by J. L. Beck
“From our intel, it doesn’t look like he’s attending, and he didn’t RSVP. But if he does show, well, it’ll make for an interesting night since he can’t do anything to me on neutral ground. Nor can he take you away since you’re legally my wife.”
“And Sal…?” she barely whispers.
I smile now, and she looks shocked by it. “If Sal shows up, it’s going to be an excellent night because I’ll finally get to hold up my end of our deal and give you everything I want. He has it coming.”
I leave the dress and go to my closet to gather my own clothing. “I’ll ask Andrea to come help you get ready.”
Her eyes are shimmering with tears, and my heart clenches. I want to comfort her, but she needs to do this. She needs to face these people for herself. And while she does, I’ll keep her safe.
I meet Valentina and my team at the elevators when it’s time to leave. As usual, she looks stunning. She fidgets with the tiny bag in her hands as if she has no clue what to do with her fingers.
When she reaches me, I lift her chin and stare into her eyes. “You are my wife. You’ll be the mother of my children, and you should keep your chin up. No one talks down to you, no one touches you, and no one but my team goes anywhere with you alone. Understood?”
She swallows heavily and then nods. I’m proud of her as she keeps her head high all the way to the car. Once inside, I settle her on the seat next to me, needing to touch her before I have to slip into the mask of society.
“Don’t be alarmed if I treat you or anyone else differently while we are at this party. People come to expect certain things from me, and I like to maintain the façade so they don’t look deeper.”
She lifts her chin to stare up at my face. “I don’t like lying.”
“You don’t have to lie. If they make assumptions about you or me, that’s on them. Let them dig their own graves. It makes our lives easier.”
A slow shiver moves through her, and I clutch her tighter. “We won’t stay any longer than necessary. I have a little business to handle, and then once we’ve shown our face around the ballroom, we can leave.”
The car pulls up outside The Holland Hotel, and Kai opens the passenger door to assist Valentina out. No one will be able to take their eyes off her tonight. She’s accented the dress with heavy eye makeup that makes her smolder. Her hair, for once, is straight in a long sheet down to her shoulder blades. Andrea slicked it away from her face, making my little angel look like hell in high heels. I want these people to think she’ll eat them alive, and Andrea certainly helped deliver.
We enter the party with Val tucked tight to my arm. My team, also in black, fans out behind us. They’ve already been briefed that Valentina’s safety comes first. Also, if Sal dares show his face, they are to grab him if they can and stash him until we leave.
I scan the partygoers’ faces as they stare. Each of them eyes our clothing, and then their eyes bug out as they notice the rings on our fingers, which I made to display prominently. The sooner they all know Valentina’s mine, the better. There won’t be any misunderstandings that way. I’d hate to break the rules of the hotel for a little misunderstanding.
We reach the bar, and I order her a drink. It’ll keep her fingers busy and her ring out for everyone to note. I wish I’d had time to bend her over the bed and mark her pretty skin with my teeth. Give them another reason to talk and her another mark of my ownership.
I don’t know why we have this same party every year. The same people, the same location, the same drinks. Death and decay are the only things that make a change in this crowd, which doesn’t seem like a reason to celebrate to me. My father used to tell me the end-of-the-season party was a way to start negotiation for alliances since no one can move on other territories out of season…that time is reserved for new partnerships.
There’s not a single person here who I’d want to align myself with. No one I can trust except my own men.
Val squeezes my arm, and I do a quick sweep of her head to toe to make sure she’s okay. Her face seems a little pale, and her fingers are wrapped tight around my forearm, but otherwise, she doesn’t look like she might pass out or run away. Good. I give her a little kiss on the top of her head and make deliberate eye contact with those lingering nearby to get a better look at us.
“I have to go handle some business, Angel. Stay with one of my men, and you’ll be all right.”
Her eyes go panicky. “Don’t leave me alone.”
“You’ll be with friends. Kai, Andrea, Alexei. They are all right here, prepared to keep you safe. Say the word, and they’ll be right here by your side.”
Her hands are shaking as she clutches her drink tightly. “But I want you by my side. I can’t do this.”
I lift her chin and stare into her eyes. “You’re a Doubek now, and there’s nothing you can’t handle. Just make the world think you will tear them apart.”
She blinks rapidly as if trying to push away tears and then nods. “Hurry, please.”
I slip through the crowd, content that my men have her. They were already circling when I started to walk away. Kai is at my back, following me across the room where I spotted just the man I’d come here to meet.
Nic Diavolo isn’t part of this society. He’s not even local, but occasionally, he comes in for business, and when he does, he’s one of the few people in existence I feel I can trust.
Tonight, he’s dressed similarly to everyone else, but his bow tie is undone, along with the buttons at his collar, displaying the tattoos up his neck. Society members give him a wide berth, and they are right to.
I clasp him on the shoulder when I get near. His second in command, Soo, moves through the crowd keeping an eye on us. “After all these years, Soo still doesn’t trust me?”
Nic smiles and takes a swig of his drink. “Soo doesn’t trust anyone. Why am I here? When I said I had business in the city, I didn’t mean I wanted to come to some bullshit party.”
“It is a bullshit party, but I had to show my face. This makes it easier since you’re leaving early. I need to find this man.” I tug a picture out of my pocket of slimy Sal and offer it to him.
He scans it and then passes it back to Soo. “Your men haven’t had any luck.”
“He’s hiding, and it’s apparently the only thing the asshole is good at.”
I glance over my shoulder, trying to spot Val through the crowd but can’t. It grates on me, but I focus on Nic again. “The reward will make the effort worth it. You have my word.”
Nic nods, and Soo has already disappeared. “I’ll let you know when I have something. The usual payment will suffice, and I expect interest for making me dress up for this circus.”
“Seems reasonable. I’m only here tonight to present my wife to society, then we are gone.”
A grin splits Nic’s face. “Wife, huh? I didn’t peg you for the marrying kind.”
I slap him on the chest, jostling his drink, but he doesn’t care. “You’re one to talk. I didn’t think you would ever do it either.”
He shrugs. “When you know, you know.”
I nod, understanding completely. “I need to get back to her. I hate leaving her alone, even with my men around her. Let me know if you find him. Don’t kill him, though. That will be my pleasure and no one else’s.”
Another wicked grin splits Nic’s face. He seems quicker to smile now, happier. “Consider it done. Let’s chat for a minute, and then I’ll let you get back to your wife. Tell me about this target. Soo will do most of the hunting, but I’ve been known to bring in an asshole or two. If he catches sight of me, he’ll piss his pants. I’ve dealt with his family before, briefly, and only as a last resort to move a shipment. None of them deserve to keep breathing for much longer.”
“He took something that didn’t belong to him. Before I married my wife, he was her fiancé. She came to me to deal with him, and I haven’t been able to do so yet. He’s been running since he, well, found out I was looking for him.”
&nb
sp; No one needed to know what that bastard had done to Val. That would stay between us, and I’d list off every single one of his sins for Sal as I cut him to pieces. In that way, the truth would stay between him and me as well.
Nic isn’t the type to press, something I appreciate about him. “Anything else I need to know?”
“Get his phone if he has it. Don’t let him destroy it. He might try if he gets caught. I need to check it for any videos he might have taken.”
There are questions in Nic’s eyes, but he doesn’t ask. “Well, then. I’ll find him, and I won’t be gentle about it. But I won’t kill him. Deal?”
I nod, shaking his hand again. “Deal.”
24
Valentina
The moment the crowd swallows him up, the room starts to close in on me. I take a step backward but bump into Andrea, who easily catches my upper arms and steers me to the edge of the room.
Towering well above me in platform heels, she ducks her head to catch my eyes. “Breathe. If you have a panic attack and die, we’ll all be goners a few minutes later.”
Her statement shocks a laugh out of me, and I suck in a few breaths through my nose. She nudges my drink to my lips, and I take a sip. “I’m fine. I’m his wife. I can do this.”
In my head, I’m giving myself a pep talk, but a tiny voice in the back of my mind tells me it’s all an act. He married me to keep me safe. He married me to fulfill a deal. He married me for a pretty play toy spiced up with revenge against my father for my ownership.
It’s fine, though. We both get what we want, right? It’s not like I’m falling for how safe he makes me feel. Or for the way he wakes things inside me I didn’t know existed.
No. I can do this. It’s a game. A part he’s given me to play, and for my safety, for saving me, I won’t let him down.
The problem is as I peer through the crowd, I keep catching sight of Rose. I know she’s not real, but all I see is the night of our first party and how she stayed by my side. God, I miss her so much it’s like a hole in my chest that won’t ever close up. Tears threaten to fall, so I stare up at the ceiling just like she taught me. Never show your weakness. Don’t let them see the tears.
When I get control over myself, I give Andrea a nod. “I’m okay, I think.”
“Okay. I have to go do surveillance. Kai is close by, so if you need anything, just look at him.”
“Go. I’m fine.” I nudge her away and face the room with my chin up. Nothing about my insides feels confident, and I wish Adrian were here with me, but it won’t be for long, and then we can go.
Another flash of Rose, her eyes, as they were that night, hit me full force, and a wave of nausea threatens my calm act.
I skirt the edge of the ballroom and head to the ladies’ room. A hand catches me by the elbow before I can push inside. It’s Kai, his eyes asking if I’m okay.
“I’ll be out in a moment. I just need a second to collect myself.”
The lounge area is made up of seating and mirrors with the restrooms and sinks set back into another area around a corner. I don’t bother going all the way through but sink onto a plush navy-blue settee and breathe.
Everything looks the same as the last time I came here when Rose and I were together. I can practically hear her talking to me from the stalls as she pees, like she doesn’t have a care in the world. When we both knew that to be a lie. She was good at acting too.
Oh. It’s not Rose. Someone is talking to me. I stare up a pair of tan, toned legs to a very short red dress and farther still to long silky white-blond hair. “Are you even listening?”
I blink. “I’m so sorry. I’m in my own little world. Can I help you?”
She narrows her eyes, and the face I thought beautiful only a moment ago turns cold and calculating. “You’re pathetic. I don’t understand why he would choose you over me.” Her Slavic accent is heavy, but the girl is pissed about something.
I stand, mostly because I don’t like being towered over, and straighten my dress. “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, but excuse me.”
She grabs my upper arm hard, her long red fingernails digging into my skin. It would hurt if I hadn’t been dished out pain every day of my life. I stare down at her hand and then back up at her face, and something wakes inside me. Something that’s slept for far too long.
“Take your fucking hands off me before I break your fingers.”
She releases me, but only for a second, as she snatches my left hand in her own. “This ring should be mine. I earned it.”
I twist out of her grip, and I want to grab her back, push her as much as she is trying to push me, but I can’t. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but leave me alone before I call security.”
Her face takes on a mottled shade of red, and she steps toward me, leaning down to get right in my face. “You’re not worthy, bitch. He’s mine. I put up with his bullshit for a long time. He said he would marry me.”
“And you are?” I keep myself calm because it’s what Adrian would do. I keep my voice level because it’s what Rose would do. And I step right up to meet her because I’m tired of assholes pushing me around because they think I’m soft.
She narrows her eyes. “You know who I am. Surely you’ve heard of me.”
I shrug, unconcerned. And I am. Any minute, one of the guards will be in here to check on me, so it doesn’t matter if she gets in my face. If she keeps it up and Adrian finds her here, she might not have one afterward, though.
“I have no idea who you are. Now back up before my security details sees you in my face. Obviously, if Adrian wanted to marry you, he would have. But looking at you, I can already tell you’re not his type.”
Some kind of emotion chases across her features: hurt, denial, a truth she’s tried to lie to herself about. Yeah. I bet I’m not the first woman in Adrian’s life who’s met this woman.
A heartbeat passes, and she resumes her ice queen persona, even giving me a cocky little grin. “Whatever. You’ll get what you deserve.” She leaves, and I stare at the closing door like I’ve missed something.
The lock snicks a second later, and I rush over to test the handle. Oh yeah, definitely locked.
An arm snakes around my middle, and a hand curls around my neck. It’s a position I’ve been in multiple times, and the scent of him hits me first. So hard I almost puke up what little alcohol I drank.
“Did you miss me, baby?” Sal hisses in my ear.
I should scream. Now would be a good time to scream, but I can’t make any part of my body move at the moment. I can’t yell. I can’t fight. I can barely breathe.
He tugs me tight into him, and I feel his erection against my lower back. “Don’t worry. I asked Olenka to help me get a few moments alone with you. She was eager to meet you and tells me the funniest stories.”
His mouth traces down my neck, and he gathers me tighter against him as my legs give out. “Oh, not so fast, baby. Did you give him what you wouldn’t give me? I bet he’s fucked you in every hole you have, and now, it doesn’t matter if you’re spoiled for your wedding night. I can take you right here, and no one can do a thing about it.”
My cheeks are wet, and a sob rips out of me. Finally, something. I try to shove his hands away, but he tightens his hold, easily lifting me off my feet. The cut of the gown makes it impossible to regain my footing.
He shoves me down onto the settee, front first, and holds my head into the velvet fabric so hard I can’t breathe. I flail out, scratching and kicking until he must let me go, and I suck in a gasp of air.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m only getting started. I want to know what Adrian Doubek liked so much that he supposedly married you. Or is it a game he’s playing to hurt your father? Maybe he didn’t marry you, and he’s only keeping you as his hostage and forcing you to pretend.” He shoves my face down again. “Tell me he’s forcing you. Tell me you didn’t agree to marry him when you’re supposed to be my wife! Tell me, Valentina.”
I f
ight again, trying to draw in air. Way too many seconds later, he releases his hold on the back of my neck. My hair falls out of its restraints, tangling around my face as pieces stick to my wet cheeks. It’s all crystal clear, like my brain wants to latch on to the last few minutes of my life. I have no doubt he’s going to rape me, and then he’s going to kill me.
I wasn’t strong enough to protect Rose or myself when it really mattered. And now, I’m not strong enough yet again, despite Adrian’s careful handling of me. His restraint and his patience. I’m going to die in a fucking hotel bathroom because I can’t fight my abuser. Rose would be so disappointed in me right now.
And it’s like thinking about her conjured her. A soft hand lifts my chin gently, and I see her there, wearing the same too-small dress she wore that night we had fun and played pretend. “Don’t let him do this to you. You are so much stronger than this, love. Get up and fight.”
Tears pour down my face, and I want to tell her not to go. If she’ll just stay with me, we can go together, anywhere she wants. If she’ll just stay.
A loud rip pours reality down my spine along with a wash of cold air. He’s taking my clothes off.
No. I won’t let him do this to me again. Not without some kind of fight, and maybe, Adrian will get here before he can…
I try to hit him with my fists, but he’s got leverage and the point of a knife against the back of my neck. So I do the only other thing I can think of. I twist my legs with his and send him sprawling to the floor. It’s only seconds, but I fling myself over the edge of the settee toward the door. At the same time, the lock clicks, and someone rushes into me. I cling to them, not even paying attention to who it is.
But then I smell him, and I hear the sharp cadence of his voice, and I sag in relief. Of course, his arms go around me and lift me easily. “Angel. Speak to me. Are you all right?”
“Rose saved me. I’m fine. She saved me.”
He clutches me to his chest, and someone drapes a tuxedo jacket over the front of me. All of which was exposed thanks to Sal destroying my dress.