“I can’t believe he’d do something like this.”
“You’re not staying here. I’ll take you to my hotel where you’ll have round-the-clock protection. Do not argue with me.”
I almost asked him why I couldn’t stay with him, but I knew why. He had business to handle and even thought I only knew a little about him, I knew that included hunting down the person responsible.
And the crazy thing?
I wanted him to do so. I would be right there like a cheerleader once the culprit was found. Even though I already knew in my heart Damien was responsible. Why would he do something so horrible? Did he hate me that much?
Or was it all about jealousy? He’d once told me no man would ever touch me again. Well, too bad, buddy. He was the one who would never touch me.
Anger boiled inside and I had to fight to keep from reacting in a tantrum. “What a bastard.”
“Yes, he is,” Sasha said quietly. “Don’t worry, little butterfly. He’ll be taught a lesson. Why don’t you see if there’s anything you want to bring with you. I’ll make arrangements for your items to be replaced and the house cleaned. You won’t have to worry about anything.”
For whatever crazy reason, I felt safer with him than I had at any other time in my life.
After all the songs I’d written about there being no heroes, I realized I was wrong.
CHAPTER 8
Sasha
Rage.
The bouts of rage during the darkest period of my life had been as uncontrollable as they’d been unpredictable.
My behavior had often been described as manic. That’s what grief had done to me.
Over the years and perhaps with age, the anger had been tempered, although not locked away as some members of my family had hoped.
I was a hot-blooded Russian after all, taking after my father.
We’d both been called silent killers.
In our everyday lives, we used silence as a method of obtaining information, allowing others to jabber as they always did when anxious. It was amazing what you could learn by not speaking a word, including using threats.
However, my father had gone much further in his activities and in how he handled issues and turmoil.
He struck when it was least expected, avoiding exceeding the limited time he gave to solving problems.
I’d learned a thing or two from him over the years, which had allowed me to suffer through the grief and anger, turning the dark emotions into something more productive.
But not today.
Today there was a good chance all the progress I’d made in maintaining control would be shot to shit.
There was also a significant possibility that blood would be spilled, and the off chance a man would lose his life.
Many things were plausible and I just didn’t care about the consequences.
Lainey’s look of horror had been infuriating. She’d allowed herself to desire a return to a simpler life, but had been driven into another nightmare.
Innocence shattered.
That was unacceptable.
Jaxon Carmine was not only a good friend, he’d also been the single employee I’d kept in a security detail position over the years. His promotion had come at a time when I’d been unpredictable given my extreme grief. Since then, he’d become more of a security consultant than anything, providing tips for additions and alterations to the current systems in place throughout the various resorts owned by Dmitriyev Enterprises.
