by Alicia Banks
Josselin smiled and looked away. He was still trying to figure her out, but he liked her next to him, keeping close for safety. He wouldn’t mind scaring her a little bit more, if it brought her closer to him.
Chapter 13
Not only did Antonio have enough money to fly around when he wanted to take her shopping, but he also had a car waiting for them when they landed. She didn’t even think half of that was possible, but Josselin was learning that money did buy anything and everything a person wanted. She was impressed, though she tried not to show it. It was hard.
When they finally got into the town car that was waiting for them, Josselin expressed how much she had enjoyed the ride. Usually, she was afraid and being that high up should have terrified her, but it didn’t. Instead, it was the greatest few minutes of her life and she knew that it was because Antonio was next to her. He calmed her down and made her think that everything was going to be okay. It was a reminder that she needed from time to time.
Shopping with him was even more intense than all the rest of it. He clearly didn’t see money as an object and for an afternoon, he didn’t look at one price. By the end of it, Josselin wasn’t either. She bought more dresses than she knew what to do with, but it was really nice. She rarely got anything new and if she did, Josselin would have been afraid to bring it home with her, knowing it would have been destroyed out of spite.
While they were in town, she had a couple of calls to return and one of them was from her friend Melanie. She wanted to see her and had a lot of questions to ask. Josselin knew that she had said that she didn’t want to see anyone, but when Antonio said that he had to do a few errands himself, she told Melanie that she would meet her for lunch. They were to meet at the airport where the chopper was when it was all done.
Josselin was trying her best to keep it all inside, but she was excited. Melanie was a bit late and she looked like she was worried about something. When Josselin asked about it and what was going on, Melanie just waved her off. She gave her a hug. “Gosh, I have missed you, Josselin. You said that you were going to go, but I guess I didn’t believe you.”
“Trust me, Melanie, I don’t know if I really believed it either. I am glad that it is happening, but it’s all a surprise to me.”
“So really, Josselin, where have you been? Everyone has been looking for you, freaking out. Your brother has gone out every night looking for you. They called the cops and reported you as a missing person.”
Josselin just waved it all off like it was no big deal. “I am not worried about them. How have you been?”
She looked stunned. “You really don’t care?”
Josselin shook her head that she didn’t. “I don’t care about them at all. They spent all that time making me miserable. I hope I never see any of them again.”
“You don’t mean that. I know that you guys have had problems in the past, but Josh…”
“Like I said, Melanie, if I see them again, it will be too soon.”
Josselin noticed that Melanie kept looking toward the door and when she asked her about it, she just acted like there was no reason. Josselin knew there was, though, and she started to look, too. All this talk of her family had her nervous.
“Why do you keep bringing them up?”
“Because they have come to me several times looking for you, your brother has been really upset.”
“Why do you keep talking about Josh like he matters in all of this? You know that he is just as bad as the rest of them, right?”
“Well, I don’t think that he is as bad as your uncle.”
Josselin didn’t agree. She was the one that knew her brother’s true ways. He hid it better, but that was about it.
“They are both horrible and you shouldn’t believe what they tell you, Melanie. I know that we’ve been friends for a while and you think that you know them, but trust me, stay as far away from them as you possibly can.”
“Look, Josselin, I am sorry about this. I really am.”
Josselin didn’t know what she was talking about. She started to ask her, but then she saw her brother coming into the restaurant and she immediately knew what was happening. She couldn’t believe it, but she knew.
“You ratted me out and told them where I was? I can’t believe you would set me up like this, Melanie. You know what it took for me to get out of that house!”
Josselin couldn’t believe it. She was shaking with emotions and probably a touch of fear. Her brother was taking his sweet ass time to get to her, but it didn’t matter. It wasn’t like she could run away. Who would help her? No one had for years when she was young. They certainly wouldn’t do it then. Her heart was broken from the betrayal, and she used the last few seconds to ask Melanie why, before her brother came upon them and the jig was up.
“Why!? Why in the hell would you do this, Melanie?”
“I love Josh. He is a good man, Josselin, and you should see how upset he’s been, talking about how he needs to get you back. I don’t think you see what is really going on here, Josselin. Your family loves you.”
It was like she had lost her mind or something. Josselin didn’t know what to say, but she didn’t have time to respond, anyway. She was still staring at Melanie like she was someone that she’d never seen before. It certainly felt that way, especially considering what she had done. How was she ever going to be able to forgive her for that? The one person she thought she could trust had just betrayed her in the worst way possible. Whether she believed Josh was that bad or not, Josselin knew. She’d lived with him for years. She knew exactly what her brother was, and it wasn’t pretty.
“Josselin. It’s good to see you. We’ve been worried about you.”
He sat down and Josselin could see the anger simmering just below the surface. She had gotten that anger directed at her for a long time. It was easy to see that he was ready to lose himself. If she said the wrong thing or moved in the wrong way, he was going to snatch her up. He wouldn’t do it so blatantly in public, though, or that’s what she thought.
“I’m fine. Thanks.”
“You need to come home and see your uncle. He’s been looking for you and he is not happy that you took off.”
Josselin shrugged. “He is never happy, unless he is hurting someone. I’m not going anywhere. I was here to see my best friend, but I see you have ruined that as well. I am not going anywhere with you.”
He put his hand on her arm and started to squeeze.
“I’ll scream.”
“So what, do it. Everyone already thinks that you have mental problems.”
Josselin was shocked that he would say such a thing.
“Why would they think that?”
“Well, because uncle told them about your problems and if they ask for proof, you know that he has friends everywhere. One will have the right degree, and they will say whatever it is that they need to say.”
“Your plan is to drag me back to the house?”
“Yes. I will do it in front of everyone if I have to. Either way, it’s happening.”
“I am with someone now. I have a job. A life. You can’t do this to me. Uncle can’t do it to me now. I am not a kid anymore that has to worry about it. None of what you say is going to happen. Antonio won’t let it happen.”
Josselin knew that she made it seem like she and Antonio were together, but that was just to get her brother to hopefully leave her alone. It wasn’t going to be pretty, if she had to fight him in a restaurant full of people. Could he really take her without anyone helping? She wanted to think that wasn’t possible but knew that it very well could be.
Her brother squeezed her arm more. Josselin thought to scream, but Melanie told her that it would be easier if she didn’t fight it.
“Your brother only wants what is best for you, Josselin.”
Josselin didn’t want to hear it. She was convinced that it was all going to be ruined. She should have stayed at the castle. Josselin got two weeks of real living, a real kiss, and now she was e
xpected to go back to the life that she hated. It felt wrong in so many ways, and she didn’t want to go back. She would have done anything to not have to go back.
“Please, Josh, just let me go. What do you get out of it? You’re not even there, anymore. Why can’t you just leave me alone?”
Josh told her that she needed to go where she belonged, and it was hard for her to hear it. It was worse to see her friend for years nodding her head. Melanie kept saying that she should just go with it and everything would be okay, but that didn’t feel possible. How could anything ever be okay again with the current circumstances?
She ripped her arm out of his grasp and stood up suddenly. “Fine, let’s get this over with.”
“Who is Antonio?”
Josselin turned back to look at Josh. “He is my employer.”
“You said you were with him.’
“It was just a slip of words, that’s all it was.”
Her brother didn’t think that was true at all.
“Uncle is not going to be happy to hear that you’ve been parading around with men. He taught you better than that. I am ashamed of you, Josselin.”
Josselin didn’t feel any shame. She felt anger more than anything else. There was hopelessness underneath it all as well. She had never been so hopeless in all of her life. She was going to have to go back to the one place she never wanted to go back to. What if she called Antonio? Would he save her, or not want to get involved in the mess?
She pulled her phone out while they were walking to her brother’s truck. She was going to call Antonio and get some help. It would be embarrassing, but anything had to be better than going back to the house that she had grown up in the last twelve years of her life. She never wanted to go back and losing a bit of dignity wasn’t that big of a price to pay. It would be worth it so she didn’t lose the freedom that she so recently acquired.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Josselin had the number put in and the send button pushed, but she didn’t get any further than that before Josh pulled it out of her hand.
“What the hell are you doing, Josselin? Who do you think you’re going to call? No one is going to save you. You’re going back home where you belong, and I can’t wait to see what uncle does with you. I bet he is going to put you in the smoke house. He has it all cranked and ready to go. You are going to love it. I know it’s been a while since you’ve had one of those punishments.”
Josselin didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to show the fear that was crawling up her throat. They didn’t need to see how afraid she was. That would just make it worse, adding insult to injury.
“I don’t care what you guys do to me. You can’t keep me there forever.”
“No, but maybe for your lifetime, Josselin. Might be shorter than you think, you never know.”
Josselin cringed at his words. She looked over at Melanie and told her that she never wanted to speak to her again.
“I hope you’re happy, Mel. You will see later the mistake you have made. If not for my sake, then for your own.”
Josselin meant it, too. Her former friend had no idea the crazy person she was involved with. Looking at her then, though, Josselin started to think that Melanie was going to get far more than she bargained for. Josselin was his sister and he treated her so horribly, there was no telling how he was going to treat someone unrelated. Josselin worried about her friend but knew that she was going to have to walk away from her, if she could. Her brother’s words made her nervous. Really nervous.
Chapter 14
Antonio got a call from Josselin and he picked up after a couple of rings. He was in the middle of a meeting, but they didn’t mind if he stepped out for a minute. They were all his subordinates. Antonio was the alpha, which meant that he ran things, in all aspects of his life. The room was full of shifters and he stepped out to see what was going on.
“Hey, Josselin.”
She didn’t answer, though. Instead, he could hear yelling and a man was threatening her. He called out her name several times, but then the line went dead all together, and he about lost his mind. What was going on!?
He tried to call Josselin back, but she did not pick up the phone. Whoever had her, whatever was going on, it was obvious that she couldn't come to assure him that everything was alright. There was no way that he was going to be able to go back into the meeting until he was sure that Josselin was okay.
They didn't leave, because it was a rather important meeting that he needed to attend. He was the one that had called it and had brought twenty-two other people in to do it. It would be considered quite rude for him to pick up and leave. He wouldn't even be able to give them an explanation, because they wouldn’t understand. That would be too much wasted energy for a human. Maybe he didn't even understand it, either, though Antonio was sure that there was a reason for it.
He was still very much convinced that there was something special about Josselin. He didn't know what it was, just that he had a strange feeling every time he was around her and he didn't want it to go away. That was probably what he was afraid of more than anything else. The idea that it could just go away made him sick to his stomach.
“Why do I get the feeling that you called me with bad news?” Tommy Asked.
“Because you know damn well that I'm supposed to be in a meeting right now.”
“So, what's up Antonio, what is going on?”
“I don't know really. What do you know about Josselin? About her family and her brother?”
“I've told you before, they're all horrible people. Sadistic.”
“Do you think that they would really hurt her?”
“Without a doubt. Why?”
Antonio noted that his second sounded a little nervous. Was he supposed to be nervous as well?
“Because she tried to call me, I think, and somebody took her phone. I overheard some guy threatening her, and I think he said that he was going to kill her. Or her uncle was. I don't know. He put her hands on her and threatened her. I need to know where the hell they live and how I can get ahold of him.”
“You don't need to get into that business. I thought you were against the dragon/human relationship? Don't you think it would be better just to sit this one out?”
“I know that I should, but I'm not going to be able to.”
“Well, then, let me go. You don't need to be caught doing something like that. What do you think everybody would say? I’ll go and you keep your hands clean.”
Antonio realized then, that he didn't care what they said, as long as Josselin was safe. That was really all that mattered to him.
“I will be the one to go get her. I will take care of anybody that I have to, and I don’t give a damn what anyone has to say about it.”
“You can't go around killing humans. You know the rules.”
“We can say it's self-defense, and I'm sure I can make it look that way.”
Tommy clicked his tongue and told him that he was messing with fire.
“Aren't I always?”
“Yeah, but that doesn't mean that you can’t make mistakes. This is one of them.”
“It might be a mistake, Tommy, but I have to try.”
“What if it fails?”
“Should I just give up?”
Tommy agreed.
“Well, where is the fun in that?”
“Not fun, Antonio, just less death.”
Antonio got the address before he got off the phone with Tommy and he put it in his phone, so he could see where it was. It wasn't going to be quick enough to drive, so he did something that he almost never did. He took advantage of the area he was in and went directly into the sky. He needed to get there immediately. His dragon would take him there faster.
If something happened to her, and he wasn’t able to get to her in time, Antonio didn’t know if he was going to be able to live with himself.
***
When he got to the address, he never had to wonder if she was actually
there. She had a distinct smell, and her scent made him go wild, every time she was around. It wasn’t present when he got there, so it meant that he had beaten her there, but he didn't know where they were coming from. His best bet was to stay in the shadows as long as possible. He had every intention on waiting it out and not coming out until Josselin was there. He was near the front porch, and the lights came on.
There was a tall, burly man that came out onto the porch with a shotgun in his hand. He kept yelling out into the quiet that he sensed somebody was there and that they better come out or he was just going to start shooting in the direction that he thought they were in. It wasn't like Antonio hadn’t been shot before, but it certainly wasn't a pleasant situation that he wanted to repeat.
He came out into the light and the guy was taken aback. Maybe it was because Antonio had come out of nowhere, or maybe it was the look in his eyes. Antonio knew right off the bat that this guy was the one that was torturing the sweetest human that he had ever met in his life. He was mean to her and did horrible things to her. He didn't even want to know what he would do to Josselin in a smoke room. What did he do, just put her in there? Antonio couldn’t even imagine, and it was even harder to imagine when he thought about how sweet Josselin was. She really was a breath of fresh air in such a dark place. Josselin obviously didn’t deserve such treatment.
“Who the hell are you?!”
“I see you are Josselin's uncle, right?”
The guy looked at him a little strange. “Yeah, that's me. Who the hell are you?”
It was the same question, with a different derogatory adjective. It was a question that he didn't have an answer for. Antonio didn't know how he wanted to handle it, to get the results he was looking for. If there was no risk of the future and what could happen, Antonio probably would have lost himself right then and there. The very idea of this man putting his hands on Josselin brought him to a level of anger that he had never reached before. It was a bit scary, even for him. He didn't want to do something that would get them both into a lot of water.
