Page 13

THIRTEEN

Ashley

Between the execution-style murder, Micha’s biting of my lip, and the decadence of the restaurant, I was in a daze. I snapped out of it when I spied a familiar head of long, white-blond hair that appeared by the front door. The man looked just like Samuel, from my dream. Blinking a couple of times, I refocused my gaze, but the apparition had disappeared inside the crowd.

Josiah and the man I’d seen in Micha’s office soon strode through the front door, halting my search for the elusive figure.

My blood had run cold, rushing to my feet, after the body collapsed on the floor and I hadn’t been able to form a single coherent thought since. Micha was pawing at me with the same hands that had callously ended a life, behaving affectionately in his rough manner, until he’d caused me to bleed. My head was still spinning from his kisses.

Murder wasn’t foreign to me. I’d seen my fair share of homicide in the past, but here in this fancy restaurant rather than a parking lot or street corner was so out of place I couldn’t reconcile the act with my surroundings. Between that and Andy’s gossip, I was in over my head.

And now Micha was acting like nothing had happened, trying to get me to order food and plying me with wine while being tenderly attentive.

Josiah and his friend, Kiam, were getting closer and closer. The crowd scurried out of the way as if they were blocking living gods, the two men’s appearance screaming money and ultimate power. It didn’t help they were insanely good looking, though each in different ways. Their wealth and beauty gave them more authority than anyone should ever have and were why I was in this whole mess to begin with. I’d been offered the biggest paycheck of my life, and I’d been taken in by how attractive everything and everyone were that I didn’t hesitate when offered the job.

Micha grabbed my hand, placing it on his thigh as I witnessed the crowd parting for Josiah and Kiam, and I slapped him away. I couldn’t handle it when I knew I was essentially here for some kind of verdict. Why else would Josiah have come back without Della?

Much to my surprise, Micha failed to retaliate when I hit him. Not even a growl. Instead, he almost seemed nervous, though I couldn’t say I’d ever witnessed anything other than utter confidence from the man. He seemed on edge, his shoulders tense, and his fingers were twitching.

My survival instinct told me to run away, but where was I going to go? If I climbed over him, he’d easily lock me in with the dog collar he’d fastened around my neck. If I went the other direction, surely Josiah or his companion would stop me. I was stuck and somehow had to make it through the evening in one piece.

Angling my back to Micha, I fumbled with my clutch and pulled out my cellphone. I really wanted to text Della asking if she had Stockholm Syndrome. I had so many questions for her. But she was such a control freak and most certainly in love, I had to assume she knew what she was doing.

She’d had her life super organized and focused when she met Josiah, dedicated to taking care of her father and operating with precision, carefully doing whatever she had to for survival. Was she with Josiah because he’d threatened her, and she went along with it? To preserve the balancing act she’d been subject to for so long?

As much as I looked for reassurance, I knew her boyfriend had moved her into his mansion and even hired round the clock care for her dad in the home. She literally didn’t have to worry about a thing anymore. Not that I was aware of. He was perfect for her in so many ways.

The company she kept left a lot to be desired and I could only assume her boyfriend hid much from her.

Money could buy anything—including alibis and body bags. I’d hung out with her and Josiah several times in the past, but I’d somehow been blissfully unaware of the true nature of these men and Della never said a word. I’d known they were ruthless, but not the extent I was currently experiencing.

Micha stood up to greet his best friend. They hugged before Josiah kissed him on the forehead while he held him close, displaying a little more care than I’d expected between them. With their stations in life, I expected more formality, more... I don’t know what I’d expected. Perhaps some type of alpha male display of testosterone—not the blatant love between the two rich monsters.

My leash was dropped as Micha shook Kiam’s hand and then the newcomers settled in around the table, making small talk as drinks were poured.

My eyes kept searching for the Samuel doppelg?nger, but whenever I thought I may have spotted the blond figure from my dream, I couldn’t get a clear view. At some point, everyone in here would have to leave so my eyes kept drifting toward the entryway. If they didn’t receive a bullet dead center in their forehead courtesy of my dinner companion, they’d be walking through those doors again, heading home.

My whole body felt charged, naturally gravitating toward the man beside me, who kept finding any excuse to touch me. I’d ceased swatting him away, allowing the contact. His leg brushed my bare thigh, his fingers danced along my side, alternating between caressing my waist or massaging my forearm. More than once, I’d asked myself why I felt like climbing him like a tree, despite my burning hatred for him. Over time, the dislike had been slowly slipping away, dissolving into something far scarier and much more threatening.

Maybe the problem was me? Afterall, I’d definitely trespassed where I shouldn’t have been, after making the rookie mistake of leaving my property behind. Then, I wasn’t even careful or responsible when I’d gone to gather my things, just blindly grabbing items from the table. It did look like I was stealing.

Confessing my mistake and asking for assistance would’ve been the right thing to do.

However, none of that gave Micha the right to call me derogatory names or terrorize me or push me under his desk for a blowjob. He was still an asshole even if his touch felt like home, even if he worshipped me with his eyes. Even when he’d protected me from the man he’d shot or any number of other things he’d done for me since I’d first met him.

The sound of moaning caught my attention, and I tried to subtly turn and investigate, my ruby covered restraint making a tinkling sound as I moved.

Behind us, woman was grinding on a man’s lap, her jaw hanging open in ecstasy and eyes rolling back. His face burrowed into her neck and a fist was wrapped in her auburn hair, holding her in place with his grip.

The entire atmosphere had slowly been changing since Josiah and Kiam walked in. The music became a little deeper in rhythm, the air a touch smokier from the enjoyment of cigars and cigarettes. More moans and gasps joined the chorus, and the fragrance in the air took a heady, carnal turn. Perfume and sweat joined the scent of cigars and expensive dishes.

The redhead seemed drugged under the sheer decadence that had wound its way around us all.

Micha’s gaze was burning a hole in the side of my face and heat flushed through my body beneath his stare. My thighs clamped together, and I knew he saw the motion. He never missed a thing when it came to me. I’d never been so exposed or known until I’d found myself in his company. The tension gently increased on the chain that bound me to him, a wordless request to meet his eyes when he lightly tugged.

Finally, I glanced at him.

When I met his gaze, a kaleidoscope of sensations hit me. Passion, desire, hunger, and longing radiated from irises that were undulating silvery shades of gray. Stunned, I couldn’t look away for a moment, not while I doubted my own sanity.

He reached for me and I looked down again, feeling my heart pound against my ribs. After I batted his hand away, I peered back over my shoulder, just to see the woman convulsing, clearly experiencing an orgasm in the middle of a restaurant. Sucking in a breath, I swiveled back to the table but couldn’t stop myself from seeking the sight again.

The man who’d seemed surgically attached to her neck flicked his eyes open, stunning me with a neon blue gaze. I gasped and he slowly pulled away. A long, thin, red string of saliva trailed suspended between his mouth and her neck, which bore two small holes with trickles of blood side by side.

He cast the woman to the side with one hand, wiping his mouth with the back of the other, before he grinned.

The next thing I knew, I was tossed onto Micha’s lap, and he pressed my face into his shirt, making soothing noises while he trailed his fingers through my hair. I was shaking, gasping for air, thrust headfirst into a nightmare, and locked against Micha’s chest.

These weren’t normal people.

I’d known that subconsciously. On a deep level that I’d been ignoring as hard as possible, for as long as I could. Living in denial.

All the signs were there.

The secret rooms, crazy teeth, the sunglasses hiding preternaturally beautiful eyes, the lack of care for others’ lives, the disappearance of coworkers and friends in the past, such as Josiah’s old assistant Christina, and plus Della’s friend, Brett. Both of those individuals had suddenly disappeared under very suspicious circumstances. There were others, too, whose names I heard through the office gossip mills.

Yet, this all should’ve all been impossible. These creatures didn’t exist in real life; they were saved for the movies and corny television shows. They weren’t your bosses or your best friend’s booty call. Why hadn’t Della told me?

Micha moved his hand when I stirred. It was terrifying to think what I could be facing but I glanced up anyway. He ran his tongue along his teeth before his lips separated, revealing razor sharp fangs. Scenes from my dream the other night slammed into me as I stared, when he’d latched onto my chest and drank. He’d worshipped my body before calling me and my life a waste and then he’d rejected my overtures.

Hadn’t he called me a waste before, while at work? The anger and confusion while trying to reconcile all that was going on around me was too much to handle. My conflicting feelings were tearing me apart from the inside out.

Without a doubt, I was in full control of my faculties, and I knew I wasn’t hallucinating what I just saw. Did he really think I’d want him after all that? What was I even here for, right now? It seemed like he wanted to fuck me just as much as he wanted to destroy me. He must’ve brought Kiam in and Josiah back, for his final act.

“Let me go,” I whispered, my entire body seized by tremors. “Move out of my way.” I wasn’t sure how I’d make it, but I knew I had to leave.

“Micha,” Josiah raised his voice. “I do believe you brought us here for a purpose? Tearing me away from my Della,” he said, shaking his head.

“Did you kill her?” I demanded, lifting my head. “Is she dead?” Kiam’s eyebrows shot up and the edge of his lip curled, as if I were crazy to ask such a question. And I was, but I was also at a total loss, my head ransacked of everything I’d thought I’d known.

Josiah’s mouth thinned and he tossed his cloth napkin to the side of his plate. “You should be concerned with your own state of being,” he chided me. I felt Micha tense as I maneuvered myself from his lap.

“There’s been a change of plans,” Micha stated.

Kiam sat back and crossed his arms. “Has there?” he asked. “This may require a rate increase. I’m an expensive man and hate to be disappointed. Don’t tease me with her.”

“What are you people? Is this sex slavery or something?” I asked, glancing past the man by my side. I’d have to climb over him if I wanted to leave, but I was also attached to him by priceless jewelry generally reserved for crowds differing from those I normally associated with.

“Don’t,” Micha growled in my ear, low enough only I could hear him. He tugged my collar.

Kiam rolled his eyes at my question and Josiah tapped his fingers on the table. “You’re in quite the predicament,” Josiah said to me. “You’ve read your contract. I’m sure you’re aware the price to be paid for stealing from me.”

My teeth bit into my lip at the reminder and Micha shoved his thumb against my mouth, stopping me from injuring myself.

“If you’ve been paying attention, you’d know nothing was stolen,” I hissed, braver than I felt.

Kiam’s eyebrows shot up yet again and Josiah’s jaw ticked, his hand curling around a glass I was now suspicious of. Were there drugs in the alcohol? I still didn’t want to believe they were vampires.

Peeking past Micha, I stretched toward freedom, but Micha yanked my chain and wrapped it around his wrist a few more loops, keeping me firmly in place.

“You didn’t answer me. Are you traffickers? Police take them down all the time. Are you some kind of weird bloodsucker mafia?” I needed answers and I fully intended to get them. Before fleeing the country and changing my name, of course.

Kiam muttered, “Maybe organized crime. Definitely not mafia.”

Josiah let out a longsuffering breath before returning his attention to me. “What we are is beyond anything you would understand. What you need to know is that we are governed by a set of immutable rules. Rules you broke.” He leaned back and took a sip of his drink. “Think of it as universal law.”

He’d answered my question by not answering anything at all. “I don’t know what any of that means,” I said.

“It's not necessary for you to be aware of anything other than your actions are inexcusable.”

“Are you vampires?”

Micha spoke up, “What do you think?”

I slapped his wandering hand away. If Josiah could’ve killed me with his eyes, I would’ve turned to ash that very moment. All I could think was what the fuck did Della get herself into, hanging out with men like these. There was no way she didn’t know what they were.

Kiam seemed the least threatening out of the trio, but as I’d just learned, looks were deceiving.

“You’ve deviated from the plan,” Josiah said to Micha, “and interrupted my schedule. You knew what you were supposed to do, and I granted you leniency.”

“Thank you for that, my friend.” Micha acknowledged the statement with a nod of his head.

Josiah placed his glass back down on the table, deep in thought. He seemed to study the structure of the vessel, the etches and grooves, twisting the stem back and forth to refract the light.

Kiam lit a cigar and began blowing rings of smoke while staring off into the distance. The man beside me sat so still he may as well have been a corpse.

It was deceptive as I knew if I so much as twitched a muscle to spring free, he’d grab me before I could complete the thought. The fact they were so casually deciding my fate was maddening and terrifying. This was just another day for these demons, I figured.

“I suppose torture is off the table?” Kiam broke the silence.

“Micha said the plan changed, so yes, although I’m sure he was looking forward to getting his cock sucked,” Josiah mused.

Kiam laughed. “He has a woman to do that now.”

“Had,” Josiah corrected.

The image of another woman with her head between Micha’s legs filled me with unreasonable fury. I had no right to be jealous, but I knew I would absolutely lose it if I saw him with someone else. As if he somehow knew where my thoughts had strayed, he placed a warm palm on my thigh and squeezed the muscle lightly. I shoved him away even though I wanted him to hold me again, my eyes watering when I glanced at his hand.

“Let her go,” Josiah suddenly ordered.

I snapped to attention. We all did—Micha, Kiam, and I focusing on the man who appeared to govern us all.

“No one will touch her,” Josiah announced. “Ashley, you are relieved of your duties. I don’t need to remind you what will happen if you breathe a word about any one of us, anything you’ve witnessed, or any single detail about Ipomoea.”

“Are you... firing me?”

“Yes,” Josiah stated with finality. “From this day forward, you’ve never heard of Ipomoea. If you see us anywhere, you don’t know who we are. You’ve never worked for us and all your records will be permanently destroyed. You are not permitted to look at us. Nor we, you. Leave, now.”

Micha’s shoulders sagged but he didn’t spare my face a single glance as he unfastened the collar that’d kept me anchored to him. The device circled his wrist, and the chain of gemstones formed a puddle of rubies and silver on the soft seat before he slid out and stood to the side.

My vision blurred as I made my way from behind the table. “What about these clothes? They’re not mine.”

No one answered. I glanced back at the table and Kiam was on his phone and Josiah tucking into an extra bloody steak. Neither were looking at me, I may as well have been one of the black-uniformed waitresses.

They were seriously instantly dismissing me as if they’d never met me before. I should’ve been thrilled. I was thrilled, right? I should’ve been relieved but all I felt was a climbing sense of panic. I was unmoored, bereft, cast out.

When I looked up at Micha, he was eyeing the couple seated behind our table. No matter how hard I stared at him, he didn’t budge.

My legs felt like they’d collapse beneath me as I stood there, waiting. Waiting for what, I no longer knew. I’d become accustomed to following Micha’s directives, and living under his attention—wanted or not, and with those both removed, I was thrown wildly off kilter.

“Micha,” I called to him, trying to get his attention. He didn’t acknowledge his name.

He slipped past me, the edge of his suit jacket brushing me, and sat down. He lifted his fork and knife and began eating, joining his friends. Not once did he spare me a glance. I truly was invisible to him.

Before I left, I asked, “What about Della?” If Josiah and his henchmen thought for one minute they’d keep me away from her, they were mistaken. My question hung in the air as they ate, drank, and began talking business. I stood there for what felt like several minutes, but not once did anyone’s gaze flick my way. I’d been completely shunned.

“You need to exit the building, ma’am,” a man in a suit approached me and held his hand toward the doors.

Blinking, I started walking away. It was poetic justice, honestly, that I’d cost someone their job and found myself unemployed. I just hadn’t expected it, though perhaps I should’ve. But why did my heart feel so hollow?