Total pages in book: 24
Estimated words: 22220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 111(@200wpm)___ 89(@250wpm)___ 74(@300wpm)
“Don’t touch me.” Weak words escape my lips feebly. As I raise my gaze away from his hand and meet his eyes once more, Malik’s monolithic frame engulfs the American.
How did he get so close without making a sound?
“Are you deaf?” Malik’s voice booms through the empty club before his massive hand wraps around the other guy’s neck.
And I breathe a deep sigh of relief while the nerves the guy brought dissipate in an instant.
7
MALIK
“Woah, dude, relax,” the piece of shit says, trying to shake free from my grip. He shrinks against the crushing force my hand delivers.
“Who gave you permission to touch her?” I snarl. “Thievery has been known to take a few hands in these parts.”
I don’t take my eyes off Melina, scanning her face and body for any sign of true turmoil. My arrival seems to have set her mind at ease, though I suppose it’s bolstered by the three men behind me.
Her mouth falls agape at the word thievery. Perhaps not the best choice of words, seeing as you can’t own a person. But the way it shifts into a delighted grin tells me she’s happy with how I’m handling this.
“I didn’t know.” His hands raise and wrap around my wrist, doing everything in their power to break my grip. But a short, scrawny worm like him won’t make me budge.
“Did he hurt you, Melina?” I look her straight in the eyes, waiting for an answer. If I see even a hint of her trying to cover for him, I’ll make him suffer a fate far worse than death.
“I didn’t touch her. I swear.” His knees finally buckle as he blurts out an unwanted answer. I tighten my grip further to shut him up.
“He didn’t,” Melina answers.
“But you wanted to.” With a hard thrust back, I fling him towards the men who joined me. Two of them catch him and pull him to his feet.
I spin on my heels to face him.
“I wasn’t gonna.” Snot and tears dribble down his face. His fighting spirit has left now that he’s in the arms of giants compared to him. “Saw her in the bar, wanted a drink before bed, that’s all.”
“She told you to leave, and you didn’t listen.” Fury dictates my actions, and I deliver a thunderous slap across his right cheek. “Do you honestly think I’d believe you had no ill intent in mind?”
The man stares up at me, shell-shocked and scared for what may come next.
“I’ll go. I’m sorry. Don’t hurt—”
Another slap silences him.
“No begging. You were given a chance and denied it. Now, you will suffer the consequences.” Carelessness is not a trait I often entertain. Records will show this man being at our hotel before disappearing in the middle of the night. It wouldn’t be the first time it’s happened under Omar, but it could cause unnecessary headaches in the future.
However, I’m not going to allow a man like this to be granted pardon for his sins. This is my territory, and there are monsters lurking in every shadow. I am one of them.
“Take him away,” I order.
They start by throwing him onto his back before two of the three deliver thunderous kicks to his midsection. He squeals and squirms, trying to defend against their blows, but his spirit falters quickly. When he falls limp, they grab his arms and drag him across the floor and out of the hotel.
“What should I tell the boss?” the third asks while collecting the American’s scattered belongings.
“Exactly what happened.” No use in denying the truth. Omar will have no quarrel with me for protecting his son’s future wife.
“Understood.” He salutes before leaving the club.
“Are you okay?” I ask, turning back to her. I’d rather hear the fear in her tone than see the pain in her eyes.
“I’m fine,” she says. She doesn’t sound rattled. “What are they going to do to him?”
“Don’t concern yourself with that.” There’s no need to dance on eggshells for Melina. She’s deeply rooted in her father’s organization and understands that this life is messy. But admitting that the American won’t see tomorrow morning might be a pill too hard to swallow.
Especially with what I’ve got planned for her.
“Then what should I concern myself with?” Melina clears her throat. Her deep blue oceans peer up at me through her lashes. “The big monster of a man stalking me through the hotel?”
“It’s too late for concern.” I slide a hand behind Melina’s neck and pull her body against mine. “You’ve already woken the beast, and he’s coming to collect.”
A soft moan escapes Melina’s lips as my second hand wraps around her body and settles in a cup over her ass. Squeezing it makes her groan, and the soft noise makes my dick jerk against her belly.
Enough of this. Calling it thievery was wrong. Melina isn’t mine yet, but she will be before the night is through. With the leverage of my hand around her neck, I pull Melina’s head towards mine. Our lips meet in an electrifying embrace.