Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83195 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
His jaw clenches, and I know it’s because he’s touching me. It physically pains him to do so, but then, unexpectedly, his gaze drops to my lips, and the atmosphere changes. Fear begins to mingle with… a warmth spreading down to my core.
No.
I can’t be turned on by this, can I?
“I’ll send a card next time, sunshine,” he says as he pushes away from me and the back door opens.
Kara and Mal take in the drunk who’s sobbing and holding his hand with blood oozing from his forehead.
“Oh my gosh, Lena, what happened?” Kara asks as Mal looks between Alek and the drunk man.
“He tried…” I clear my throat as I try to bring my thoughts into focus. “He tried to grab me.” I might be scared of Alek, but when I recall the events, the man had tried to grab me. And that is far more terrifying.
When I look around, I see Alek has already slipped back inside.
Mal is quick to deal with the sobbing man as Kara rubs up and down my arms. I don’t hear what she’s saying as I walk back inside and notice his expensive whiskey still untouched. And Alek is gone.
What the fuck just happened?
CHAPTER 14
Lena
My boss at the bar lets me go home early. My head is reeling, replaying what happened tonight. It isn’t the first time a guy has tried to get grabby with me. But I’ve never had a deranged psychopath to stop him before. Just good old Mal. It’s a nudge that maybe I should leave the bar job, but it raises so many other questions about why Alek was even there.
I don’t understand him and don’t think I really want to. But every time I see him, it’s like I discover a new layer of him. That maybe he’s not entirely a robot. Nope. I’m going to upgrade him to a psychopath.
I walk up the five flights of stairs to my apartment. I pull out my keys and open the door, switching on the light as I step inside. I immediately notice something isn’t right.
Cinita’s stuff that I had piled near the door looks like someone went through it and forgot to put it back together.
Someone’s been in here.
Cinita maybe? She’s the only one with a key, right?
Opening my bedroom door, I find all my things ruined. My mattress is cut open, my blankets thrown everywhere, and the room is just a mess of chaotic destruction.
What the actual fuck?
A chill runs down my spine at the thought of someone being in my space. What if it wasn’t Cinita? What if someone else was in here?
I look around, but it’s a small apartment, and I know whoever was here has already left.
My heart hammers in my chest. This past twenty-four hours have been intense, and the one common factor is a man with green eyes.
Finding the card Alek gave me, I dial his number and press call. I run my hand through my long hair in disbelief. Oh my god, how am I going to replace all of this? He answers on the first ring, and I’m shocked at his efficiency.
“Lena.”
“Someone was here and went through Cinita’s things and destroyed my apartment,” I say. I don’t know if he’s the right person to call, but he’s the only one I have.
“Go outside and wait until I get there,” he instructs and hangs up.
“Okay,” I reply anyway.
I do as he says, leaving the apartment and not even bothering to lock it on my way out. It’s not like they could destroy or take anything else that belonged to me. It’s not until I’m already outside that I realize I never gave him my address.
I take a deep breath. Okay, weird shit is definitely happening because of my association with Cinita, no matter how superficial it is. I don’t know Alek, and he’s intimidating as shit, but instinctually, I think I can trust him.
I mean, he was the first person I called. If I called my parents or brother, they’d force me to leave my job and New York immediately. It would only encourage my mother’s reasoning as to why I shouldn’t have followed this career path into the city.
I bite the edge of my nail, more furious than anything. How the fuck am I going to replace all of my furniture? I pace the front of my building until I see a car I don’t recognize. It makes sense that he’d have a different car now since I wrecked the other one. I watch as he pulls up to the curb and gets out of the car. He walks around to me, adjusting his gloves as he does. I have the urge to run up to him because, fuck, sometimes you just need a hug, but I sure as shit won’t get one from this man.