. She put a hand over her cheek and ear where he had struck her. The skin was numb to her gentle touch. She could feel heat flushing her skin. She had been stupid to attack him. Now he would probably kill her faster.
Dante hauled her off the elevator, over Brandon’s limp body and dragged her bodily down the hall to the door of the penthouse. He threw her into the door and growled, “Open it.”
Claudia thought about denying him entry to the penthouse. Once she entered the door code it would also disarm the alarm panel. There was a panic button on the panel that Tyson had shown her. Dante was arrogant but he wasn’t stupid. He would know what she was doing. She decided to give him what he wanted, hopefully buying herself a few more minutes in the process. If Tyson could reach her in time he would tear the murdering bastard apart with his bare hands. She entered the code for the penthouse and staggered helplessly as Dante strode in with her in tow.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“I’ve missed you, Alicia.”
Claudia stared in shock and horror as she stumbled into Tyson’s living room. Dante Marquez, her ex-boyfriend, surveyed the room as if he owned the place. He looked the same as he had when she’d last seen him a year and a half ago. He was a few inches shorter than her in her expensive heels. His chest and shoulders were leanly muscled. His tanned skin and black hair attested to his Cuban ancestry. He was a handsome man, with dark eyes, a sharp nose and high cheekbones.
Though she despised him with every part of her, she also saw the original appeal. Claudia had spent months agonizing over the stupidity of her decisions. In the face of Dante’s commanding presence and good looks, it was a miracle any woman could resist him. Until they saw the darkness that lurked within. It hadn’t taken Claudia long to discover his true colours. She wondered how many other women had found out too late.
“Dante,” she said quietly.
He turned to her, studying her striking features in minute detail as though memorizing her. Claudia’s heart sped up as he reached for her, taking her hand in a hard grip and forcing her to step into the heat of his body. She stiffened at the feel of her soft breasts meeting his hard shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her and held her loosely in his embrace, his eyes searching her face and body.
“Being a rich man’s whore looks good on you, Alicia.”
Claudia shuddered when he pushed his nose under her ear and nuzzled her jaw. “My name is Claudia now,” she said defiantly.
He breathed in her scent and started rocking her as though dancing. Claudia stumbled against him, the adrenalin from the gunfight, the shock from Brandon’s pointless death and the blow to her head conspiring to drain all of the energy from her body. His arms tightened around her and he continued to rock her against him, drawing a hand over her shoulder and smoothing it down the cascade of soft, wavy hair. Claudia shuddered in his grip, wanting nothing more than to break away from him, but fearing what her unpredictable ex would do if she shoved him away.
“You will always be my Alicia,” he murmured into her hair. “The only pussy to make me want her so bad I was willing to deal with Delgado. You’ve embarrassed me where he’s concerned, Alicia. I’m afraid he wants me to torture you for that thing you took and then get rid of you.”
She shuddered again, her breath catching in her throat. “Tyson is on his way, Dante. He’s a powerful man. He won’t enjoy finding you here in his home, touching his woman.”
Dante nodded against her shoulder, still holding her tightly. “That’s what I was planning on. We knew eventually he would show himself. The big man himself, drawn out of hiding. He’ll discover his favourite possession is missing.”
Claudia frowned, still stumbling to keep up with Dante’s disjointed movements. “Why would you want him to find you? He’s going to kill you when he finds you here. Just go, you still have time to get away.”
Dante finally stopped moving and pushed Claudia back a few steps. He looked into her beautiful face, reached out to touch the cheek that was beginning to darken in a bruise. Claudia should have been prepared for the blow. She had known it was coming from the moment she set eyes on her arrogant ex-boyfriend.
His fist hit her square in the stomach, dropping Claudia instantly to the floor. Her arms came around her middle as if to protect herself. Her face strained with the effort to draw in air and gag at the same time. Spots swam in her vision as she slowly lost the fight to get much needed oxygen into her lungs.
Dante bent over her, taking a fist full of her long hair and bringing her face up to his. “I’ve been waiting and watching, you little bitch, for the opportunity to get my hands on you again. I was going to do what Delgado wanted, torture and kill you.”
Claudia moaned as he once more dropped his head into the crook of her shoulder and bit down hard on the tender skin. “But I find I still want a piece of this ass again before I slit that pretty throat.” He dropped his hand and squeezed the globe of her ass cheek viciously, drawing a pained yelp from the woman under him.
Still hunched down in front of her, Dante pulled a radio off his belt and said, “Marquez here, where’s my ride at?”
A crackling reply answered, “ETA ten minutes.”
Dante leered down at her, menace twisting his good looks. “I think I’ll fuck you in his bed. We’ll find out how much he wants for my sloppy seconds. I’d rather deal with money than shit like Delgado. Now that Miami is closed, I can use the extra cash.”
Dante dragged her up by the hair. Claudia reached out to grab the counter for balance, but he yanked her back into his arms, crushing her in a painful embrace. His lips found hers, caressing her gently. Dante had always been cruel that way. Keeping her on edge with his gentleness, wondering when he might turn on her in a rage.
“You’re delusional if you think Tyson won’t kill you for this,” Claudia gasped, trying to push him away.
Dante bit down on her lip drawing blood. Claudia cried out, her hand flying up to her mouth. She felt a trickle of blood flow down her chin from the cut. “He can’t touch me, bitch. I have his woman, and I have Delgado at my back. If Tyson King lays a hand on me, he’s a dead man.”
Claudia tried desperately to reason with him as he began dragging her to the back of the penthouse, toward the stairs that lead up to the bedroom. “You’re underestimating Tyson, Dante. He won’t tolerate this. He’s a possessive man and he’s going to lose his shit when he finds out you’ve touched me. I also think you’re overestimating Franco Delgado. From what I’ve heard, he only cares about his Vegas interests.”
He pulled her up the spiral staircase with a hand twisted in her hair. Claudia clutched at the railing trying to keep her balance. He wasted no time with his ten-minute limit. Claudia suspected he planned on leaving the penthouse with her when his ride arrived. She hoped he couldn’t do too much damage in that time and prayed that Tyson arrived be
fore Dante could leave with her.
When they reached the top of the stairs and entered the bedroom, Dante flung Claudia around so she was facing him. “I’ve been watching you with him, Claudia. I know exactly how you like it.” He reached out and took a fist full of her blouse in each hand, tearing the delicate fabric easily and yanking it off of her.
“I’ve seen him buy things for you,” he said, reaching out for her and turning her in his arms. He pressed his chest against her bare back and whispered in her ear while yanking the zipper down on her skirt and pushing the material off her hips. “I know he’s been giving it to you in the ass. Didn’t know you were into that kinky shit, or I’d’ve gone there first.”
She shivered in fear as she stood wearing only her white bra and thong set and a pair of high heels. He pushed her in front of him, walking her awkwardly toward the bed. Claudia resisted, but he held her tightly, pinned against his body. He grabbed a fistful of her long blond hair and shoved her face down onto the bed. He kicked her knees apart, forcing a cry of pain from her. Bent over her with one knee on the bed, hand still in her hair, he breathed into her neck. He reached down and ran his hand roughly over her bare ass cheek, shoving a rough finger into the crotch of her panties.
“Fuck you!” she mumbled into the bedding.
“That’s the plan, bitch,” he snarled, shoving his erection into her hip and fingering her body roughly. “I plan on taking this little asshole, just the way you like it. I’ll tear you apart, make you remember what it’s like to be fucked by me.”
Claudia wanted to cry. She hated that he was going to have sex with her right there on the same bed she and Tyson made love on. That he was going to take her in a place no man had been yet. She wanted Tyson to be her first and last. She wanted him now with an overwhelming desperation. She wanted to tell him she loved him.
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