His sigh fills the room as his eyes seek my body once again. “I shouldn’t, but I’m getting there.” He’s silent for a moment before continuing, “Why aren’t you wearing one of your nightgowns? Sleeping in that cannot be comfortable.”
It's not, but his leering gaze is the exact reason why I decided not to change. “They’re actually quite comfortable. This brand you bought me is amazing.”
For a moment, his face flickers with surprise and satisfaction, but it is quickly replaced with hardened desire. “That’s wonderful, but you can’t sleep in those. Go change, Evangeline.”
“I like these, though.” I try to keep my voice calm, but I can’t trick myself into believing this situation isn’t about to escalate.
“That wasn’t a request. Go. Change.” He reaches out and pulls me up with a tight grip around my bicep, his fingers digging into me tight enough to bruise. “Now. I’m tired and I won’t be able to sleep if you’re not comfortable.”
“Wade – “
“Now, Evangeline!” He shoves me forward and releases his grip. My hands and knees take the brunt of my weight as I fall to the floor, the jarring movement causing the glass to cut even deeper into my skin.
I stand, tears threatening to spill from my eyes at the humiliation. Pain pinches at my thigh from walking but I keep myself from limping as I make my way over to the makeshift closet on the far side of the bedroom.
I sift through the drawer of nightgowns until I find one that’s a little less revealing than the others. It’s gorgeous, a silk black with matching lace that trims the plunging neckline. If I saw it at the store, I may have bought it myself.
After checking to make sure I’m shielded by the cover of the closet door; I quickly take off my shirt and bra before sliding on the nightgown. It’s even shorter than I thought, the hem coming to only an inch or so beneath my ass, but it’s long enough for me to slip off my leggings and remove the glass riding into my hip.
There’s no way I can keep the glass on my side. I’ll be lucky if Wade doesn’t try to grab my hip and feel the blood. It’s already begun to seep through the silk.
Think, Evangeline. Think.
I’m not too stupid to understand what may go down in that bedroom and I refuse to be unarmed. Spottinga pack of hair ties on a shelf, I wrap my hair up into a bun and slide the glass in my hair. The curve of the bottle is angled just right so it fits almost flush with my scalp and if I pull my hair…perfect. A quick look in the mirror to make sure the amber glass isn’t showing through the blonde and then I’m walking back out into my bedroom.
Wade stands from my bed, his eyes sliding down my body until a smile lights up his face. “Oh, Evangeline, you look divine.” He walks over, his long legs eating up the distance between us until he’s standing directly in front of me.
“Thank you.” I don’t have to fake the wobble in my voice because it’s there all on its own. The whimper I release when his hand comes up to squeeze my breast can’t be held back but I wish I could’ve.
The sound seems to spark something in him, something darker than even Kor’s demons, and he squeezes my breast until it has me crying out in the dark. “Wade!”
His hand releases me only to come up and slam into my face. I scream from the force of the slap, backing up into the wall to try and get any distance. Gone was the hurt boy I saw this morning. He’s been replaced with a beast.
“Do not shy away from me! You’re mine, Evangeline! I found you when you were just a broken girl seeking direction. I gave you this life! I gave you the chance for revenge!” He steps forward and slides his hands down my body until they latch on the hem of my nightgown. His voice is almost revenant as he presses his forehead to mine. “You owe me, Evangeline.”
When I open my mouth to scream, it’s not my voice that I hear – it’s a man’s. Both of our head’s whip tothe side, eyeing my bedroom door as gunshots and screams sound from the other side.
Wade curses and grabs my arm directly over the bruise beginning to form from his earlier abuse. He drags me to my door and flings it open. The large warehouse door is open letting in the view of the night sky, but it’s not the only thing that got in. So did my men.
Roman slips through the door, a body falling to the ground behind him, and raises twin pistols at the stampede of armed guards filling the warehouse from the other side. Gunshots sound off and blood splatters the floor as they make their way through the crowd.
A loud crashing sound reveals Atlas busting through a side door, the night surrounding him as he immediately joins the fight. There’s too much going on for my eyes to keep track. Wylder’s dirty blonde hair shines through the crowd, seemingly coming from the same door that Atlas came from. Wyld covers Roman as he changes magazines, his old one falling to the floor in a clatter as he shoves the new one in. They begin to fight back-to-back, bodies dropping around them as guards try to approach and fail in a bloody mess.
Atlas’s dark hair falls in front of his eyes as he turns from one guard to the next, shooting each within only a second and causing them to both fall to the ground. My eyes search the warehouse and continuously come up empty as I look for Kortez. I can’t find him anywhere. Is he not here? Did something happen to him?
Wade’s hand tightens on my arm, “Fuck this.” He grabs a gun from his waistband and points it directly at Atlas. Atty’s turned around, his gun lost to the fray as he goes hand to hand with the same guard who tookme to my room earlier – Uric, I think.
“No!” I wrench my arm free from his grip and lunge, knocking the gun from his grip.
He spins toward me, fire in his eyes as he sneers at me. “You stupid bitch!”
His hand comes flying toward me only for Wade to scream and drop it. When I look down, there’s a small blade directly through the palm of his hand.
I know that knife…
My head shoots up and my eyes immediately latch on Kor’s. A breath of relief flows through me.He’s okay.
He’s….oh my God. He’s soaked in blood.
