But Maddox heard and his lips twitched suspiciously, though she suspected he rarely if ever smiled. That too seemed to be a requirement to work in Drake’s establishments. Gorgeous, badass, well built, intimidating,scaryand no smiling. Ever.
He shut the door and started the walk around the back of the vehicle to get in on the other side. Evangeline immediately yanked at the handle, fully intending to be out and running as fast as her shoes allowed before he got in.
But nothing happened. She tore at the handle, cursing under her breath, words that would have her mama washing her mouth out with soap because no true lady ever even thought the words Evangeline was spitting out in rapid succession.
Then a warm, comforting hand closed over the one not frantically grasping at the door handle. He squeezed, halting her futile attempts to open what amounted to a child lock that prevented opening the door from the inside. So now she was nothing more than a recalcitrant child, a nuisance Maddox had been sent on an errand to retrieve because she’d stepped out of line. A line she had no knowledge or understanding of. Things just didn’t happen like this in her sheltered existence. She felt as though the night she’d been bullied into going to Impulse she had crossed into an alternative reality that had an entirely different set of rules and she had no idea what the hell they were!
“Evangeline.”
Though not forceful or intimidating sounding, there was still a command for her attention. For her to look at him. One she felt compelled to obey despite the fact that she had no wish to face this man. She chastened herself for even contemplating obeying the order and yet, to her dismay, she found herself complying. How screwed up was that? If shecouldn’t even stand up to one of Drake’s underlings, then how on earth was she going to have a chance against Drake himself? She was beyond fright and panic at this point. She was fast entering meltdown stage and wondered if somehow she could stealthily retrieve her cell phone from her bag and call 911. But she had no idea where Maddox was taking her and no actual crime had been committed. Yet.
Reluctantly, but unable to defy his command, she turned her head, her gaze lowered, eyes downcast as defeat settled over her. She sagged against the seat, exhausted both mentally and physically, tears burning the corners of her eyes. She inhaled sharply, calling on all her flagging reserves to pull herself together. This man would not see her cry, nor would he see her as a weak, helpless woman who’d accepted defeat.
“Evangeline, look at me,” Maddox said softly.
His hand still gripped hers but his thumb rubbed softly over her delicate skin as though to comfort her. And the really stupid, screwed-up thing about it was that it did give her a small measure of comfort. Surely if he planned to murder her, he wouldn’t be trying to offer her reassurance. She nearly groaned aloud, because again, her extreme naïveté was taking over her brain. Serial killers were often normal, average men who gained the trust of their victims before viciously ending their lives.
Knowing she was being a coward—and, well, shewasa coward—she slowly lifted her eyes to meet Maddox’s intense gaze. She hated conflict and any sort of confrontation and yet here she was, on her way to the mother of all confrontations. She wanted to dig a very deep hole and bury herself in it.
“You will not come to any harm,” he said in a tone that couldn’t possibly be misunderstood as a lie. “Drake will not hurt you in any way. Nor would he ever allow anyone else to hurt you. I know you have no reason to trust me, or Drake for that matter, but I swear to you on my life that you will be safe at all times. I will escort you personally to Drake and once you are with him, no one, and I meannoone, will be able to getwithin a mile of you. And while he is most certainly capable of handling himself in any situation, he is surrounded at all times by a security team and they are the absolute best at what they do. They are highly trained and there isn’t a single one of us who wouldn’t give our life for Drake, and now, by proxy, you.”
She stared at him in utter bewilderment, trying to take in everything he’d just said. There were so many insane responses swirling in her head that she was dizzy from it.
“You’ll forgive my skepticism,” she said, trying to keep the tremble from her voice that betrayed her fear. No,fearwas too tame a word. Shefearedspiders and bugs. Draketerrifiedher. “But he sent you to kidnap me. No amount of pretty words or explanations changes the fact that I was taken against my will. You wouldn’t take no for an answer. My absence at the seven o’clock pickup time he commanded of me should have been signal enough that I had no desire to accept his dictate. And for that matter, he neveraskedme to meet him. He didn’t offer me achoice. He told me to be at my apartment at seven and that someone would be there to pick me up and bring me to him. And I was so freaked out and just wanted to get as far away from that place as possible that all I did was nod, because if I told him no then, how was I supposed to know if he would have even let me leave? Nowyoutellme. What sane person wouldn’t be scared out of her mind? And what sane person would blithely accept the assurances of a man who looks like he could break me in half with nothing more than alookthat I won’t be harmed and I’ll be safe? What about this entire freaky four-in-the-morning stalkfest would convinceanywoman that she’s safe or that the man who gave the order for her to be kidnapped doesn’t plan to hurt her?”
Maddox’s face softened, remorse reflected in his eyes, surprising her with how much it transformed his appearance from a man not to be fucked with ever to someone who actually possessed a conscience. He seemed to truly regret that he’d frightened and intimidated her, as ifthat had never been his intention and he was appalled that she’d perceived his actions that way.
Not to say that he was still not an extremely alpha badass man who could probably mow down an entire crowd of men without suffering a single injury. But then all the men at Impulse, even the freaking bartender, looked like they were former special forces. Or navy SEALs or some equally ferocious military unit she’d never heard of. Where on earth had Drake found a veritable army of men who were built like concrete buildings? She’d be willing to bet that bullets bounced right off them and that even a grenade wouldn’t slow them down. Much.
She reined in her crazy, hysterical thoughts before she gottoocarried away and forced herself back to the matter at hand.
“I am sorry that you were frightened,” he said gently. “That was never mine or Drake’s intention. Drake...” He paused a moment as if to say exactly the words that wouldn’t further petrify her. “Drake is a law unto himself and he is well used to compliance. He built an entire empire and amassed his fortune by hard work and never backing down. No one gave him anything. He was on his own at a very young age and learned the hard way that life is what you make it, and if you stand around waiting for a handout or for someone to give you anything, then you’ll never get anywhere.”
He paused, grimacing, as if what he was telling her was top secret, classified military information and that if Drake knew all he was telling her, Drake would probably have his balls.
“He is a very private man,” he continued, confirming Evangeline’s suspicion that Maddox divulging anything remotely personal was a cardinal sin. “He didn’t get to where he is by being soft or tolerating insubordination.”
Evangeline’s eyes narrowed and she held up a hand to stop Maddox, something he was likely unused to judging by his narrowed eyes, but at the moment, she didn’t care.
“That’s all well and fine when it comes to his business and his employees,” she said acidly. “How he conducts his business is of no concern of mine, and if his employees are willing to tolerate working for a dictator, that is their business. But I am not his employee. I do not work for him. I am nothing to him, and as such, I find his actions—his arrogant assumption that I have to fall in line and obey him or acquiesce to his demands—quite frankly absurd. It’s the height of arrogance. He can play God in his little corner of the universe all he wants, but I am not part of that universe and he is completely crossing the line with his actions.”
Maddox sighed and looked like he wanted nothing more than to stop the car and toss her out. No doubt any number of women Drake had sent him to “summon” had flattened Maddox to get to Drake as fast as they could. But she’d also learned, in their very brief acquaintance, that Drake’s employees were obviously very well trained and loyal to a fault, so no matter how much of a pain in the ass Evangeline was for Maddox, he wasn’t going to show up and face his boss empty-handed. Which meant she had to resign herself to her fate and hope to hell Maddox was telling the truth when he said no one would harm her.
Evangeline made a turtle look like a speed demon as she navigated the hallway to the now-closed club where her apparent meeting with Drake was to take place. Maddox simmered with impatience, but he reined it in and walked with her, one hand at the small of her back, the other stretched across his midsection to grasp her trembling arm. He likely thought if he didn’t have a firm grasp on her, she’d face-plant, and, well, he wasn’t wrong.
When they’d pulled into a reserved parking space at the rear of the club she’d sat rigid in her seat like a statue, her jaw clenched tight to prevent her teeth from clattering. The club? Really? At this hour? Had he been waiting for her here all night only growing more annoyed when she didn’t make an appearance? Or did he simply work late and tend to business matters while his employees announced last call and cleared the place so cleanup could commence?
Maddox had walked around to her side and opened the door and then stood there several long minutes before sighing and looking very much like he wanted to throttle her. Finally, he’d taken matters into his own hands and simply reached in, slid one arm beneath her thighs and the other around her back and plucked her from the seat and up against his chest as effortlessly as if she were an infant.
That had put a stop to her stillness and refusal to move. She smacked and shoved at his chest, demanding he put her down. She’d be damned if he had to carry her into the club like an unwilling captive. Even if that was precisely what she was.
Only when they’d gotten just inside the doorway had Maddox relinquished his hold on her and carefully set her back on her feet, both hands grasping her shoulders until she was steady enough to walk.
More than once during the interminable walk to the elevator she heard him mutter something about “damn shoes” and “you’re going to break your damn neck.”
By the time they were in the elevator and it began its ascent to Drake’s office, Evangeline’s chest was so tight she couldn’t breathe. When she unsuccessfully tried to gasp and suck air into her starving lungs, panic completely took over and she began to shake violently.
Beside her, Maddox swore viciously and then firmly grasped her shoulders, turning her to face him. He lowered his head until their eyes met, and his gaze was fierce.
