“It’s the least I could do.”
“Hmm …” She steps closer and leans up on her toes. Then she presses a simple, yet shattering kiss on my cheek. My bad cheek. The one covered in scars. And still, she lingers on my skin like it doesn’t matter to her … Like she can’t even feel them.
She places her hand on my other cheek and gently caresses me, smiling at me while looking at me with this strange, intoxicating look. It makes me want to grab her and kiss her.
But maybe that’s her point.
So I lean in, grab her waist, and kiss her right on the lips.
She tastes so good. Like sweets and milk and everything that’s bad for you, but so delicious.
I can’t get enough.
Her hands find their way to my ass, pulling me closer to her, making me groan into her mouth. I lick her lips and coax her mouth to open. Her tongue meets mine, entangling in each other’s mouths, wanting every last taste of it.
She squeezes my ass, making me jolt up and down. I’m still not used to the touch, but I can’t get enough either. She’s just that addictive.
When she takes her lips off me, I can still feel them burn on my mouth. She smiles coyly and turns around, casually sauntering off.
For a second, I’m still hazy, but then I realize I didn’t just feel her squeeze.
The kiss was a distraction.
“Hey …”
She glances over her shoulder and then her eyes widen the moment she sees me come toward her.
She starts to run.
“Fuck!” I scream, yelling after her. “Give me back my goddamn phone. You won’t get away with this, Lexi!”
Chapter 15
Alexis
With Viktor on my heels, I rush up the stairs, holding the phone tight.
I know what I did was a low blow, but I had to do it. I need to call my sister … I have to know if she’s okay and to tell her that I’m fine.
He reminded me of her, and now, I can’t get her out of my mind.
If he’s mad, so be it. It’s his own fault for making me think of her.
“Come back here right now!” Viktor screams, stomping after me.
“No!”
“Don’t you fucking use that phone,” he yells.
I can hear his feet behind me, but I don’t look back. I run into his room where I know there’s a lock. I already found the key when he left me alone yesterday. Now, I’m using it to lock myself in.
Am I insane? Probably. But if it’s the only way to contact my sister, then I’ll take it.
“Alexis! Stop!” Viktor says.
“No. I’m gonna call her, and you can’t stop me.” I slam the door shut right before he can get in and tuck the key into the lock, turning it.
He bangs the door so hard, it moves, and I jump back.
He growls, “Let me in!”
“No! I’m calling her.”
“You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into,” he says, bashing the door again.
“I don’t care. I have to tell her I’m okay. Have to speak with her.” I turn away from the door and dial the number I know by heart.
“Dammit, Alexis, you’re making a mistake!” He kicks the door.
“Not listening!” I yell, putting one finger in my ear.
“So you just fucking kissed me to get the phone,” he hisses.
I know what this must look like to him, and I don’t blame him one bit. I used him to get what I wanted. Is it wrong? Yes, because now he probably thinks I only kissed him for the phone, even though it’s only partly true. But I know he won’t believe me, so I say nothing.
He grunts. “If you don’t open this damn door in three seconds, I’m gonna break it.”
“Good luck.” I clear my throat as I hear the phone ring. “C’mon, pick up, pick up …” I whisper.
“Alexis!” he screams.
BAM.
I glance over my shoulder, my eyes widening.
One big hit has the door almost unhinged.
The phone’s still ringing while I say a mental prayer, hoping the door will hold.
BAM.
This time, it’s his fist … and it’s gone straight through the wood.
My jaw drops and the phone almost drops from my hand.
His hand searches the wood until it’s found the doorknob. And that’s when I notice I didn’t pull the key from the lock.
Shit. Shit. Shit!
I panic and try to grab it, but Viktor grasps my hand instead.
“Gotcha.”
“Let me go,” I hiss.
“Fuck no.” He’s so strong; he manages to bring my hand to the lock and forces me to twist the key.
He releases my hand, and at that same instant, the door slams open. “Give that to me. Now!”
“No,” I yell, holding it tightly to my ear.
“Who is this?”
My pupils dilate. “Alisha? Alisha! It’s me, Lex!”
“Lexi? Oh, my God, are you okay? Tell me you’re okay, please?”
The phone is ripped from my hand.
I scream and struggle with him, but he’s already snatched it away from me. And then he presses the end call button.
“No! Give it back!” I yell, fighting him over it.
He holds it in the air while pushing me with his other hand and guiding me toward the couch. “Sit. Down.”
I almost fall down when he nudges me.
With a pissed-off look on his face, he gazes at me from above, lowering the phone. “So this is what it was all about, huh? A phone?”
“You don’t understand,” I say, shaking my head.
“The fuck I do! You kissed me just so you could get your hands on my phone. You’re a conniving witch.”
My eyes tear up from the harsh words. Even though I deserve them, I still don’t like hearing them … because it’s not completely true.
“Lie,” I say.
He makes a face. “This ain’t a game of truth.”
“No, you don’t want to hear my truth.”
He cocks his head. “Oh, yeah? Tell me then. Tell me how getting this phone didn’t have anything to do with that kiss.”
“It does, and I don’t deny that. Call me whatever you want, but you don’t know what it’s like to be me … To have to watch over someone who has you as her only family, only then to be ripped away from them. She needs me.”
He shakes his head boldly. “I do fucking know what that feels like … so I guess I’m not the only ignorant asshole in here.”
For a second, I get the feeling he’s talking about me, but I push the thought away.
“Hey, I stole your phone for a good reason,” I spit. “My sister doesn’t even know if I’m still alive.”
“You’re lucky if she is still alive.”
I gasp. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He rubs the back of his head and looks around a bit, groaning. “See? You have no fucking clue.”
“Tell me then. Tell me everything you know.”
“And give you more ammo to destroy me? Fuck no.”
“Destroy you? Since when am I destroying you? Last I checked, you’re the one ruining yourself.” I point at the chair. “See?”
Out of nowhere, he grabs my face, his mouth just inches away from mine. “You destroy me with your kisses and your blatant ignorance of what I look like, who I really am.”
He presses a hard kiss to my lips, sealing the deal. My eyes close instinctively, my lips allowing him to claim me. I can’t even protest. Maybe I don’t want to, but I should.
“And now, I know it was all a lie …” he murmurs as he takes his lips off mine.
“It’s not,” I say, opening my eyes again. “Everything about my kisses, our fucking … It’s real.”
“I don’t fucking believe it,” he growls, and he lets me go and stands again. He flops down in a chair beside me and stares at me.
“I can’t give you what you want,” I say. “It doesn’t matter what I say or what I do, y
ou’ll still believe you’re too ugly to be loved. And until you change that, I can never give you what you need and you can’t either.”
He swallows, grinding his teeth, a look of regret on his face. One that breaks my heart.
“Sorry …” I say after a while. “I shouldn’t—”
“Nah, it’s all good. I know what the truth is. You’re right. I’m a monster. An ugly, scarred beast. It is what it is.” The tips of his fingers touch his scars, and he makes a revolted face.
“That’s what you see. It’s not what I see.”
His elbows lean on his knees as he looks at me. “Really? Then tell me you don’t see this fucked-up monster stopping you from contacting the person you love the most. Tell me you don’t see me like that.”
I slam my lips shut because I can’t answer that question.
I don’t know why he did what he did. Why he’s trying to keep me away from her. Away from freedom. It’s as if he’s afraid to lose me …
“I knew it …” He sighs, and he rubs his face with his hand. “I’m exactly what I see in the mirror.”
“You wouldn’t be if you’d let me contact my sister.”
“It’ll only make you want to go back.”
“So?”
He looks at me intensely. “You know the deal we made.”
I swallow back the lump in my throat. “I know.”
“And you still want to talk to her, knowing full well you may not be able to see her?”
“I know. I just want her to know that I’m okay. And I want to know how she’s doing.” Just thinking about her puts the tears right back in my eyes again. Damn. I hate the waterworks, but my sister is pretty much the only thing I get emotional about.
“I just want to talk to her,” I say, struggling to keep the tears from rolling.
He sighs out loud and licks his lips. Then he hands the phone back to me. “One minute. Put it on speaker.”
I nod. “Thanks.”
“Don’t …” he says, frowning. “Just make the call.”
I quickly dial her number and press the call and speaker button before he changes his mind. When I hear her voice again, I breathe a sigh of relief.
“Alexis?”
“Yeah, it’s me.” I sniff. “I’m okay.”
“Oh God, I was so scared when I heard you scream.”
“It’s okay, I’m not hurt. It’s so good to hear your voice.”
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” she says. “I’ve been worried sick about you. It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gone to his stupid house, none of this would’ve happened.”
“Don’t say that. You didn’t know it would end up like this. Besides, you did it with the best intentions.”
“Not always the right one.”
I glance at Viktor, who’s watching me intently.
“Are you taking good care of yourself?” I ask Alisha.
“Yeah, I’ve been using the money you earned for food and rent, nothing else.”
“Good. Take it easy. If you’re out of money, you can go to Deangelo.”
“Who’s that?” Viktor asks.
“My pimp.”
“Is that him?” Alisha mumbles.
“Yes, it’s me,” Viktor says.
“You’re an asshole, you know? Keeping my sister trapped when you know it isn’t right.”
“Hmpf.” He turns around and shrugs, but his face clearly shows he’s annoyed.
“Don’t talk like that, Alisha,” I hiss. “You don’t want him mad, trust me.”
“He’d better not touch you,” she growls.
“I’m okay, really,” I say. “I can take care of myself.”
“Well, whatever you do, you keep fighting, okay? Don’t give up. I’m going to see you again.”
I sigh. This conversation is getting every bit more difficult. “Please don’t worry about me anymore. Worry about yourself.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? I won’t stop thinking about you.”
“For your own sake, just … please, don’t make this difficult.”
“What are you saying, Lex? You can’t mean—NO! I’m not giving up on you.”
I smash my lips together when I hear her yell.
“I don’t give a shit what he’s up to or what he wants, but I will see you again. And if it means coming all the way back to that house of his, I will do it.”
“No!” Viktor yells, immediately reaching for the phone.
“Don’t do it, Alisha. Listen to him,” I yell, holding the phone tight, trying to escape Viktor’s grasp.
“Tell her she can’t come here,” Viktor yells. “She can’t leave her house, no matter what.”
“Do you hear him? Alisha, tell me you’ll do what he says!”
“Why?”
But then Viktor manages to rip the phone from my hand. “This conversation is over. Good-bye, Alisha.”
The line’s cut off and he tucks the phone back into his pocket.
“Why?” I growl. “Why did you do that? I could’ve talked to her more, my minute wasn’t up yet.”
“She can’t come here. Don’t you know how dangerous that is?”
“I couldn’t even say good-bye. Again!” My voice fluctuates in tone.
He’s right in my face. “Well, I’m fucking sorry about that, but you can’t give her any reason to come back here.”
“Why? Because you’re afraid she’s going to take me away from you?”
His nostrils flare, and for a second, he just stands there staring at me. “Because you’re both in danger.”
“What? Since when?” I sit up straight.
“Since you came to this city.”
“Why? What’s so special about us?” I frown.
“I …” He growls. “I can’t tell you everything; just know that you’re in danger.”
I cross my arms. “You’ll have to do better than that.”
“Remember the cop? He was one of them.”
“One of who?” I don’t understand any of this.
“One of the company’s men!” he yells, almost pulling his hair out. “He’s part of the company, and now, they’ve come for you.”
“Wait … what? Come for me? How do you know? Is that why he was looking at the tattoo on my neck before he …” My stomach feels like it turns over. “Why wouldn’t you tell me this before? What does the tattoo mean? I could never ask anyone, but you know, right?”
He shakes his head. “I can’t …”
“Why not?”
He tries to grab my hand, but I pull away. “Because it would hurt you.”
“No. You don’t get to decide not to tell me something to spare my feelings.”
I get up and walk away from him, but he comes after me, grabbing my arm. “You can’t go out there. Not anymore. I’m already surprised you were able to stay in the city this long without being detected. But they know now, and they’re looking for you both. You have to believe me.”
“Why would I? You’ve done nothing to prove yourself.” I jerk my arm away, but he won’t let me go. “I’m done with this conversation,” I say.
“You don’t even know the half of it yet.” He shakes his head.
“Let me go,” I say.
“Don’t go outside,” he growls. “It’ll get you killed.”
We glare at each other for what feels like minutes before he finally releases me from his grip.
“So that’s it, huh … That cop, you knew him, didn’t you?” I say. “You two work for the same company?”
“Yes … but I’m not proud of it.” He balls his fists. “The fucker got what he deserved.”
“You should’ve told me.”
“Why? Would you have believed me?”
“No.” I frown. “Actually, I still don’t. I think this is just another lie for you to keep me here, and it’s not working. It’s only making me angry with you, so if that was the point, well done. You got what you wanted.” I turn around again, and finally, he lets me walk away this time.<
br />
“I’m not the only one who’s blinded himself from the truth that’s right in front of him.”
His words hit me like a truck, but I refuse to let them in. What’s the truth and what’s a lie? Who knows? I don’t, that’s for sure.
I have to think. Have to be alone for a while.
So I walk out of the room, leaving him alone, and go to the guest room, locking myself inside.
Chapter 16
Alexis
I only stay in my room because I’m not sure what else to do. I want to know the truth, but Viktor won’t tell it to me straight. I have to think of a way to pull it out of him.
It’s way past twelve, but something tells me I need to go to him and figure it out. Besides, I’m done staring at the wall and looking at the dresses in the closet. I need something to do.
So I open the door and peek out.
The first thing that catches my attention is Winston. He’s pacing up and down the hall with a phone stuck to his ear, whisper-yelling stuff.
I sneak out and try to walk closer as silently as possible, leaning over the edge of the banister to try to listen in to his conversation.
“Yes, he’s absolutely sure,” Winston says. “No, he doesn’t—I’m sure you need him, but please understand—I know, and I’m sorry, but he was very clear when he said he didn’t want to anymore. Yes. Yes. No … I am begging you, please let him have his peace.” Winston wipes the sweat off his face.
“Hasn’t he done enough for you already? No, he’s not going to tell a soul, I give you my word. Why wouldn’t you believe me? We haven’t betrayed your—Yes, I know what he did, but you know he would never—No … He doesn’t want to talk to you.”
Winston sighs. “What? Are you sure? Uh-huh. Okay … I’ll tell him what you told me.”
He hangs up and lowers the phone, but he continues to stare at the wall for a few seconds.
There must be trouble … and it makes me wonder if Viktor’s hiding more secrets.
Winston makes his way to Viktor’s room, the one I’m not allowed to set foot in, and I follow behind him. I hide behind the walls to prevent him from spotting me, and only when he’s entered the room do I come closer … and press my left ear against the door.
Viktor Page 13
