Damaged: A Dark Bully Romance (The Primes Book 2), page 19
I turned back to William. “Why would your father want to tie Junior to Leah? Maybe he’s changed his mind about you and me.” I grinned maliciously and walked to Christian and kissed him on the cheek.
William made a fist, as his body shook in anger, causing Lauren to squeak in fear.
This was better than my initial plan of having Lauren set up a meeting with William. And now that Junior was betrothed to Leah, it meant she was safe.
“Run along now. I need to celebrate with Christian.”
William stepped forward, but Christian blocked him. “I will fucking end you if you take another step toward Izzy.”
His eyes looked wild as he gestured toward me. “You’re mine, Catherine! Do you hear me? You’re mine.” He spun and marched away.
I’d never seen him this angry before, but it was too late to back out now. The psychotic fuck didn’t know who he was messing with.
“What have you done?” Rose whispered.
“You don’t know what you’re playing at.” Lauren’s voice shook.
I fixed the two with a stare. “I know exactly what I’ve done, and this is just the beginning. Next time you make an attempt at Leah, I'll do worse. I suggest you ensure your older brother keeps his hands to himself or he’s next on my list.”
Lauren and Rose stared at me in horror.
I was an heir. If the chauvinistic patriarchs thought I was weak because I was a woman, they wouldn’t know what was coming because we were more vicious and cunning.
I watched them leave the quad in satisfaction, but my smile wavered as I saw the frowns on my friend's faces. “What?”
“What the hell was that?” Klause asked. I couldn’t tell if he was angry or if he approved. “Relax. If Leah is betrothed to Junior, they won’t touch her.”
Klause opened his mouth in disbelief and then turned to Christian. “You talk to her,” he snapped, then he walked a few steps away.
Jeez, what an overreaction. Why couldn’t they see how brilliant my plan was?
“Iz . . .” I rolled my eyes at Christian’s careful tone.
“Ally, back me up here.”
“I don’t know, Iz.” Ally glanced at Rome helplessly.
“What exactly just happened?” Rome crossed his arms and frowned at me.
I can’t believe I needed to spell it out for them. “William is a loose cannon. Even Arnoult Senior can’t control him. If I rile him up enough, he’ll deviate from Senior's plan and who knows, maybe Senior will take care of him for us. Plus, William will take his anger out on Lauren, so . . .” I shrugged. “One less thing for me to do.” I smiled at everyone and marched to the car with a spring in my step. Not even their sour expressions could dampen my victory.
Now, I just needed to wait for William to make a move. If I didn't hear from him by tomorrow, I’d nudge him.
“Iz. Is everything okay?” Mason watched everything from a distance.
“Yes, Mase. Everything is peachy. I got William where I want him.”
He looked like he wanted to argue further, but with a sigh, he opened the car door and said, “I hope you know what you’re doing, Iz.”
I flashed him a wide smile. The brothers and Tilly always believed in me. They may question my methods, but I trust they’d always have my back. When Mase started the car, I looked back and only saw Ally and Rome. Where the hell did Christian and Klause go?
I had no messages or missed calls, which was confusing because Christian had never done that before. Was he upset with me? “Mase? Did Christian or Klause say where they were going?”
He shook his head but didn’t look up in the rearview mirror.
Christian couldn’t possibly be upset, right? I brushed it off since I was confident he’d let me know if something was bothering him later. When we reached the garage, I flashed Mase a smile. “Thanks, Mase. I’ll be with Tilly.”
After I stepped out of the elevator, I dropped my stuff on the couch and rushed to Tilly’s office. “Hey.”
“That was freaking awesome.” Tilly raised her hand for a high five.
I met her hand and grinned. “I thought so too.”
“The others will come around.”
“So Christian is upset with me.” Why didn’t he talk to me?
Tilly nudged my knee with hers. “Sometimes, men can be narrow-minded. They can’t see past keeping us safe and miss the bigger picture. I, however, think what you did was brilliant.”
“Wait. How did you hear us?”
“I have my ways,” Tilly said in a sly voice.
“Nope. Spill. Do you have me bugged?” I needed to know how closely she was monitoring me.
“Relax. I’ll tell you if I do. But if you must know, I tapped into Ally’s phone. Hers was the only one in the group that wasn’t encrypted.”
“We gave her one.”
“Yeah, she has that tucked in her bag somewhere, but she still insists on using her old phone.”
“I’m going to smash that phone when I see her tomorrow. She’s vulnerable with it, especially when doing recon for us.”
“I can fry it now if you want.”
I pulled out my phone and texted Ally. “One sec, let me warn her first.” As soon as I hit send, I nodded my head. “Okay, go ahead.”
My phone rang a few seconds after. “What the hell, Izzy!”
“Ally. You know the risks. Tilly told you about this. If the Arnoults hack into your phone and find out you’re helping me, they will retaliate.” I couldn’t stress this enough. If Ally stayed involved, then she needed to take certain precautions.
“Tilly can transfer all your contacts and stuff from your old phone. Actually, she’s also going to give you a new laptop. Come to think of it; we’ll send a team to your home to replace all your electronics and sweep for bugs.”
She sighed. “Is that really necessary?”
“What do you think, Ally? We’ve talked about this,” Tilly interrupted.
“Yeah. Okay.” She sounded contrite, which was enough for Tilly, so she turned back to her computer and started typing.
“Everyone is angry at me, huh?”
Ally said, “Not angry. Worried.”
I snorted. “Christian just left and said nothing.”
“Yeah. He and Klause sounded pretty pissed.”
I rolled my eyes but didn’t respond.
“I mean. That shit was scary. Did you see William’s face?”
A chuckle escaped my mouth.
“Do you think he gave Lauren those bruises?”
“Yep. William is a full-blown psychopath.” When he finally stopped pretending, I realized how crazy he was.
“He scares me,” Ally said in a low tone.
“He scares everyone, Ally.”
“Well, do you think it’s wise to antagonize him like that?”
“He won’t harm me . . . I take that back. He won’t kill me. He’s convinced that he owns me, and William is very possessive of his property. I was surprised he tolerated seeing me with Christian for this long.”
“Please be careful, Iz.”
“You be careful too, Ally.”
“Have you heard from Leah?”
Tilly looked up from the screen and shook her head. That meant she still hadn’t located or reached her.
“No. But no harm will come to her while she’s betrothed to Junior,” I said confidently.
“You know, I don’t get that play,” Tilly interrupted.
“Yeah. I was thinking about that.” I slumped down on the seat and looked up at the ceiling while swiveling the chair. “I don’t see how that would benefit his agenda. I don’t know how he convinced the other patriarchs since I was already betrothed to William. There was no reason for a Vanderford or an Arnoult to be paired. There were other heirs that would have been more suitable for Leah.”
“It sounds like Arnoult Senior is running the show,” Ally commented.
“That’s impossible.” Tilly shook her head. Unlike my father, the rest of the patriarchs were vicious, and Arnoult couldn’t dominate them.
“Maybe he has something over their heads?” That was the only way Arnoult could convince the others to agree to his outrageous demands.
Tilly eyed me thoughtfully. “That might be a good angle to check. If he has something on the other patriarchs, my team and I will find it. It might be what we need to take down the fuckers.”
“Perfect. Ally, I’ll see you in school tomorrow.”
“Okay, bye.”
I turned to Tilly. “I need to know if William makes a move.”
“Okay. I’m on it.”
I smiled and nodded my thanks before walking out.
When I got to my room, I found Christian sitting on my bed. “Hey. I thought you went home or something.”
He didn’t look up, nor did he reach for me. I didn’t know what to do with my arms, so I crossed them over my chest and shuffled my feet. I wanted to go to him, but I was afraid he’d rebuff me, so I stood awkwardly, waiting for him to say something.
After several minutes of tense silence, he finally looked at me. “I wanted to stay away, but I couldn’t.”
I stepped closer, but he shook his head. “No. Stop. I can’t . . . touch you.” He looked frustrated as he pushed off the bed and ran his hands through his hair. “I can’t get over how easily you played William.”
Why couldn’t he understand I didn’t mean any of it?
“You used me to make your fiancé jealous. How do you think that makes me feel?” I wanted to wrap my arms around his waist to reassure him that William meant nothing to me. It was all a ploy, but I’d never seen Christian look at me this way. He had a scowl on his face, and his brows were drawn together. If I didn’t know him, I’d be terrified to be on the receiving end of it. He had a sharp look that could only come from someone with a dark past.
“Surely, you don’t think I meant any of that?”
“Even if I knew you were playing him, I still can’t help . . .” He struggled to come up with words. “I have these conflicting feelings that make me want to leave, but I couldn't stay away.”
His words felt like a punch in the gut and shattered my safety net. I relished the fact that I was the only one Christian could touch, therefore, he'd never leave me. Now, I wasn't so sure of it.
“Christian. It’s not a big deal. I was trying to rile up William. It meant nothing.”
Christian shook his head. “I want to fuck you right now to show you who you belong to, but I don’t think I can touch you, and I don’t want to take you like I did those whores.” He chuckled darkly. “I’m stuck, Izzy. I don’t know what to do.” He plopped on the bed and looked up at the ceiling.
I shook my head in frustration. What was it about prime men and their overreactions?
“Christian. It wasn’t a big deal.”
He laid his weight on his elbows, his eyes boring into mine. “Not a big deal? Mrs. Robinson used to play mind games with me. All those cunts in school, they played fucking mind games. I didn’t want to see that from you.”
“But I never play mind games with you.”
“It felt like you were trying to pit William and me against each other.”
He had a point. I would never have done it if I knew he’d be sensitive to it. My shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry, Christian. I should have thought about how it would make you feel. I was too consumed in getting revenge and didn’t consider your feelings.”
Christian shook his head and lay back down. I knew that lame excuse wouldn’t fix this because this was about Christian’s inner demons. All I could do was be patient and apologize for making him feel that way.
“I need to be around you, but I can’t touch you either, so let’s just go to bed. Okay?”
I didn’t move. The vice in my chest wouldn’t allow me to drop it, and my mind raced, trying to find the right words to fix this.
With a defeated sigh, I walked to the bathroom, blinking back tears, and got ready for bed.
The room was dark when I stepped out, and Christian was lying on his side of the bed with his back turned. I watched his outline, wanting to say something, but eventually, I crawled into bed and stared at the back of his head. I stretched out my arm toward him without touching him. That was as close as he’d allow me tonight.
I never thought being unable to touch Christian would bother me much, but I was used to his hands on me, and now I felt empty.
A few stray tears fell on the pillow until I turned around and closed my eyes. It didn’t come easy, but eventually, I got a fitful night of sleep.
Christian was gone when I woke up the next day. I checked my phone to see if he left me a message, but there was nothing. Instead, there was a message from Ally. It said, Go to the Madison Hotel at ten.
I wanted to ask why, but it sounded important. When I entered the breakfast room, I sighed in relief to find Christian. His eyes met mine, but he didn’t smile or acknowledge me. I slumped to the seat next to him, not bothering to greet anyone.
“Why aren’t you dressed? Are you skipping school today?” Mason asked.
I shook my head. “I have to be at the Madison Hotel at ten. I’ll go to school after.”
Everyone looked at me, but I ignored them and continued to butter my toast. I only cared about Christian speaking to me, but he wasn’t, so I had nothing to say.
Eventually, he asked, “What’s at the Madison Hotel?”
I turned to him, gauging his reaction. However, his face was blank. “I don’t know. Ally didn’t say, but it must be important.”
“I don’t like it.” Tilly got up then added, “I’m going to have my team sweep the surveillance.”
“I’m coming. I want to scout the area,” Luc said.
Tuning everyone out, I pretended to eat my breakfast, but my attention was entirely focused on Christian. My stomach tightened every time his weight shifted. I was hoping he’d reach for me, but nothing. When I was done eating, my insides were all wound up.
“I’ll see you at ten.” Noah walked out, followed by Mason. When we were alone, I turned to Christian. “Are we going to talk about it?” I asked.
He set his cup down and leaned back in the seat. “What’s there to talk about? I just need time, Iz.”
“What can I do to make it better?”
He shook his head. “I dunno. This is all new to me, and I . . .” He pushed his plate away. “I know. I need to learn to process this without pushing you away, but . . . I’m working on it. Give me time.”
“I promise never to do it again. I love you, Christian, and I never want to hurt you. Please know that I'd never use you like those other women.”
He nodded and raised his hand to touch my hair. My heart almost jumped out of my chest in anticipation. I sat still, afraid to spook him. But he quickly dropped his hand before contact.
My heart sank, and my throat tightened.
How could something that small hurt him so much? I knew that we both had baggage and inner demons and it was my fault for forgetting how fragile his emotions were. He had been so focused on me, and I’d been selfishly obsessed with my problems, but none of that mattered if Christian wasn’t in my life. Yeah, I wanted to be free from William, but I was also doing all of this so Christian and I would be free to be together.
“I’m going to get changed. Are you going with me to the hotel?”
“Yeah. I’m gonna check on Klause. He might want to be a part of this.”
Christian never used to care about anyone; he only wanted to be with me. That sounded selfish, but that was Christian. It would be different if he was healing, but he was pulling away, and it terrified me that there might be a possibility that he wouldn't want me anymore.
Chapter 14
Christian
McLaudre and I had bonded since that horrible event, but I couldn’t care less about his current drama since I had my own to deal with. However, I found myself here at his compound just to escape Izzy’s worried look. I hated seeing her like that, but as much as I wanted to comfort her, I couldn’t.
This entire shit with William had me tripping out. William reminded me that I never had a claim on her and it didn’t matter that we were in love.
Look at Leah. There was nothing Klause could do with her forced engagement. In the end, love didn’t matter. Not when those in power were sadistic bastards bent on using us as pawns for their gain.
When I entered the mansion, I expected to find Klause disheveled. Instead, he was back to wearing his suit jacket and looked like he was ready to close a merger. “What’s going on?” I asked.
“I’m returning to Germany and dealing with this once and for all. I can no longer sit here and allow Arnoult to keep using Leah. I’ll be damned if I allow the Arnoult punk to lay a hand on her.” He didn’t look angry, but more determined.
I nodded. “That’s what I’d do. Good luck, man. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
He stuck out his hand but probably remembered I didn’t like to touch, so he nodded.
I texted Izzy that I’d meet her at the hotel. She said to meet her at the penthouse. Even if Tilly and the brothers swept the area, I demanded for Ross to do a second check. There had been too many slip-ups lately, and I didn’t want to take any chances.
He sent his team while he checked surveillance. When he gave the clear signal, I drove straight to the hotel about twenty minutes before Izzy arrived.
I walked up to the front desk. “Good morning, Mr. Waldencourt. How can I help you?” a man greeted.
“I need a key to the penthouse.”
He handed me one without question. It pleased me to deal with competent employees, since I wasn't in the mood to argue with anyone right now. I swiped the card on the elevator to access the penthouse and wasn’t surprised to see Lauren and Rose. Who else could it be? Only an Arnoult would be this secretive.
“I’m not in the mood for your games, Arnoult. Spit it out before I throw you out the window.” Lauren looked calmly through the fresh bruises she wore. It looked like layers of bruising covered her.
