Mira and I both watch him until he is lost in the crowd.
“That man definitely wants to fuck you.”
“Mira.” I turn to her, my eyes wide and my mouth gaping open.
“What?” she shrugs. “Don’t act like you can’t tell.”
I chuckle, shaking my head. “He is just being friendly.”
“Girl, you can cut his sexual tension with a damn spoon. That man has images of bending you over your desk.”
I turn to look for Jake. He’s standing not too far from us. I have to give it to him, he’s good about not crowding my space. And I’m glad because I did not want him taking this info back tomy husband. Nico had already threatened poor Ezra once. I was not the type that would purposely risk anyone’s life.
Placing my attention back on Mira, I shake my head.
“He is a little flirtatious, I’ll admit. But it’s innocent, and he understands I’m a married woman.”
She lifts her brow and cocks her head to the side. “Does he?”
“Yes. And even if he doesn’t, I do.”
Ezra is an attractive man, I won’t lie. He’s charming and has a great personality. Had I been a single woman, I would’ve been all for his attention. But despite the shit going on in my marriage, I wasn’t interested in anyone else. I was angry at Nico, don’t get it wrong. But he had no fear of me stepping out of my marriage.
After having lunch at the food court, I tossed our trays in the trash and headed to the bathroom while Mira watched Noah.
I spot Jake standing against a wall near the pizza restaurant. He nods at me as I head toward the bathroom. We have an unspoken rule that if I’m ever away from Noah, he is to stay with my baby.
I still had no idea why the hell I even needed a bodyguard. No one knew who I was or who I was married to. Hell, I don’t think many people even knew what Nico looked like.
I step into the bathroom at the end of the long hall. The moment I walk in, a lady with short brown hair walks out. She smiles at me as we pass. I make my way over to one of the empty stalls to do my business. I’m halfway through my business when the door to the bathroom opens and someone walks in. It’s a public restroom, so I think nothing of it. However, the lights cut off, startling me.
“Ummm, hello? Someone is in here,” I call out.
Silence follows. I quickly wipe myself and readjust my clothes before flushing the toilet.
I was getting a bad vibe with the lights off and the silence. I go to unlock my stall, and I can’t push the door open. It’s as if someone is pushing against the door, preventing me from coming out.
“What the hell?” I press harder to get out. “Open the door.”
No matter how hard I push, I can’t get out of the bathroom. I stop pushing. Looking down at the filthy public bathroom floor, I grit my teeth as I get on my hands and knees to look under the door. Black combat boots meet me on the other side. Before I could move, a gloved hand drops down and sprays something in my face. Immediately I choke, and my eyes burn. The air smells and tastes spicy. I cough so badly that I vomit on the floor.
The assailant sprays again, and this time, I get lightheaded from coughing so much. Suddenly, the bathroom door opens again.
The heavy stomping of footsteps pounds across the linoleum.
“Hey, watch it.” A female shouts.
On my hands and knees, I push the bathroom stall open, fighting to get out of the confined space, hoping to get some fresh air. I can’t see anything, and the way I’m coughing and gagging, I can’t even call for help. After a few attempts at crawling, I collapsed on the floor, still fighting to breathe. The lights cut on, and a female screams before her footfalls are heard running out the bathroom.
My head is muddled, my throat burns, my nose runs, and my eyes are on fire as I continue to cough. Eventually, the room starts to spin so badly, I shut my eyes and pray whoever attacked me doesn’t come back. I’m too weak to move.
chapter Eleven
Aftermath
Nico
The group of men around me chuckle at my joke. Takeo Nakamura stays in step with me as we make our way to the door of the private dining section of an upscale restaurant.
