Ecstasy Captured, page 5
“What the hell happened?”
“He got himself loose and busted me in the face, so I shot him. I’m sorry, Sebastian.” I look over at Ricardo and notice that my brother must have shot him while falling down because it’s an awkward upward angled hole in Ricardo’s head.
“It’s okay. I need to get you seen by the doctor.” Fuck. I have a sinking feeling that things aren’t what they seem. I have to get answers before I end up six feet under, and I need to do it before I find my queen and bring her home. How did Ricardo get out of his ties and who the fuck intentionally set off that alarm?
Chapter Seven
Candy
“Thank you, Maria,” I say, giving her a squeeze. We met when she and her husband, Maxim were on a trip to Vegas celebrating their first two months of marriage. They were nice to me at the diner my mother always hated. Maria told me that I could call on her if I ever needed any help, so when I did, she easily welcomed my visit.
“You’re welcome, Candy. You know all you have to do is ask, and we can set you up somewhere better than this place.” She pulls back and looks around the apartment. It’s mediocre at best, but I don’t want to spend all the money I have at once.
“No. It’s okay. I’m just trying to start over without any major debts. This job is perfect for me, and you and Maxim have been way too good to me.” She got me a waitress gig at one of her favorite spots on the North Side of the city where they tip extremely well. I had my first day yesterday and made a decent amount of cash, but today she’s helping me move into my new place. Well, helping isn’t really the case. It’s not like I had anything to bring.
She and Maxim drove me here while his people brought in some furniture. It’s a small one-bedroom apartment that costs more than I care for, especially since her husband Maxim decided to foot the bill, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer because it would please Maria. So also get to save the money I had planned on using to pay for this place.
“You deserve better. You should tell us who you are running from, and maybe we can assist you,” Maria says. Thinking about Sebastian has been a rollercoaster of emotions. My body and heart beg for him to find me while my brain is telling me that’s the dumbest thing in the world. Whoever he is, I’d been nothing more than a paid service for the night.
“I doubt it. It’s not like I know his name or anything.” I close my eyes, feeling like an idiot for letting that slip.
“You don’t know who you’re running from?” Maxim says, not believing me in the least. I have been staying with Maxim and Maria for the past three weeks, but I refused to continue invading their palatial home, especially when they’re about to have their first baby.
“Honestly, all I know is his name is Sebastian and he has a brother named David. I ran into them in Vegas with my mother, and she was killed right after I ran away.”
“I’ll look into the matter.” I don’t like the seriousness of his tone because I understand that he will which means he will locate Sebastian and then I’ll be in trouble.
“Please don’t. I don’t want him to find me. My mother drugged him, and he’s probably out for revenge.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t let any harm come to you.” He’s a very gentle giant who is madly in love with Maria. I want that type of happiness. It makes me sad because the only man I’ve ever wanted to worship me like Maxim does Maria happens to want my head on a platter.
Maria pulls me in for a hug and tells me that Maxim will take care of it all.
I look over to Maria’s shoulder and say, “Maxim, thank you.” He nods because that’s his usual response. He’s a man of few words, but his love for his wife is always ever present.
They leave and I’m left to relax on my sofa, although relaxing is the opposite of what I’m truly doing. All my thoughts go to Sebastian and how he hates me so much. God, I wish he didn’t because I miss his touch, taste, and the way his deep voice whispered in my ear.
I fall asleep and dream of a life where things between us are good, but I know that’s not reality and it startles me awake with my heart racing, body trembling with desire.
****
It’s been two months since my life changed, and I’m down at the diner serving coffee and waiting tables, which I don’t mind doing for legitimate, hard-earned money. So far, everything is good at my job except for my sleezy manager. He’s got to be ten years older than me and eyes me like a piece of meat. I should do something or say something to someone, but I need this job and can’t go running to Maxim and Maria for every little thing.
“Girl, you’re making it look easy out here. Can you handle another shift tomorrow?” Allie asks me.
“Sure. I don’t mind.” I could use the extra money.
“I should tell you that he’ll be off tomorrow, so you should be away from his predatory eyes. If you want, I can call my brother to deal with him if you’d like. He’s kind of a tough guy, if you know what I mean.” I wonder if he works for Maxim and that’s how I really got the job here. A friend of a friend, kind of thing. Either way, I can’t just ask for favors, so I pass on the offer.
“Thanks, but I’m sure he’ll get the hint that I’m not interested and move along.”
“Sure, girl. Just let me know if you change your mind. Speaking of brothers, mine has just arrived for some food.”
“Excuse me, miss. I’d like to pay my bill,” a handsome man in a suit says.
“I’ll take care of him. You go say hi to him.”
“Did everything meet your expectations?” I ask him, smiling like a good waitress because tips matter here.
“It would if you’d give me your number.”
Oh no. I duck my head and charge his card. When I hand him the slip to sign, I tell him the truth. “Sorry, I can’t. I actually don’t have a cell phone at the moment.”
He chuckles lightly. “Okay, I can take a hint. You don’t need to lie. Here’s my card if you change your mind.”
I blush because sadly, I don’t have a phone because I didn’t want to be tracked. It has made things difficult, but it’s for the best. “Thank you.” I take it to be polite, but I have no intention of calling him.
“See ya, gorgeous.” He walks out, and then I see Allie’s brother looking at me. Fuck, I hope he’s not interested too. I can’t deal with another man hitting on me when my heart belongs to a man who hates me.
Allie rushes to my side and gives me a nervous smile. “So, he’s cute. Anyway, I’m going to take my lunch with my brother. It’s a little early—is that okay?”
“Of course. Go ahead and enjoy.”
“Thanks. You’re amazing.” She gives me a hug and then runs off to give the cook their orders. Work comes and goes fast, but as the afternoon comes to an end and I leave the restaurant, I swear I can feel eyes on me, watching me.
Chapter Eight
Sebastian
Hey, boss, is this her? Julio’s message burns through my brain as I sit outside the diner watching her for the second day in a row. Two days, and I haven’t claimed what’s mine. Two days, and I’ve tortured myself while attempting to make her suffer for leaving me.
I watch Candy, obsessed with the need to make her pay on her back, on her knees, and on every damn surface I can. Hell, I’ll take her any way I can because I need that tight pussy wrapped around my cock while I breed the next generation of Diaz babies into her.
She moves back and forth, serving table after table, attempting to smile through her tired eyes and sore feet. Fuck, she’s so damn beautiful that it takes everything inside me to hold back and not storm into the diner and snatch her up. Not a single day has gone by that I haven’t been aching to touch her again.
I sit by and watch her struggle, and it brings a sadistic delight to my fucked-up soul. For two months, I’ve been looking for her; I’ve torn apart that shit-box, burnt-out trailer after I got out, looking for clues. There was nothing left to find, though, because everything was destroyed.
Martín allowed me access to his cameras, and then I interrogated motherfuckers to within an inch of their lives to learn where my girl was hiding out, praying to the devil that she hadn’t ended up in another motherfucker’s bed because he’d suffer the wrath like no one would know.
After all that searching, she pops up in my neck of the woods. It was pure happenstance that my guard stopped into a restaurant to have lunch with his sister, who works there. He snapped a picture and asked if it was her.
I fucking nearly lost my shit. She’d been smiling up at a six-foot-three bastard in a gray suit as he paid for food. It took me twenty minutes to make my way to the entrance to see it was her. Instead of dragging her ass out by her hair, I set my plan into fucking motion. I felt like fucking hunting. She was going to pay for her transgressions in time.
As if she senses me watching, she turns her head to the window, but she can’t see me because I’m hidden away in my SUV. Everything is blacked out. Still, she knows someone must be out there or around, lurking.
Suddenly, Candy fumbles with the tray in her hands and I reach for the handle to come to her aid, but before she can drop it, her handsy boss helps her catch it. Like a prick, he slides his hand on Candy’s waist, firmly holding her a little too long.
I’m going to kill him. There’s no doubt about it as he continues to linger with his hands on what’s mine. She tries to move slightly, which makes me a little less irritated, but then he clearly doesn’t take the hint.
“Candy, can we get some creamer when you get a chance?” I look over to the man who called my woman to his table, and she gladly smiles at him and his wife. She sets the food down at the table and makes her escape to the couple with a look of gratitude.
I see the man and his expression screams of protective instincts. They’re not lustful ones; those he seems to be throwing the woman at his side who is quite round with his child.
“Thank you,” she mouths before walking away from their table. I know the guy at the table. It’s none other than Maxim Kazakov, a man just like myself. We’ve met before and never had problems, but we might now if he tries to get in my way.
Tonight, I’ll deal with that asshole boss of hers. He’ll be sorry—dead sorry. My hands grip the handle and I crack the fucker, so I step out of the vehicle, keeping out of sight of the restaurant. I have another man sitting in a car down the street.
Tapping on his window, I say, “Don’t leave here. Watch her closely. I’ll be back shortly. My plans have moved up. As soon as he’s gone, bag him and bring him to the place.”
“Yes, boss, and Ms. Bell?”
“My plans for her will begin tonight.”
“Yes, boss.”
I leave the place feeling sadistic as I think about that fucker putting his hands on my woman at all. The gall he has makes me angrier by the second. Did she give him permission, but just not in public? Some women don’t want to be caught showing attention in front of others, or was she truly repulsed but too scared to lose her job? I’ll know soon enough. Damn it. I speed onto the expressway, feeling anything but patient.
Chapter Nine
Candy
A shiver runs up my spine like someone is watching me. It’s been going on for the past few days. I can’t explain it, but every time I look, I don’t see anyone outside the diner. There’s a large black SUV outside across the street or sometimes directly in front, but that could be Maxim’s and his wife’s; they come in and out all of the time because she’s pregnant and loves to eat here. They’ve been truly sweet, even if he’s not considered sweet to others.
Still, there’s another feeling shooting down my spine as I work in the restaurant. It’s as if there’s someone lurking in this nice area, watching me. This isn’t the place for trouble, so it’s not like I expect any bad people, but then again, I’m not thinking about gang violence. No—I’m thinking about a man who probably hates me if he learns I drugged him.
The day after I ran, I saw a news headline about the trailer fire and my mother’s death. Strangely there had been no mention of me as either a possible missing person or a person of interest, given that I’d also lived there, which made me more nervous. I knew it wasn’t an accident and that I’d run at the perfect time, or I would have joined her in that blaze.
“Candy, please come back here,” my boss calls out. I slam my eyes shut, attempting to hold back the bile rising up in my throat.
I step into his office behind the kitchen area. I don’t like being alone with him because he’s too handsy like he’s seconds from doing something disgusting to me if given a chance. He’d already had his hand on my waist this morning, almost making me want to vomit. Anyone touching me makes me feel like it’s a violation against Sebastian, which is stupid because he’s just a dumb decision I made months ago.
“Yes, sir.”
“Close the door.”
“Um, sir. There’s an issue with the register,” Allie says, coming into the back room before he can get me alone. I send up a silent prayer and calm down. We all walk back out to the front of the restaurant, and then I see a man in a suit that feels out of place. I don’t know him, but his eyes are trained on me instantly.
My heart picks up, racing heavily, and I feel sick. “Are you well?” Allie asks, pressing her hand to my head.
“I don’t feel good, and my shift is almost over.”
“I still need to speak with you,” my boss says.
“Can’t it wait? It’s clear she’s sick,” Allie exclaims. I take care of my last table and then head into the back to grab my things. Frankly, I don’t want to talk to him at this moment because I’m already on edge, and I have a bad feeling that if he got me alone, something bad would happen.
Grabbing my coat, I make my way to the train and take it to my apartment, which my friend hooked me up with. Her husband has been incredibly nice about it all, and I’m grateful that I’ve got somewhere to lay my head while I earn enough money to make it on my own.
I feel eyes on me all the way to my apartment, but I don’t see anyone around. I’m being completely paranoid and losing it. The sounds of the city play in my ears. There are cars honking as the light changes, and the driver doesn’t go right away because someone’s crossing against the light. It’s like they’re asking to be hit by a car by jaywalking like that. The train running along the tracks above my head, roaring loudly.
Heels tapping on the pavement with every step, and people talking on their phones as they march along the city. It’s chaos and a city symphony at the same time, and yet, there’s a silence I sense. A quiet that lingers in my bones that unnerves me. Someone is watching me.
As soon as I’m in my apartment, I slam the door shut and lock it, pinning my back against the wooden door, and release a heavy sigh.
A smile creeps over my face, and I relax. I’m just going insane. My apartment is empty, and I look around to find nothing out of place, like every other day. I kick off my shoes and walk into my bedroom so I can rest for a minute, and that’s when I see a simple white envelope on my bed.
“Oh my God,” I gasped, knowing someone was in here. I reach for the card, praying it’s from my friend. I open the envelope to find a simple white card with a firm, dark script.
Did you think you could run from me, mi dulce?
He found me. I fall back on the bed and look around the room, searching for him in any hidden corner, but he’s not lurking. I peek out the edge of the curtains and don’t see anyone watching, so I quickly gather my things before he can reach me. After knowing what he did to my mother, there’s no doubt what he’d do to me. The taunt and then following me all the way to Chicago can only mean one thing: he’s out for revenge.
I crossed someone dangerous. Tears fall down my face like a foolish girl. All those nights of dreaming of him were for nothing because I’ve danced with the devil and now I’m about to meet my fate.
Grabbing my suitcase from the closet, I pack it up as fast as humanly possible and make it to the door, but as I open it, I’m met with a sight that stills me. “Sebastian.”
He’s on me in a flash, one arm around my waist and his hand gripping the side of my face, eyes staring deep into mine with his thumb rubbing my chin. “You can’t outrun the devil, my sweet.”
“I’m sorry. Please let me go.”
“Not going to happen.”
I need to get out of his grasp. I reach out, grab his lapels, and send my knee upward, meeting his crotch. He snarls and I attempt to run, but he’s too fast and has me by my hair, yanking me back into his arms. This time, I feel the cold steel.
Chapter Ten
Sebastian
"You crossed the wrong man, mi dulce." She gasps as I hold a knife to her slender throat.
"Please don't kill me, Sebastian," she pleads with my name coming off her lips. It's music to my ears. I chuckle because I want to hear her beg, but I will clarify this one thing for her. Killing her is the last thing in the world I want. I’d rather die than go a day without her in this world.
I brush her hair away from her ear, fisting it because it feels so fucking good to have her at my mercy. "Kill you? I'm not going to kill you. I own you now. You belong to the most ruthless bastard around."
“You killed my mother, hunted me down, have a knife to my throat, and you expect me to believe you’re not going to kill me?”
“You’ve got a lot of nerve for someone afraid for her life,” I remind her, biting on her ear. Dios, I missed this. Her scent, her taste flood my senses and my balls are ready to unleash this pent up need inside her.
“I’ve got nothing left to lose.”
“You’ve got everything to lose, sweet Candy. We were going to leave here quietly, but you had to be a bad fucking girl, so you’re going to fucking make it up to me.” I grind my cock on her ass so she can feel what she’s done. “On your knees, right now.”
“I’m not going to.”
