Daniel carefully catalogued each infraction. He had staked his claim. She clearly hadn't taken him seriously, but she would.
He reached for his leather coat and swiftly exited the security room.
Addison curled tighter onto her side and tried harder to generate more heat on the tiny couch Chris had let her borrow. His snores from the bed filled the room. It was her own fault for not accepting his invitation for joining him on the bed. She'd known it wasn't an innocent invitation and if it had been another night, perhaps she might have accepted. They had been lovers before, off and on over the years. Something didn't feel right about jumping into bed with Chris tonight though. Which is how she found herself on a lumpy, cold couch listening to his snores in the small hours of the morning, wishing she had just paid for a hotel room.
Addison shifted and tried to roll over in the limited space. Daniel's voice filled her mind, the way he'd insisted she stay in her apartment. She wanted to be annoyed with his high-handedness, but something inside her insisted he was a different sort of man than any other she'd known. He expected obedience.
She had done the right thing in leaving. If he went back to her apartment to find her, he would find it empty and maybe take the hint and leave her alone. Addison had many friends, but few she would trust enough to spend the night with. She had to be completely trusting of a person in order to allow her mind to shut down in their presence. Chris was one of the few. Probably because she'd had sex with him before and fallen asleep in his presence. He owned the bar below the tiny apartment. He played trumpet in a jazz band and she would occasionally join them for a set.
When she showed up in the bar, clearly shaken from the days events he'd immediately had his bartender take over and, giving Addison his arm, led her to a table where he poured them each a drink. She explained to him about the shooting in her lobby and then about Daniel, leaving nothing out. Chris quietly took her feelings into consideration, as he always did, and offered her a safe place for the night.
Addison had gratefully accepted and laughingly insisted on taking the couch. She had told him he could return to his bar if he wanted, but he’d insisted on staying with her in case she woke up and needed anything. That had been an hour ago and Addison had yet to fall asleep. She wished life could be easier and she could just fall in love with someone like Chris. She giggled a little. He would probably be horrified by the the idea, he liked to think of himself as a player.
Addison was in the process of rolling over again when an arm reached under her head from the back of the couch and covered her nose and and mouth in a crushing grip. Another arm reached over her hips and yanked her hard into the back of the couch. She tried to struggle but the incredibly tight hold combined with lack of air made it impossible. A whimper of fear was all she could manage.
"I'll move my hand off your nose in three seconds," a voice whispered close to her ear, "struggle and I'll cover your nose again."
Addison counted the seconds in her brain. On three, the hand slipped down from her nose, but still covered her lips. She sucked in air until her head stopped swimming. Every instinct in her body wanted to fight the person holding her, but she forced herself to lay still under his hold.
"Good girl," came the whispered voice next to her ear. "I'm going to lift you now and set you on your feet. Do nothing except stand still. If you move, I will hurt you. If you scream, I’ll kill your friend."
It frightened her that he didn't ask her if she understood, he didn't ask her to nod or anything. He meant every word he said. She was lifted over the back of the couch as though she weighed nothing. She fought back the instinct to struggle against her attacker, only reaching out to grip the arm that held her waist. It was so much thicker than hers, definitely a man’s.
Her feet touched the ground and her long skirt swished down to cover her legs. She shivered in cold and fear. Her bare feet curled against the wood floor. She wore the same white sleeveless tank top she’d put on that morning. He shifted his hand off her mouth and wrapped his arm around her neck. She sucked in air through her lips and brought her hand up to grip his arm. It was like steel wrapped around her vulnerable neck.
He leaned down and placed his lips against the skin behind her ear, she felt the slightly rougher hair of a beard and shivered. Daniel! She gasped when she recognized the man that held her. She should have realized, his subtle scent filled her now that she wasn't as terrified for her life.
"Where are your shoes and jacket, Addison?" he asked.
Her voice shook as she whispered back, "By the door."
He pulled her over to the door and helped her pull on her jacket and then her ballet flats. Still shaking, she reached for the door. His hand landed on top of hers, stopping her. She stiffened, waiting.
"Do I need to kill him, Addison?"
She gasped, "What?"
"Did you fuck him?"
She whirled around. Daniel was standing so close she bumped into his chest. "What kind of question is that?" she asked furiously.
"I'm paid to be observant, Addison. I know you've gone to bed with this guy before, so don't play games with me right now. Did you fuck him tonight, after I made it clear you’re mine?"
Addison wanted to yell at him, to tell him where he could take his attitude, but again, she knew she was dealing with a different type of person altogether. More of a wild animal, actually. Not one that she understood. Daniel was in security for a reason. She suspected there was a lot about him that she didn't know and wouldn't understand. Until she could get herself the hell out of his psycho sphere of notice she needed to play the game his way.
Wrapping her arms around herself Addison shook her head. "As you can see, I was sleeping on the couch, by myself. I didn't touch him."
Daniel didn't say anything. He took her arm and led her down the stairs, through the crowded bar and into his waiting truck. The drive back to King Tower was made in silence. Addison expected to park in the garage, but was surprised when the vehicle bumped onto something and started ascending. She gasped and jumped in her seat, reaching out automatically to hold onto the dashboard.
Daniel didn't bother to explain, though she suspected they were going to another, more private parking lot high above the ground floor. The elevator came to a smooth stop and Daniel drove off of it, parking the truck. He exited the vehicle and came around to Addison's side before she could extricate herself from the seat belt. Sometimes blindness was annoying. It made her slower than other people and caused her escorts to have to wait on her. Not that she cared about Daniel having to wait for her. She just didn't want him touching her unnecessarily. His touch was far too disturbing.
Ignoring her silent condemnation, he took hold of her arm and pulled her unceremoniously from the car. She listened carefully to their footfalls as they walked, taking in the muffled sound of the steps against concrete in a windowless room. She thought she was correct, they were in some kind of parking lot. Probably Tyson King's personal garage. She heard the jingle of keys against a metal box and then Daniel led her to a door. After a pause the door opened and he escorted her through.
For the first time in a long time, the person she was with didn't warn her of stairs and Addison stepped off of them without knowing they were there. With a cry of fear she stumbled and would have tumbled down if he hadn’t been holding her tightly by the arm. The momentum of her body falling forward swung her around into him. He grabbed her other arm and held her tightly in front of his body so were facing each other.
Anger flared hotly within her, brightening her cheeks. She tilted her face down, hiding her eyes from him. "You did that on purpose!" she snapped. "You could've told me we entered the stairwell."
He didn't bother denying her words. If he were anyone else she probably would’ve shrugged the incident off as carelessness on their part. But not Daniel Mercer. He would be far too observant, too aware of his surroundings at all times, to forget that Addison was blind. He wanted her at a disadvantage. He wanted her off balance and reliant on him.
