Inferno (9 page)

“What?”

“I was just thinking about what we were doing the last time I saw that look on your face,” he said dreamily. 

We spent the rest of our meal bantering back and forth.  This was the most relaxed either of us had been in a long time.  It was nice laughing and enjoying each other’s company without the interruption of some crazy nut job.  Our jovial mood continued while we cleared the table.  Ethan loaded the dishwasher, and I wiped down the table.  Moving to clean the counter, I noticed a hand written note.

“You dog!” I laughed holding up the note.

                            Ethan,

                            I put a roast and veggies in the crockpot for dinner. 

                           Don’t forget to turn it to warm so it doesn’t dry out.

                           There’s chocolate pie in the fridge for desert.

                                                                    Love you,

                                                                        Mom

“Damn, I can’t believe I forgot about the pie.”

I threw the dishrag at him and exclaimed, “I cannot believe you were going to pass your mother’s cooking off as your own!”

“I never actually said I cooked anything.”  Pulling me to him, he bent so that his lips hovered just above my own.  “But I certainly do know how to heat things up.”

Oh, boy did he ever. 

Chapter Eleven

I am totally looking forward to tonight.  My pals and I are going over to
The Whiskey Crow
to see a classic rock cover band called
The Gypsies
.  I have been on house arrest all week.  I’m a natural homebody and normally love spending quiet time at home alone, that is when it’s my choice.  Having someone dictate to you that you can’t go anywhere, even if it is for my own safety, just doesn’t sit well.  The fact that my incarceration took place at Ethan’s apartment did not help matters.  Regardless of how many times he told me to make myself at home, I still felt like a guest.  He spent his evenings at the club, not returning home until the early morning hours.  I did try hanging out there one night and ended up feeling even more out of place than I did at the apartment.

I tried to explain all of this to Ethan when I told him that I was going to the concert.  It caused one hell of a fight.  He went all alpha male on me and informed me that I was not allowed to go.  That flipped my bitch switch and caused me to divulge the news that he was not my daddy.  It was downhill from there.  A screaming match ensued.  I won’t bore you with all of the details, but there was a lot of,
it’s not safe
,
blah…blah…blah
, followed by,
I’m a grown ass woman, yada…yada…yada
.  He finally gave up and stormed off into his study, slamming the door behind him. 

Ethan finally emerged when it was time for both of us to leave.  He gave me a speculative once over that made me self-conscience and pissed me off at the same time.  As we rode the elevator in silence, I couldn’t help but scrutinize my appearance in the mirrored walls.  I had let my hair air dry, which resulted in a blanket of waves cascading past my shoulders.  My make-up was a little bolder than usual, but it was by no means thick.  I had donned a pair of old, faded jeans that had frayed in several spots from years of wear.  I topped my simple black tank with a midriff, two button, gunmetal grey, leather vest.  Completing the outfit was a thick black, leather belt and my black motorcycle boots.  I was dressed extremely conservative for a rock concert so what the hell was his problem.    

Ethan walked me through the lobby and out the front doors to where the gang was waiting with our cab.  He placed a soft kiss on my temple and with a narrow eyed smile told me to have a good time.  I do not trust that smile one little bit. 

The Whiskey Crow
was packed and personal space was nonexistent.  You could not move more than a few steps without brushing up against someone.  Strobe lights and colored lasers flashed around the dimly lit room.  The music was loud, and everyone was on their feet dancing and singing along.  The heat generating from writhing bodies caused the compact space to reach scorching temperatures.  I could feel beads of sweat trickling down my back and was glad that I had chosen to wear a tank. 

I got Makayla’s attention and shouted that I was going to grab a beer and step outside to cool off for a few minutes.  Nodding, she grabbed my hand and began shoving our way through the dense crowd.  We managed to make it to the bar without separating, and then headed out the back door for some fresh air. 

“
The Gypsies
are on fire tonight!”  Makayla’s shouted declaration was met with cheers and raised cans from four guys to our left.

I pulled my damp hair away from neck and the warm breeze triggered goose pimples to emerge on my clammy skin.  Makayla, eyes closed, was leaning up against the cool bricks of the building.  I took a swig of my beer, looking around the courtyard.  There was a small crowd of people ambling about.  A group of scantily clad girls were swaying and belting out the words to the song that drifted from inside the building.    The door opened, and a cluster of boisterous college kids staggered out, one of which was sporting a t-shirt that read:
I’m 21! Show me your Slippery Nipple and I’ll see you Sex on the Beach with an Orgasm.
The shirt made me chuckle.  What can I say, I’m easily amused.

Knowing that being out tonight made Ethan nervous, I pulled my phone from my pocket to text that all was well in my world and I would see him later.  As I hit send, the ground beneath my feet began to vibrate.  The crowd, both inside and out, started cheering.  We slipped back inside with Makayla dragging me through the thick wall of people.  We reached Bella and Jack as the lead guitarist made his way to the front of the stage.   A guitar riff joined the unrelenting thumping of the drums and the masses began chanting THUNDER in time with the music.  When
The Gypsies’
front man stepped up to the mic and sang out the first line of the song, the assembly exploded. 

With each new song, the growing horde pressed even closer to the stage.  Bodies packed together, moving as if they were one single living organism.  Lyrics reverberated from the huge speakers, and the already frenzied crowd became untamable.  I tried to stay connected to my group, but a set of rowdy fans forced their way between, separating us.

The swarm of surrounding people pushed and shoved forward, and I was desperately trying to stay on my feet.  I could hear
The Gypsies
singing as I tried to power my way towards the back of the room.  The lead had just spat out the last line of the chorus when a pair of steel bands wrapped around me, pinning my arms to my sides.  Panic set in immediately.  I began kicking my legs in a vain attempt at freedom, while the noise of the manic crowd swallowed my frightened cries.  My captor parted the flood of bodies easily, knocking people from his path, and dragging me backwards with him.  With everyone’s attention still focused on the stage, he was able to pull me across the floor without anyone noticing.  Pushing open a side door, we exited the bar into an overgrown lot. I doubled my efforts to get away, frantically twisting my body and screaming until my throat hurt.  The man holding me was saying something in my ear, but I was too terrified for his words to register.  The door opened and a large, beefy man stepped out, holding a cell phone to the side of his head.

“The crowd got out of control.  We had to evacuate.”  The man’s eyes quickly swept me from head to toe.  “She appears to be fine, just a little shaken.”  There was another pause as the man listened to the voice on the other end.  “Will do, boss.”

The call disconnected, and the man shoved the phone into his front pocket, approaching me slowly with hands raised in a placating motion.

“Do you know who I am?  I work for Ethan.  No one here is going to hurt you.”

I took a shuddering breath, blinking the lingering tears from my eyes, and focusing on the man standing cautiously in front of me.  He was a big guy with black hair that hung past his ears.  Peeking out from under both shirtsleeves and winding all the way down his arms to end at his wrists, were dark tribal tattoos.

“You’re the doorman,” I said sniffling.

“That’s right.  My name’s Roland, but everyone calls me Tank.  The guy holding you is my friend Ben.  You gonna be ok if he lets you go now?”

Ben unwound his arms and stepped back, giving me space.  I wiped at the watery tracks running down my cheeks with trembling hands.  The three of us stood there silently while I took deep breaths in an attempt to calm my fractured nerves.  

Turning to Ben I asked, “why did you grab me?”

“The boss man’s paying us to keep you safe.  I figured not letting you get trampled by a bunch of drunken idiots fell under that category.”

I gave him an acknowledging nod, and tried to process the thoughts volleying around my head.  A buzz on my thigh indicated I had an incoming text.  I fished the phone from my pocket to see Makayla’s name on the screen.

***Where r u?***

I began walking towards the front of the building.  Typing out a reply and telling my two bodyguards that I needed to find my friends. 

***Went out side door.  Meet u in front***

Within a few short feet, the two men were flanking me on both sides.  We rounded the corner of the building and I craned my neck, looking through the sea of people for my friends.  Several moments passed before Tank pointed, saying, “there’s Sebastian’s girl.”

Makayla took one look at me and demanded, “what the hell happened to you?  You’re a mess.”  Before I could answer, her eyes swiveled between the two behemoths standing beside me.  “And who are these two?”

“Apparently, Ethan hired these two goons to be my bodyguards tonight.  Ben here did a snatch and grab when the crowd got crazy, freaking me the hell out,” I said dryly. 

“Ethan hired bodyguards?  That’s kind of sweet,” Bella said.

I glared at her and retorted, “you are
my
friend, not his.  I do not want to hear your voice of reason right now.  Put it away.”

Playing peacemaker, Jack interjected, “the important thing here is that you’re safe and no one got hurt in that mob.  Why don’t we just call it a night and head home, what d’ya say?”

I had only taking one step toward the line of cabs that waited to whisk away inebriated fares, when Tank cleared his throat, catching everyone’s attention.  He smiled at me apologetically before saying, “actually, the boss told us to take you back to the club.”  Sensing that my pissed off meter was about to blow and not wanting to be involved in another dramatic scene, he quickly added, “if you don’t go, I won’t get paid for tonight.  If he’s really pissed, I could lose my regular club gig.”

We stared at each other for several moments while I tried to decide what to do.  The guys did technically save me from a potentially dangerous situation, and it wasn’t their fault that Ethan withheld their bodyguard status from me.  In the end, it really boiled down to me not wanting to be responsible for them losing their jobs.  Tank sensed my acquiescence and grinned mischievously.  I followed them to their car, muttering the whole time about what a manipulative bastard he was.   

The drive to
Inferno
gave me the opportunity to stoke the smoldering coals enough that by the time I entered the club, my anger had reached volcanic proportions.  I was in such a red haze that I barely noticed the leggy brunette who bumped into me as I charged into Ethan’s office, slamming the door behind me.  Not bothering to look up, he continued reading the documents laid out on his desk.  After a few minutes with still no acknowledgement of my arrival, I marched over to the couch and flung a small pillow, hitting him in the head.  Ethan leaned back in his chair, fixing me with a steely gaze.

“Did you forget to tell me something?”

“Nope,” he said with absolutely no remorse.

“You don’t think that hiring two hulking giants to tail me was an important detail to share?”

“Their orders were not to engage unless you were in danger.  If the night would have gone smoothly, you would never have known they were there.”

“I am not one of your businesses to manage.  This is
my
life.  You do not get to make executive decisions without my consent, and you definitely do not get to decide what information you will and will not share!”

“I wasn’t going to sit here all night worrying about your safety when I have the resources available to provide protection,” he replied with an eerie calm.  Too bad I was too pissed to recognize it as the warning sign it was. 

“Oh yeah, because having a freaking steel cage drag me out of a building kicking and screaming was definitely the way to go.  Nothing says I care more than that!” I yelled.

Ethan exploded out of his chair, knocking it over in the process.  He braced his hands on the top of his desk, leaning forward menacingly.  I gave myself a mental high five for not shrinking back in fear but instead facing his anger head on.  I was also mature enough to admit, even if only to myself, that if he called my bluff and came around that desk, I was hauling ass outta here.

“What did you expect me to do Alexis?  Your stubborn ass refused to stay home or somewhere else equally safe.  You do the complete fucking opposite of safe and run off to a goddamn concert where it would be easy for that nut case to get his hands on you.  You’re damn lucky I hired bodyguards instead of chaining your ass to the bed like I really wanted to.”

I quietly explained my actions, praying that Ethan would understand.  “I refuse to become a prisoner of my fear.  I lost everything when my family died, including myself.  I was so afraid that unforeseen danger lurked around every corner that I hid from everything.  I was an empty shell trying to convince myself that the bubble of protection I created equaled happiness. In reality, I was drowning in my own fear.  I will not give up my freedom again.  If I stop living my life and hide, he still wins.”

“This is not a product of an overactive imagination.  This guy is a real threat to your safety.  Ignoring it does not make it any less dangerous.  You can’t pretend this away!”

“I’m not ignoring the situation, but I can’t stay locked up all of the time either.  I am careful.  I don’t go anywhere alone, and I always tell multiply people where I am.”

Ethan stood up straight and the anger drained away, softening his features.  He moved around the desk, closing the distance to stand before me.  I could see the concern etched in the lines surrounding his beautiful blue eyes, and it hurt knowing I was the reason they were there.  I palmed his cheek, tenderly running my thumb repeatedly over the creases attempting to smooth them away.