by Unknown
The banging and yelling stopped. Satra walked to the peephole in her door to make sure he was gone. From what she could see, he had left. She walked back to her couch and began pacing and threw her phone on the couch. She didn’t realize how bad her hands were shaking until her fingers no longer had a death grip around her cell phone.
Her next thought was to call Shane.
He had just made it home and was taking off his white dress shirt and putting on one of his favorite t-shirts. Looking at the Caller ID. He smiled and answered the call.
“You miss me already?”
Satra could hear the playfulness in his voice but she was far from being in a playful mood.
“I do, but Cole showed up at my door right after you left.”
The hair on the back of Shane’s neck stood up and he stopped in his tracks in the middle of his bedroom at Satra’s words.
“What did you just say?” he asked with his nostrils flared and his blood pumping with anger.
“That lunatic bastard Cole showed up at my door just now. I had just gotten out of the shower, put some clothes on and was going to go to bed when the doorbell rang. I thought it was Alinna so I ran down the stairs and opened the door and it was him. He tried to come inside but I wouldn’t let him. Then he starts babbling about how we connected when we went bowling and he kept calling me baby. My skin is crawling just thinking about it,” Satra said as she paced the floor of her living room trying to calm down.
“I’m coming over. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Make sure you lock every lock on your door Satra,” Shane said before he hung up.
Satra looked at her phone for a moment before she hung up as well. She didn’t need Shane to come over, at least that’s not what she called him for. Then again she could use his strong comforting arms to hold her right about now. It wasn’t so much that she was scared of Cole; she was just pissed and caught off guard. What he did just now just confirmed what she knew all along - that he is crazy. She knew there was something about him that night at bowling that wasn’t right. He’s a crazy stalker nut. She went to the closet in her foyer and took out her Louisville Slugger bats. She had two of them, a wooden one and a metal one. She put one near her front door and the other one upstairs in her bedroom. If Cole decided to come back she’d be ready for him.
Some minutes later she heard her doorbell ring and she hurried down the stairs and stopped to look through her peephole before she opened the door. She saw Shane’s beautiful face torn up in anger, his jaw line tight, his brow furrowed and his eyes ready to kill. She opened the door and he rushed in and pulled her into a tight hug. He let go of her long enough to close the door behind them and lock it before he pulled her back into his strong arms again. Satra closed her eyes and took in the strength and security that he offered. Pulling back he looked into her eyes and asked in a serious tone “Are you okay?”
Nodding her head yes, Satra said, “I’m fine. Pissed but fine. He showed up here, tried to force himself inside and was saying that we connected and should be together. When I told him there was nothing between us he snapped and started yelling at me and said that he saw us all cuddled up last night and that I must like being massah’s little hoe…”
“He said what to you?” Shane yelled angrily, his eyes almost popping out of his head.
“You know what, don’t tell me anymore,” Shane said angrily as he let go of Satra and began pacing the floor. All he could see was red and his fists beating Cole’s face to a pulp. He wanted to punch out every perfectly white tooth in his mouth. Everything in him wanted to leave Satra’s condo and go find Cole and beat him to within an inch of his life. Shane’s pacing made Satra nervous because she knew Shane was thinking about violence. Then Shane stopped pacing and came back to Satra. Taking her by the arms he said, “I will take care of Cole. In the mean time I need you to stay here and keep the door locked. Don’t answer your door for anyone but me, do you understand?”
His voice was calm but Satra saw the firestorm raging in his eyes.
“Shane what are you going to do? Promise me you won’t do anything crazy.” Satra pleaded.
Looking deep into her eyes Shane said, “I promise I’m not going to do anything crazy. What I am going to do is make sure Cole never bothers you again.”
Satra still didn’t like Shane’s tone or the look in his eyes. She knew there was nothing she could say to him to that would change his mind. She saw the anger and determination in his eyes.
Taking her face into his strong hands Shane said, “I have to go. Remember what I said, stay here, and don’t answer your door for anyone. I’ll call you.” Shane gave her a quick kiss on the lips and headed for the door. His back was rigid and his stride was determined. This man was on a mission. Before Satra could say anything more he was gone and her door was quickly closed behind him. She locked the door immediately.
Call her crazy but she was now worried about what Shane would do to Cole. ‘I should’ve known he’d react this way.’ Satra said to herself as she plopped down on her couch. She felt a stress headache coming on and began to rub her temples as she said a silent prayer for Shane.
‘Dear God, please don’t let him do anything stupid and please, please keep him safe.’
****
Shane was livid. He was so angry he thought he was going to burst a blood vessel in his temple. He wanted to kill Cole. He would never admit that to Satra because she’d freak out and try to stop him. He wanted to break every bone in Cole’s body first, but Shane was going to try his best not to go that route. The plan was to go to Cole and tell him to stay the hell away from Satra or else he’d regret the day he was born. Shane knew it wouldn’t go as planned. His fists would somehow find contact with his face. That’s why Shane hoped and prayed that Cole was dumb enough to swing at him or even flinch at him to give him an excuse to beat the hell out of him. While in his car Shane decided that the first thing he needed to do was find out where Cole was. Even though it was Sunday he called his assistant to find out where Cole was staying while in New York. Apparently Di Amato put him up at the Waldorf. Shane hit the freeway so he could get there quicker.
He parked his car out front and handed his keys to the valet. He strolled inside of the hotel like a man on a mission. The concierge was chipper and Shane tried his best to turn on his charm with the hopes of getting the information he needed.
“Good morning. I have a business meeting with Cole DaCosta. He’s in town as a guest of my company Di Aamto and Associates. Could you please tell me if he’s still in his room or if he’s left? I thought we were meeting here in his suite and I’m running a bit late.”
“Of course Mr. Evans, let me just quickly check his whereabouts.” The young lady stated. She clearly recognized Shane as she smiled extra hard. Shane found it to be strange but he didn’t have time to wonder about the how’s and why’s.
“Mr. Da Costa is having a breakfast meeting with Mr. Di Amato in our private dining room. I can have someone show you where that is.”
“Please do,” Shane said smiling.
Within seconds a bellhop was at Shane’s side leading him to the private dining room on the 17th floor of the ritzy hotel. Shane stepped off the elevator behind the bellhop and walked down a long well lit hallway that led to the private dining room. Shane thanked the bellhop and tipped him before walking through the doors and spotted them sitting in a corner having breakfast.
Cole’s seat was facing the door and he was the first to see the tall figure strolling his way. Shane saw his look of surprise turn into disgust as their eyes met.
Mr. Di Amato was wondering what made Cole’s demeanor change so drastically and he turned to look in the direction of Cole’s eyes. He also looked surprised and a bit confused at Shane’s surprise pop in on their meeting that was supposed to be secret.
“Good morning Frank, Cole,” Shane said icily.
“Good morning Shane. Is something wrong?” Mr. Di Amato asked, trying to hide his nervousness as he noticed the a
nger in Shane’s eyes. Did Shane find out about his plans? If so, how?
“Yes, something is very wrong. I take exception to men stalking women who aren’t interested in them. That little impromptu visit you paid Satra this morning will never, ever happen again DaCosta. If it does I’ll beat the shit out of you and make you wish you were never born.”
Smiling nervously and shifting in his chair Cole said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just dropped by to pay Satra a friendly visit. Whatever she told you…….”
Before he knew it Shane had Cole by his throat choking the life out of him. Cole struggled to his feet as he gasped for air, trying to pry Shane’s hand from around his throat but with no success.
“Shane!”
Mr. Di Amato yelled as he jumped to his feet.
Shane shot him a death glare and Mr. Di Amato didn’t attempt to say another word.
“So now the lady is a liar, is that it Cole? Is that what you do? Stalk women and claim them as your own even when they tell you they’re not interested in your crazy ass?” Shane said through clenched teeth. The veins in his neck were protruding as the adrenaline pumped through his body. He wanted to break Cole’s neck. Badly.
Choking and desperately gasping for breath, Cole managed to say “No, no! That’s not what I’m saying! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
“Stay the hell away from Satra and stay the hell away from me. You come near her, call her or attempt to contact her in any way I will hunt you down and I will kill you. Do you understand me?” Shane said, his nostrils flaring.
“Shane, you shouldn’t make threats on a person’s life like that.” Mr. Di Amato said cautiously.
“And he shouldn’t try to force himself into people’s homes without their permission calling them Massah’s little slave either,” Shane said as he shoved Cole back into his chair.
Cole was gasping and coughing for air as Shane stood his ground, breathing heavily with adrenaline. Mr. Di Amato was amazed at Shane’s strength. Shane and Cole were about the same height but Cole had to be a good 20 pounds heavier than Shane and very muscular. He had no clue Shane had that kind of strength or temper.
“This is the kind of person you want to bring on board to Di Amato and Associates Frank? A slimy pervert who preys on women? He’s scum!”
“I’m just mentoring him Shane, nothing more.” Mr. Di Amato said, trying his best to sound reassuring.
Shane gave him the side eye and said, “Don’t try to play me Frank. You’ve been sneaking around and acting suspicious for the last three to four months now. I knew you were up to something, I just didn’t know what. And if you’re mentoring this piece of shit why didn’t you tell me? That’s hardly anything one would need to keep a secret if they had nothing to hide.”
“Shane why don’t we discuss this somewhere else in private.” Mr. Di Amato said as he came from behind the table to stand in front of Shane.
“It’s a little late for that don’t you think Frank? Let me make things a little easier for you: I quit. Consider this my letter of resignation.”
Shane gave Cole one last threatening glare and glanced at Mr. Di Amato, who was not surprised at all by his announcement, before he turned around to walk away.
“So you’ve finally got the ball rolling on your consulting firm huh Evans? I was wondering how long it was going to take you before you got the nerve to do it.”
Shane stopped and turned around with a smile on his face that was anything but friendly. “Yeah, I got it rolling. I know you knew already. That’s what you do isn’t it? Make sure you know everybody’s business? So what of it?” Shane asked his tone laced with acid.
“Oh, nothing son. I’m proud of you actually. You could’ve easily gone into the family business but instead you decided to start a business of your own. You have a knack for bucking the system, even when it’s all laid out for you on a red carpet with your filthy rich family. Hell, you even fell in love with a black woman, a very beautiful one at that. Now that’s really bucking the system coming from such a prestigious family.”
Frank Di Amato was smirking now. He saw how Shane’s fists clenched and unclenched and his jaw line tightened. He was getting to Shane and he knew it.
Shane walked up to Frank Di Amato and got in his face, staring the old man down using all the control he had not to pound his brains onto the walls of the dining room.
“You keep Satra and my family out of this and hurry up and make your damn point old man.” Shane ground out.
“My point is simple: I will destroy you.” Mr. Di Amato said with evilness in his eyes.
“Be careful with the threats old man. The mob that you think will protect you pales in comparison to what I alone can and will do to you, and that’s without the backing of my red-carpeted prestigious family. Go ahead and start this war, but I guarantee you I will finish it, and when I’m done no one will hear of you or your companies ever again in the U.S. or Europe. That’s a promise.” Shane said in a deceptively calm voice full of promise.
Di Amato’s face lost all color and the menacing grin he had was gone. He didn’t think Shane had it in him, the tough sinister side. Boy was he wrong. What he saw was a man who meant every word of what he said. He was a lion on the prowl looking for blood, and though it scared Di Amato, he felt a certain level of respect for Shane.
Looking over at Cole he pointed at him and said, “And the same goes for you. Consider yourself a lucky man that you’re still breathing. Your life was spared this time. Come near Satra again and I will kill you.”
Shane turned on his heel and walked out of the dining room. He was still fuming but he also felt a huge wave of relief. He didn’t plan on severing ties with Di Amato like that but he had no choice. The man is clearly up to no good, and his threat to destroy Shane proved it. The last thing Shane wanted was to put Satra and his family at risk. This is one time he regrets not listening to his father when he warned him about Frank Di Amato.
He got his car back from the valet and headed towards Satra’s condo. He called her to tell her he was on his way. He heard the worry and uncertainty in her voice but he didn’t give her the chance to ask any questions. He wanted to be face to face with her when he explained what happened.
Satra was still sitting on the couch looking through magazines to try to calm her nerves when the doorbell rang. She ran to the door and looked through the peephole. It was Shane. He still looked upset but she was glad nothing happened to him. She unlocked the locks and let him in. He immediately took Satra into his arms and hugged her tightly. He needed to feel her, to hold her. He couldn’t shake the sick feeling of Cole being at her home alone with her, threatening her. He gently massaged her back as he squeezed her to him.
“I was worried about you.” She whispered in his ear.
Pulling back enough to look her in her eyes Shane asked, “Do you trust me Satra?”
“I trust you with my life.”
“Then believe me when I say that I will always take care of you and protect you no matter what.”
Satra brought her hand up to his face and caressed his cheek, which was very warm to her touch. “I know you will.” She finally said with worry in her eyes. She could feel that something wasn’t right.
“Good because you need to pack some clothes. You’re coming to stay with me,” Shane said matter-of-factly as he went to her kitchen to get himself a glass of water. He came to this conclusion the moment Di Amato threatened him.
Satra was about to follow him when she froze in her tracks. Her face frowned up and her mouth opened but no words came out as she tried to register what he said. She stood there watching him open her cabinets looking for a glass and then finally finding one.
“I’m sorry, what did you just say?” she asked with her hands on her hips.
“You’re coming to stay with me. I don’t want you staying here by yourself,” Shane said as he finished pouring himself a glass of water and turned to look at her.
His eyes had darkened and
his jaw was set. Satra knew he was serious. Matter of fact he was ready to fight her on this. They haven’t fought since South Carolina, and even then that fight was nowhere as serious as it is now.
Satra never liked arguing and she didn’t want to start with Shane. She did enough of that with Matt. She and Shane have always been able to talk things out up until this point. ‘There’s something he’s not telling me.’ Satra concluded.
She joined him in the kitchen and stood directly in front of him and looked him in the eyes. She felt so short being barefoot and looking up at him while he towered over her.
“What happened when you left here Shane? What aren’t you telling me?” Satra asked calmly.
His eyes became angry and serious.
“I paid Cole a visit.” He shrugged as he took another gulp of his water.
Closing her eyes Satra groaned out loud. “Oh God. What did you do to him Shane?” Satra asked as nervousness began to overtake her.
Looking her in the eyes Shane said, “I did what any man would do to protect his woman, I confronted him! He threatened you, he came here and tried to force himself inside of your home and disrespected you. And he had the nerve to deny doing it and basically said you were lying.” Shane spat out angrily.
“WHAT?” Satra shouted in disbelief.
“That psychotic freak! He came here unannounced, and how he got my address I have no clue because I certainly never gave it to him and I know he didn’t get it from my brother, and he tried to force himself inside!”
“And that’s exactly why I don’t want you staying here alone anymore. I want you to stay with me where I can protect you Satra. I don’t trust him or Di Amato. Please don’t fight me on this.”
Putting her hands up Satra said, “Whoa. Let’s back this up a minute. First of all I’m no damsel in distress here Shane. I didn’t call you for you to go all cave man and save the day for me. You seem to forget that I’m the daughter of a retired police officer and the sister to three brothers. I know how to take care of myself.”
