“Let's just see about that, shall we!” Ellora challenged, dragging his head down to hers. Ellora tenderly touched her lips to his, and immediately, she felt a white-hot electric shock burst within her. It spread through her lower belly, burning its way outward. Behr must’ve felt the connection as well, because at her touch, he hissed in appreciation. Their lips moved together softly at first, but gained in intensity as Ellora nipped at his lower lip playfully, trying to get Behr to react. She must’ve really shocked him at first because he stood as still as a statue. She lightly glided her tongue along the seam of his lips. Growling deep in his chest, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. Ellora winced in pain for a moment, but relaxed into his arms as it subsided. He opened his mouth to her. Ellora took his invitation and invaded his mouth with her tongue. They tangled and coiled together, exploring as they took their time tasting one another. He must’ve come to his senses, because he brought his hands up, cupping her face, and took over the kiss. She could feel his need. The dominating way he kissed was exactly as she dreamed it would be. Her very core melted like a pool of fire. The heat that came off of them was enough to set the pub on fire. Behr glided one hand up slowly, tangling his fingers into her hair. Ellora pressed her body in tighter. A quiet little moan escaped her lips. She had never experienced a kiss like this. Ever. Every sweep of his probing tongue, every pull and nip of her lip, had Ellora melting into him. Her knees went weak from his touch and buckled. Behr easily held her in place in the safety of his arms. Behr’s corded muscles twitched and flexed, as if he tried very hard to hold himself back. At hearing her response, Behr's kiss grew in intensity. It escalated a little rougher, as if he needed to have her -- all of her, right then. He pressed his body hard against hers. Panic crept its way inside her at his needy forcefulness. That act snapped Ellora back to reality. What am I doing? She knew she better stop their kiss before it went any further. It couldn't go any further. Ellora was sure she’d made her point.
She placed her hands on his chest and slowly pushed him away, stopping the kiss. Behr stopped reluctantly, groaning his disapproval at the separation. Ellora looked him square in the eyes, and what she saw there both scared and excited her. She took a few more steadying breaths, using the time to compose herself. That life-altering kiss affected Ellora in a way she wasn’t sure she was ready to explore yet. Behr just looked over her face with an awed, adoring expression that melted the ice off her heart and cracked the wall protecting it. Ellora gave him a soft peck on the nose. Smiling brightly at him, she turned back to Shannon, who, like everyone else, had her mouth hanging wide open. Her confidence was shattered.
“Oh. You’re still here? I think he has already forgotten all about you, sweetheart! On behalf of Behr and Grady, you’re not welcome in this pub anymore!” Ellora grabbed her arm and pushed her roughly out the door. “You are a dime a dozen, honey, replaceable and easily forgotten.” She slammed the door in her face. Ellora staggered a little but regained her composure after a moment. A satisfied, Cheshire grin grew on her face. That felt awesome!
When she turned back around, the pub erupted with applause, cheers, and hysterical laughter. The noise was so deafening, Ellora feared the roof would collapse. Patrick called her the Quay Street Legend, and Gerard proclaimed that she got that fighting attitude from her dad.
Ellora wasn’t sure if it was all the excitement whirling around her, but her head started to spin. She felt very strange, and it wasn’t from the kiss. She didn't know what was wrong with her, but the walls felt like they were closing in. Stumbling over her feet, she clutched the door jam, trying to right herself. She desperately needed some fresh air. Ellora wasn't sure if it was just the flood of adrenaline in her system, or if she was coming down with something. To her, it felt like the temperature rose a few degrees higher. Beads of sweat formed on her temple. Maybe she was coming down with the flu or something. She didn’t know whether it was from the overwhelmingly crowded pub, or the fact that she was burning up, but it was extremely hot in there to her. Oddly enough, she had chills, too.
Everyone else was cheering and reliving what happened, all except for Behr. He was weaving his way through the crowd toward Ellora. His eyes narrowed, focusing intently on her, obviously aware that something wasn’t right. Ellora’s vision blurred. She started breathing harder, and blinked her eyes several times trying to get them to focus. She had to look down at the floor, which felt like it was moving out from under her. As she rocked side to side, a throbbing pain, like sharp glass, rained down on her back. Sweat was freely dripping down her face, getting cold as it settled into her brow and hair line. An overwhelming nausea bubbled up inside as her system was attacked by a violent sensation of vertigo, so she closed her eyes.
“Ellora!” Strong arms caught her before she fell. She heard Behr asking if she was all right, before her ears started buzzing and everything slowly faded to black.
All the laughter and celebration ceased when Behr called out to Ellora. His tone was laced thick with panic. “Ellora Belle? What’s wrong, love? Oh, God, she’s burnin’ up. Kristy, call ahead, let Lachlan know we’re coming straight away. Patrick, here’s my keys. Bring my truck ’round.” Behr tossed his keys across the room to a very concerned Patrick. All humor had dissipated. Kristy frantically pulled out her cell and punched in the needed numbers. Behr lifted Ellora carefully and cradled her in his arms. He felt hot wetness dampen his arm. What he thought was just sweat at first accumulated and dripped down his arm. Behr lifted her up slightly and saw blood seeping through the back of her dress. His panic grew as he rushed her out of the door. Behr carefully placed Ellora in the passenger side of his truck. When the fuck did this happen? He thought to himself. He buckled her up best he could then hopped in the front seat.
Behr’s speed increased dangerously, as did his worry for the girl who’d captured his heart and moved right into his soul... who now lay bleeding and feverish in the front seat beside him. How had this happened? When had this happened? Guilt hit Behr hard. He let her work herself sick today. Of course. He remembered her comments about feeling dizzy, and her complexion had paled as she worked hard by his side. Behr’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, turning his knuckles white. Guilt flooded his system, overwhelming him with regret. He should’ve done more to help. She overdid it… and he’d let her. Gritting his teeth, Behr tried hard to concentrate on the road instead of punching the steering wheel. He looked down on her still form and zeroed in on the dark blood stain marring that beautiful dress. How had she hurt herself? And when? Was this one of the many secrets she was hiding? No matter. All he cared about was this precious gift that tripped into his life captured his heart. Behr fell hard and fast for Ellora. He was helpless against it. He pressed the gas pedal to the floor, as precious minutes felt like hours. Behr refused to ignore the world around him anymore. Nothing will hurt her again, he swore to himself as he came to a halt at the hospital’s entrance.
Dominick made his way up to the Syracuse Police Station, jogging up the wide steps. He strolled through the double doors, past the lobby, and down the long hall. Hoping to catch his old partner, he got there pretty early. He needed to talk to him and maybe enlist his help. Passing the arched doorway, Dominick rounded the corner into an open room with high ceilings and fluorescent lighting hanging from the rafters. Moving past several rows of desks, he made his way to the familiar person in the back.
Anthony Stevens was leaning far back in his desk chair, pinching the bridge of his nose, deep in conversation with someone over the phone. He looked frustrated, taking it out on the pen he was grinding between his teeth.
Dominick walked up behind him and slapped his shoulder as a sign of ‘hey buddy, how ya doin’ and nodded at him.
Anthony nodded back, smirking at him, and held up his hand, signaling him to hold on. “Yes, I'm on top of it. I always am! I can handle him. NO! I will contact you when I have something to report! Piece of cake. I'll be in touch.” He slammed the phone on the receiver, cursing.<
br />
“Hey, partner, how've you been, you lil’ son o' bitch?” Dominick slapped his hand in Anthony's and gave a quick one-armed hug.
“Not as good as you, lil’ prick! How's that gig of yours? Sitting pretty with that rich ass boss of yours, huh?” He shoved him, laughing. “Have a seat, Dom. What brings you down here?” Anthony rolled up the sleeves of his buttoned up uniform, and loosened up his already loosened tie.
Dominick sat down, all humor gone. He donned a serious look. “Toni, man, I'm on a case right now, trying to locate a girl. She disappeared over a month ago. She was last seen at Saint Joseph's Hospital, where she stayed for about a week after sustaining a serious injury from an attack inside her home. I was told by the front desk that this unit was called to file a report. Does an Ellora Belle Sutherland ring any bells?”
“Yeah, the daughter of the top corporate rehab developer in Syracuse. Why? Was that her at the hospital?”
Dominick nodded. “Did she tell you who or why she was attacked?”
Anthony shook his head. “We were called out there by the hospital staff, but when we got there, the meds the doctor had her on made the girl pretty out of it. When she was coherent enough, she just wouldn't cooperate with us. There was no trust there. She seemed to be scared of everyone around her, and she refused to answer any of our questions when we tried to get her to tell us what had happened. She was heavily sedated and had no identification on her person.
“We decided to let her rest, and came back a while later when she was awake. She was too frightened to utter a word to anyone. Whoever did this to her wanted to make sure she wasn't going to talk. We tried one more time, going down there near the end of the week to see if she would offer up anything useful, but she had disappeared. No one has reported her missing.”
“Yeah, I guess no one would, since her parents are dead. It doesn't appear she has anyone.”
Anthony nodded his head in agreement, his eyes widened and frantically looking around. He caught a glimpse of Dominick staring at him. He hesitated then said, “Yeah, it's too bad what happened to them. Stupid fucking car!”
The tone in his voice caught Dominick's attention. It was as though he was talking about something else entirely. He was acting strangely. His suspicious behavior sounded alarms inside of Dominick’s head. “Hey, man, you all right?”
“Yeah, yeah, just a huge work load with time lines ticking away is all.” Yeah right, Dominick thought. He was going to have to keep a close eye on him. Something just didn’t feel right.
“Hey, Tony, now that you mentioned cars, it reminded me of something. Did Ellora’s car get impounded here?”
Anthony's head snapped up. “I don't know. Why do you ask?”
“I have reason to believe she jumped into her car, trying to get away from her attacker, but the staff at Saint Joe’s said she came by way of ambulance. So I would like to search through the contents of that car to see if I can find something, anything that might lead me in another direction.”
“Sure, man, I can have someone search the lot and get back to you…”
“No, no, no, man,” Dominick interrupted. “I can look myself. Just lead the way. This is my only case, so I've got nothing but time. But, here’s the thing… I don’t think she does. I’d like to check now!”
“Dom, man, I've got a lot of shit on my plate right now.”
“You owe me, Stevens. If you can't do it, then just give me the access key,” Dominick requested while leaning forward, glaring at Toni and giving him the ‘DON'T FUCK WITH ME’ look.
“Relax, Dom, she probably just ran away with her boyfriend or something. Why would she want to stay here anyway? If she was attacked, she probably just got in his car and drove away. Ever think of that? No skin off my sack, though. Here, take it.” He tossed the key card on the desk.
“Thanks, partner. Now, get back to work, ya bastard, and stop chewing on those fucking pens. You’ll get a snaggle tooth, then no one will date your ugly ass!” Dominick punched him, faking a hit to the face, taunting his old partner. “I'll see you a little later, all right?!”
“Fuck you! You coming back later? I'll be around.” Dominick snatched the key card and headed down to the lot.
Symphony Place Hotel and Condominiums Downtown Syracuse
7:56 am
“Mr. Claiborne, sir?” Her voice came through the speaker.
“Yes, Susan, what is it?” Dalton snapped, letting his foul mood show.
“I’ve gotten a hold of Mr. Antonelli like you asked, sir. He is on line one.”
“Thank you, Susan.” Dalton ran both hands over the sides of his head, slicking back his hair. “Put him on hold. He can wait.”
“Yes, of course, sir,” Susan answered hesitantly. He’d kept Dalton waiting for information for a few weeks without any word. Just who does he think he's dealing with? Dalton thought, slamming his fist down on his mahogany desk. He ground his teeth in frustration.
After the first week with no word, he had his man shadow Dominick to see if he was sitting on his ass or actually looking for her. He was NOT pleased with what he heard back.
Dominick was seen at Ellora’s house, then at the hospital asking questions. He went as far as taking the receptionist out for what looked like an information exchange. Where he was headed now was unacceptable! He was NOT hired to solve the crime, just to locate a small girl. How hard was that?
Not knowing where Ellora was, who she was with, or how she was doing had him on edge. He was also getting a lot of pressure from his investors on the lack of progress. His time was running out. He didn’t give a shit about what they wanted, though. He always had another investor waiting in line to replace the other. But he couldn’t bear the thought of Ellora out there, possibly with someone else. He had to find her, now!
Dalton took a couple deep breaths to calm is irritated nerves. He let his mind wander to Ellora, to how she had tried to evade him then, just as she was doing now.
Dalton stalked up behind her. She couldn't hear him approach with the noise protectors in her ears. She was bending over with the nail gun, securing the subfloor as a base. He enjoyed seeing her like this, and envisioned her in this same position in his bed. Dalton unplugged the extension cord and tossed it aside. Ellora turned around with annoyed confusion. When her eyes meet Dalton's, a panicked look of dread washed over her as she realized that she was alone with him.
She had successfully avoided Dalton at all costs after the Christmas party, clinging to her father like a freighted toddler, afraid of finding herself alone with this creepy pervert. Like she now found herself. His obsession was growing more and more intense. The more she rejected him, the more unstable he became. The more she ran from him, the angrier he became. As far as Ellora knew, her father didn’t know about his partner’s unhinged obsession with his only daughter, and she wanted to keep it that way. Her father loved his career. He worked very hard to get it, having picked up and moved his family for this opportunity, and she didn’t want to be the reason it was all taken away. But there was something terrifyingly off about Dalton. He wasn’t just some rich creep… He was dangerous, and she believed his threat. Based on the manic look in his eyes, Ellora knew he would follow her family to the ends of the world. He’d go out of his way to make sure that the rest of their lives were a living hell. There would be no expense spared when it came down to exacting his revenge.
Ellora watched in horror as he slithered over to her. He took his time, enjoying watching the despair work its way through her. She backed up in response as he got much too close. The cold lifeless look in his eyes frightened her to the depths of her soul. And he loved every moment of it. When her back hit the wall, she scanned around the tight space, trying to find a way to get out. He kept moving forward until he was within inches of her. The smell of his cologne was overbearing and overpowering, making her nauseated. Dalton lifted his arm up over her head, and leaned on the wall casually.
She was trapped. Enraged, she demanded, “What t
he hell do you want from me, Dalton? Let me get back to work or NO ONE will get paid.” She stressed her words with a forced calm she didn’t really feel. “Besides, my father should be back any moment.” Ellora added that last sentence hoping to deter him, but she was learning pretty quickly that nothing seemed to deter him from what he wanted. Dalton leaned in closer to her. He sniffed in heavily, like a dog sniffing his mate’s scent. He ran his nose down the side of her face, and when he blew out the breath, Ellora had to hold back a whimper. His rancid breath and threatening stance made her quake uncontrollably. “Dalton... I’ve got to get back to work. This isn’t a pick up bar.” She pushed on his chest, trying to get him to step back and away from her.
“There's always time to play.” He reached up to touch her cheek, and she flinched away from him.
“Don’t. Touch. Me.” she ordered as threateningly as she could with her shaky voice.
Dalton grabbed her shoulders and slammed her into the wall. Ellora’s head hit the cracked concrete wall hard. The impact shocked her, stilling her struggles. He grabbed both of her wrists and pulled them up over her head, holding them in place, while his other hand roamed up the inside of her thigh. Ellora tried kicking him between his legs when his hand went up her stomach and groped her breasts.
She cried out in panic, “Stop this! Get the fuck off me! NO!” Ellora freaked out when he continued to maul her, completely unfazed by her struggles or screams. In fact, her struggles seemed to encourage him farther. He was enjoying this. Ellora feared what would happen if she couldn’t stop him. How far would he take this? Dreadfulness gripped her when he wrapped his fingers around her neck. She immediately kicked, kneed, and thrashed, trying everything to shake his hand off her neck and to wrench her arms free from his unbreakable grip.
Forever Marked (Marked Series Book 1) Page 12