I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I know you noticed that I’ve been avoiding being… alone with you, unless we’re in my own home or whatever.”
He nodded. “Yeah… I got that.”
“Well, there’s a reason for that.” I sighed again and bit the inside of my cheek for a moment. “There was this guy… he seemed nice at first. He kept coming into the store, flirting with me, that kind of thing. He asked me out, and I said yes. We went to dinner, and I got a weird vibe from him, you know? He… I don’t know how to explain it, but something felt off, so I made an excuse to leave early.
“The guy, Joshua, came back to the store, and he sort of… acted like we were dating, like I was his boyfriend or something. It was creepy, and he didn’t get any of my hints. Even my coworkers thought the guy was being creepy.”
Lanche reached over and took one of my hands in his, cupping it between his, offering silent support. I twisted my hand around so I could lace our fingers together and hold on tight as I continued.
“After a few days, I figured it’d be better to talk to him and make sure we were on the same page, right? So I asked him to go to dinner with me. He was super excited, and I felt terrible, but halfway through dinner, I told him I didn’t want to date him.
“At first, he seemed kind of shocked, but then I could see this… anger in his eyes. But all he did was nod, and since he seemed harmless, I asked if we could be friends. He agreed, and we finished our meal.”
I snapped my jaw closed, needing to take a few seconds to gather myself before I kept going. Avalanche kept hold of my hand, rubbing his thumb over my skin and helping to assure me I was safe. This was a safe place, and Joshua was nowhere to be found.
“I started feeling… weird. Sort of out of it and dizzy. Kind of like being drunk but way, way, way worse. I could barely walk, barely keep my eyes open. I didn’t know what was happening, but I do remember Joshua being there and talking to me. Hehelped me out to his car. But then things get kinda fuzzy, you know?”
Lanche was staring at me with wide eyes, looking worried and afraid for me, even though I was right here and completely fine.
I squeezed his hand. “I’m fine now, babe. You don’t need to worry.”
“But he drugged you. Of course I have to worry.”
“It was years ago, Lanche. I’m okay now.”
He took a slow, deep breath, then nodded. “What happened?”
“Um… I woke up locked in a room with chains around my wrists and ankles.”
“What the fuck?”
I shrugged. “Apparently, the guy had been stalking me for months, and when I told him he couldn’t have me, he decided to take me instead. I, uh, I was locked down there for five days before Anton found me. He knew something was wrong when I didn’t show up for work and wasn’t answering his calls or texts. He went to my apartment to check on me, and… yeah. He figured it all out and found me, although it took a few days because I was in some random warehouse, not at Joshua’s house. I’m just grateful Anton saved me.”
Lanche stared at me in horror for a long moment before he stood up and knelt in front of me. I had no idea what he was doing, but he pulled me into a hug, and after a brief pause, I melted into him, hugging him tight.
“Oh, my sweet Dain, I’m so very sorry that happened to you. If I ever find that sonofabitch, I will tear him apart limb by limb.”
My eyebrows rose. “You don’t have to worry about him. Anton took care of him for me.”
Lanche leaned back. “He… killed him? Or sent him to jail?”
“Uh… the first one, but I’m not supposed to tell anyone that. Officially, Joshua’s listed as a missing person. Unofficially, he’s never being found.”
I wasn’t sure how Lanche, the sweetest and gentlest person around, would handle knowing my boss had literally killed a man for me. Would he be upset? Would he… report Anton? Shit, he better not. I’d have to talk to him and then to Anton if Lanche decided to call the authorities.
“Good.”
I blinked. Good? What was good?
As if reading my thoughts, Lanche said, “I’m glad he’s dead. If he wasn’t, I would be the one hunting him down and possibly getting arrested for murder.”
My eyebrows rose. “For real?”
He nodded. “Absolutely.”
“But… you’d really… you’re really okay with… everything?”
He nodded. “Sweetheart, I’ve been around for three hundred years. I know there are some people out there who don’t deserve to live. And I’m okay with people like Anton… fixing that.”
