by T. C. Clark
When his eyes found her in the crowd his body responded as usual. She looked beautiful. Her dark brown skin a stark contrast to the light green dress. She looked so tall next to her small friend with the pixie cut. The perfect size for him.
He shook his head to clear the rapidly forming lustful thoughts. He needed to focus. He had to take out those two guys. Tonight he would act as their judge, jurors and executioner. In his mind it was black and white. You hurt an innocent, you forfeit your life.
He knew his mindset would be disturbing for most, but he couldn’t deny what he was. He moved between the drunken crowd shadowing the two would be assailants. He was surprised that they hadn’t noticed him in the slightest.
When he got close enough he understood why. Both of them looked high on something with their sweaty faces and bloodshot eyes. They were tweaking, he knew the look. They were also getting sloppy.
As Eden and her friend left, Dmitri moved closer. He could sense the desperation in the men; something had sped up their timeline. Approaching Eden in a place like this was stupid. He waited as they did. After five minutes they moved to go after her and he followed.
That’s when he realized his mistake. Eden’s car was still parked outside, but she was gone. Dmitri walked over to her vehicle and ran his hand across the hood and cursed when he realized it was cold. The two men must have been lookouts.
When he heard one of them laugh, he turned and followed the sound. He would figure out exactly what happened tonight, even if he had to take them apart to do so. There was no way he was going to let anyone hurt his woman.
Three
You're not gonna get me...
A litany of emotions passed through Eden as she left the club. First cold, hard fear as a man built like a house grabbed her from behind and wrapped her in a bearlike grip. His massive arm cut off her air supply so forcefully that she had to swallow her scream.
Then, boiling anger as he systematically locked her up tying her feet and handcuffing her hands behind her back. And finally dread as she realized they were driving far away from everything she knew.
She swallowed around the gag in her mouth. Her eyes watered from her effort to breathe around it. She took deep calming breaths. She needed to clear her mind and form a plan.
She thought back to an Oprah episode where a detective said that the chance of a victim dying increased substantially once they were moved to another location. She forced her heart to calm down.
Thanks to Matt she was familiar with the adrenaline that came with violence. She needed to focus on getting out of this. She could be afraid later. She pulled at her handcuffs ignoring the pain to her wrists. They were too tight, she couldn’t use them. Her feet on the other hand were loosely tied.
Once the man had grabbed her and forced her inside of the van she had entered a state of shock. For a few minutes she had been stiff with fear, unable to fight or focus. Her abductor had taken that as a sign of weakness and had spent little time securing her feet.
She would rather die than face whatever awaited her when they got to his chosen location. As they rounded a corner she rolled herself into a sitting position, it was painful. She started to stand up and then jerked as the vehicle was hit from behind. She fell back on her bound wrists and screamed, the sound muffled by the tight gag.
She heard the abductor yell and then the van swerved to the right as another hit landed on the fender. The driver over corrected and the van spun out of control. She tensed as her body lurched and hit the side of the van door.
When they stopped, she heard the front driver door open and close. Sounds of fighting filtered through the air. She took quick deep breaths and sat up. Her shoulder screamed in pain as she scooted to the other side of the van. Once the sounds stopped fear intruded.
Her eyes widened as the door opened. A massive man stepped inside. She forced her brain to think. What should she do? How could she fight? Scattered thoughts repeated themselves in her head until her mind hurt.
She pulled her legs back to kick and then stopped. Dmitri leaned in and pulled her from the van. His large hands were gentle on her skin. He cradled her shaking body against his. His gentleness drained her of her adrenaline and her shaking intensified.
It was as if seeing him unlocked the fear she had been stuffing down. She closed her eyes as her body soaked in his strength. She knew she should be wondering how he’d found her, maybe even be afraid that he was here. But she couldn’t stop her body’s response to him, for once in her life she felt safe.
Dmitri tried to control the emotions rushing through his body. He needed to get back to where he stashed the other guys. He knew he couldn’t leave them there forever, but he also knew Eden would want to call the police.
He was damn glad he had put a tracker on her phone. After he’d noticed the two men consistently showing up he’d decided to be proactive. He’d gotten lucky this time. The abductor was an amateur.
If he’d been any kind of professional he would have searched her before he put her in the vehicle and removed any unnecessary jewelry or electronic devices. Doing that wasn’t full proof because some people had tracker implants…but it was kidnapping basics.
Once he’d realized she was gone he’d ambushed the other two guys and through creative interrogation he’d learned that this wasn’t a robbery, but a hired hit.
Apparently Eden’s ex husband had decided that Eden didn’t deserve to live without him. He’d hired them not only to kill Eden, but to make her last moments as painful as possible.
They had no idea that their words had sealed their fate. He wasn’t a police officer. He didn’t uphold the law. As soon as he got back to them, he would make them disappear and then he would find her ex.
He pulled back from her and looked into her wide dilated eyes. He couldn’t leave her to deal with the police alone. He knew the Librarian had created an ironclad identity for him. If he stayed here the police would look into him and he would surely hear from her soon.
He turned Eden in his arms and pulled out a small pin from his pocket. In seconds her hands were released. He reached up and undid the gag. She remained quiet and still. It was as if the reality of the situation had finally caught up to her.
“Eden, are you okay?”
“I’m…. I’m okay…. What do we do now?” she asked her voice hoarse and small.
“We wait for the police,” Dmitri said warming her arms with his hands.
“Where is the driver?” she whispered.
“He’s behind the door. Don’t worry about him…He’s not going anywhere anytime soon.” He held her closely. She was a tall woman almost reaching his shoulder and yet she felt as small as a child right now.
Her limbs shook uncontrollably as the inevitable adrenaline high left her body. He had a feeling she only had a few more minutes of calm before she freaked out.
The two men would stay knocked out for another two and a half hours if he’d estimated their body weight correctly. They were still locked up at the club. He would have to head back and grab them before the club closed or else he would have to break in.
He sighed. He knew he needed to handle that now. He hated sloppy work and now that he knew her ex was involved it changed everything. The man had no idea what he’d done. His feelings for Eden were complicated but real.
This would be the last time that man did anything to hurt her. He always dealt with threats efficiently and permanently. Her ex’s days were numbered. He would find him soon enough, but first he needed to make sure Eden had the right things to say to the police. He had to address how he caught up to them. He couldn’t tell them he had a tracker on her.
“How did you find me?” Eden asked.
“I was at the club. I saw what happened. I tried to follow you, but I lost the van after it left the main street. It took me a while, but I figured this was the only road out of the city.”
“Did you call the police when he took me?”
“No, I had to be sure of what I saw.
I figured when I caught up to you I could get the van to stop. But when I flashed my lights he sped up. I figured I needed to stop the van by any means necessary.”
“Thank you, Dmitri. Thank you so much,” she whispered against his massive chest. Her fingers dug into his flesh. It was a welcome pain. He didn’t know how she’d come to mean so much to him. They’d only known each other for a few weeks, but here he was waiting for the police with a woman that he’d come to believe was his own.
He knew once he contacted the Librarian it would only take her a few minutes to find Eden’s ex-husband. She was going to be pissed that he was getting involved in this, but he knew she would help him out. He wished he had time to comfort Eden properly, but this couldn’t wait. As soon as he finished answering their questions he was heading out to take care of her ex permanently.
* * *
Eden turned off the kettle and checked the lock on her front door for the third time. It had taken nearly three hours, but they’d finally finished up with the police. She still couldn’t believe everything that had happened.
The police asked her to keep quiet about tonight so they could set up an operation to catch her ex. The driver readily told them everything they wanted. His fear filled eyes stayed on Dmitri as he spoke. She wondered what he’d said to him outside of the van.
She looked out her window and sighed with relief when she saw the police officer parked out front. They had promised her around the clock protection. Dmitri had been her rock during that time answering all of their questions with an ease that bespoke of his ability to handle stress. He had no problem explaining to them everything that happened. She’d done okay the only time she’d almost broken down was when he told her he had to leave. She’d almost disgraced herself by begging him to stay.
It had taken everything she had to stop herself from begging. He’d done his due diligence tonight. Without his interference, she shuddered; the night could have ended very differently. She knew that and yet she’d felt so vulnerable when he said he needed to leave.
She went to her kitchen and set up her tea. She’d already contacted Devonte and Shenelle and asked for them to open together for the next few days. She needed to take some time to recover. Her nerves were still fried from earlier and she had a feeling it would take her a while to get back to normal.
Her eyes filled with tears. Why her? Why did she have to fall in love with such a monster? What was so wrong with her that she’d chosen such a man to share her life with? She shook her head as the sad thoughts filled her head.
She’d learned long ago through copious amounts of intense therapy that blaming herself wouldn’t help the situation. Her relationship with Matt was a mistake but his treatment of her was his shame to carry. Clearly he felt she still deserved punishment. According to the police they believed he’d set the whole thing up. She grabbed her bat and went to the living room.
Even with all of the lights on she still felt terrified. It was as if a monster was lurking just beyond her sight. She settled into the chair and sipped her tea ignoring her jumpy stomach. She wouldn’t let Matt win. She’d survived him once before and she would do so again.
* * *
Dmitri rechecked the locks on his door as he resettled into his apartment. He smiled. He’d gotten to Matt before the police. He’d taken pleasure in eliminating that particular threat from Eden’s life. When the police got there they would find a suicide note and a dead body.
His death had been quick and unfortunately painless. He knew it needed to look like a suicide with the police showing up just a few hours after him. He’d also taken care of the two men hired to follow her, handing them over to a rival gang so that they could deal with them personally.
Apparently the two men were key conspirators in three other deaths in their area. Before he’d left the room they’d already killed one of the men and were working on the second.
So far all of the threats were neutralized and Eden was safe. He ignored the unread messages from the Librarian on his phone. He knew she would be pissed that he was getting involved in someone else’s shit and risking his alias. He couldn’t explain his need to protect Eden. However, he couldn’t ignore her forever. She wouldn’t allow it.
He wondered how Eden was doing. He’d seen the naked vulnerability in her eyes when he took her home. She’d been second’s way from asking him to stay. He was glad she didn’t. Matt was something he needed to take care of immediately and he was sure she would disagree with how he handled it.
She didn’t know that sometimes there were people who were made wrong. Matt was a natural born monster who couldn’t be redeemed. The things he’d asked her abductor to do to her…. yeah, death was the only option for him.
He washed his hands and looked at the clock. He wondered if he should head to the bakery or give her some space. How did things work with normal women? He’d only dealt with people who worked in the same field as him and they were very straightforward and brutal about what they needed.
He didn’t know how to handle Eden. How to be what she needed, but he knew he wanted to find out.
* * *
Eden returned to work after a few days of leave with a smile on her face. It was wrong to feel so happy about Matt being dead, but she couldn’t help it. Ever since she’d worked up the nerve to leave him…he’d been there lurking in the background.
He was the reason that she wasn’t anywhere on social media. She’d learned long ago that if he could find any way to humiliate her…he would. Finding out he was dead was like finding out the monster under your bed had been defeated for good. Her heart felt lighter, her soul was finally free. With Matt gone her life could finally begin. She’d cried happy tears as the police explained what happened.
Later when she really had time to think she would feel ashamed of her behavior and send out a prayer for his broken soul, but right now she was going to bask in it. When she saw Dmitri her heart jumped.
According to her employees he hadn’t been here since that night she was attacked. She should be over this attraction or at least have it under control after what she’d been through this week.
She had wanted to find a way to say thank you for his help. She stopped at his table and waited quietly for him to look up. His light blue eyes always took her breath away.
Where Shenelle thought they were cold as ice, she burned from their intensity. She didn’t know how she’d become so enamored with this man.
“Eden, I’m glad to see you’re here. How are you?” he said breaking the spell.
“Um, I’m okay. I don’t know if the police contacted you but they found Matt. There was plenty of evidence in his home to suggest that he had planned everything with those guys. He committed suicide. They said he probably felt guilt or feared being caught,” she blurted out.
It was as if seeing him again was finally giving her permission to talk about everything that happened. She still hadn’t told her friends. She probably wouldn’t. She didn’t need them worrying about her, especially with Matt being gone now.
Yesterday she’d had a long appointment with her therapist. That talk had lightened her mood and made the stress of the situation less debilitating. She would always be thankful that she’d chosen to go to weekly therapy. Those sessions helped her to examine and release her pain from the past.
“Do you think he would have felt guilty?” he asked.
“Honestly…no I don’t think he would have felt any guilt. However, I do believe he could have been afraid of going to jail or being caught. Either way I’m happy he’s gone. I don’t know what that says about me,” she admitted looking away from him at the happy crowd around them. Two teenagers sat at a table close to his laughing and flipping through a worn prom dress catalog.
“It says you’re human and glad to be free. There is nothing wrong with that, Eden.” He answered.
“You’re probably right. I can’t help it, this feeling. It’s like I’m awake for the first time. My therapist says that it’s co
mpletely normal and nothing to be ashamed about. But sometimes I wonder. Anyway, enough about me. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. I had to go back to my old apartment for a little bit and find some documents. In case the police had any more questions for me. I’m not a natural citizen so it pays to be careful about things like that.”
“Oh… please tell me you’re not in any trouble for helping me,” she asked her brown eyes widened with worry. God, she’d never even thought about that.
“No, I was just covering my bases. You look beautiful, Eden,” he said unable to keep the admiration from his voice.
She blushed prettily. Her mahogany skin looked bright against the yellow jumper she wore. You could just make out her curves underneath and she had her long legs on full display. His eyes traveled her body with interest and warmth spread through Eden’s chest.
Dmitri never hid his interest in her. She felt it every time his eyes touched her. Her heart accelerated as she realized what she needed to do. She couldn’t let Dmitri walk out of her life. She needed to at least try.
“Um, Dmitri would you like to have dinner with me tonight?” she asked quietly.
He hesitated for just a moment and she was crushed. She had expected everything except rejection from him. He’d been sending heated glances her way ever since they met. Maybe he was just into the chase. Before she could make up some joke to cover the awkwardness, he spoke.
“I should have asked you out first. I would love to go out to dinner with you,” He said the warmth in his eyes touching something deep inside of her. She wasn’t mistaken. The heat was there. He was just controlling it.
“Where would you like to go?” His Russian accent made her toes curl.
