SERAPHINE
I’m about to follow Leroi and the creep he’s dragging off the dance floor when a small hand grabs my shoulder.
“That guy is friends with the owners,” Ember yells over the music. “Let him deal with the creep.”
My brows pinch. “You know them?”
She flicks her head. “My roommate recognized them.”
“Come on.” She tugs my arm and pulls me toward her friends.
I dart my gaze across the dance floor. Leroi has already disappeared into the crowd. I catch a glimpse of Rosalind being manhandled by a man similar to the one who was talking to Leroi and hope he’s escorting her to the door.
Maybe Ember has a point. Leroi wanted me to get through tonight without murdering or maiming, and rushing after that guy with a broken bottle might jeopardize my reward.
Heat pools between my thighs at the thought of him giving me another orgasm, so I turn back to join Ember and her friends. The music is faster, and they’ve started a new sequence of steps. It takes two rounds for me to pick up the pattern before I’m dancing.
Assholes gather around our group like vultures, making my skin itch. One of them approaches and wraps an arm around my waist, and my heart rate spikes.
“Hey, babe,” he murmurs, setting my hackles soaring.
My gut churns with a cocktail of agitation, nausea, and resentment. For a split second, I imagine it’s me being held down by those guards and not Mom. Then the pressure inside me explodes.
I whirl around in time to the music and elbow him in the gut with enough strength to make him double over, his face turning a putrid shade of red. The jackals watching us erupt into cheers.
“Don’t touch me,” I yell over the noise.
The man steps back with both hands raised. “Sorry, sorry.”
I glare in his direction until he disappears into the throng. When I turn back, Ember and her friends are grinning. Some of the tension drains from my body, and I exhale a trembling breath.
Shit. I did it.
My chest fills with warm triumph. I stood up for myself without shedding blood, and I may have even earned a bit of respect from Ember and her friends.
When we continue dancing, my steps are lighter, and I’m smiling so hard my cheeks ache. More women join the circle, and for a moment, I imagine I’m just like everyone else—-normal and carefree. The only thing that would make this better is if Leroi were here to witness my victory.
The music slows, and a few of the girls in our group break off to slow dance with men. My skin tingles with the sense of being watched by someone more powerful and significant than any of the onlookers, and when I turn around, I lock eyes with Leroi.
My heart thuds with anticipation. Even at twenty feet away, Leroi stands out amongst the crowd. It’s not just that he’s taller and more muscular, it’s the way he carries himself. He commands attention and respect, his presence so imposing that all other men fade into the background.
A few women on the dance floor turn to move in his direction, their movements more exaggerated, trying to attract his attention, but their efforts are wasted. Leroi looks at me like we are the only two people here, and everyone else has ceased to exist.
His gaze is so intense that it lands on my skin with a lingering caress. Warmth rises to my cheeks, and my steps falter. Frozen, I’m caught in his sight. Predator and prey. All my attention centered on him.
I want him to take me away from the crowd and back to our apartment. I want him to pull me into his bedroom and kiss me breathless. I want him to growl filthy words in my ear and taste me until I come apart on his tongue. Most of all, I want him by my side as we step over the bones of my enemies and rescue Gabriel.
The crowd parts as he stalks across the dance floor toward me. With each approaching step, my heart races harder, faster, until its vibrations reach my core. When he reaches me, I’m sure that I’ve stopped breathing because the edges of my vision blur and all that’s left is Leroi and the music.
He takes my hand, pulls me into his chest, and wraps an arm around my waist. I suck in a shuddering breath when he leans in, his lips a mere inch away from mine.
Instead of kissing me, he murmurs into my ear, “I saw what you did to that red-faced bastard. I’m so proud of you.”
My heart swells. I scramble for the right words, but nothing comes to mind.
“I thought you said you didn’t dance,” I say with a smile.
His deep chuckle tickles my skin. “I don’t.”
“Then what do you call this?”
He pulls back and gazes down with the tiniest hint of a smile. “A congratulatory hug.”
“In time to the music?”
He smirks. “I didn’t say I couldn’t dance. But I’ll make an exception for you.”
Enchanted, I stare into his fathomless eyes, my heartbeat drowning out the music. We continue swaying to the music, locked in a connection I never knew existed.
The worst part about my imprisonment was the absolute power they held over me when they took Gabriel hostage. As long as they hid where they were keeping my brother, I couldn’t see a future for either of us.
I certainly never saw myself dancing with a man like Leroi.
He doesn’t recoil from me for being a killer. Instead, he’s more concerned that I might get caught. He’s kind and strong and considerate. He’s the only man who’s ever shown me the true meaning of pleasure.
“Let’s go home,” he says.
Home. The word fills me with giddy warmth. When I nod, the arm around my waist slides toward my hand, and he intertwines our fingers.
I turn to say goodbye to Ember, but she’s already deep in conversation with an older man. They both look acquainted with each other, so I turn back to Leroi.
“Ready?” he asks.
“Let’s go.”
Leroi leads me to the edge of the dance floor. I take one last glance over my shoulder at Ember to wave goodbye, but she’s waving her arms at the man as though trying to make a point.
“What happened to that guy?” I ask as we walk to the cloakroom to collect our jackets.
He doesn’t reply.
“Leroi?” I place a hand on his bicep.
He stares straight ahead, a muscle in his jaw flexing.
My gaze drops to a glistening speck of liquid on his shoe. As he accepts our jackets, the light catches and I tilt my head, squinting to get a closer look. It’s thick, viscous, crimson.
It’s blood.
I straighten, my eyes widening, my mind putting together the clues.
Leroi’s narrow. “That man was a threat. He won’t be bothering anyone again.”
I’m reeling on my feet as he slips my jacket over my shoulders. Not because he murdered a creep who deserved to die, but because Leroi broke the rules.
He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into his side, his features a stony mask. That man Leroi killed wasn’t dangerous or even significant—just a regular lecherous asshole.
“Leroi?” I whisper as we walk to the exit.
“Don’t ask,” he growls.
My throat dries. This is the third man he’s murdered to protect me. The first was the one I stabbed at the gas station. He garrotted that one so he wouldn’t reveal anything about me to the police. The second was Pietro. Leroi snapped his neck for slashing my palm. Now, he’s killed that creep for grinding on my ass.
I stare at his handsome profile, wondering why he’s been taking such risks when he’s always so controlled.
Could he… like me?
We step out into the street, and a pair of green eyes meet mine. It only takes a second for them to widen with recognition, and I jerk my head to the side.
It’s Samson.
Samson Fucking Capello.
The more psychotic of the twins, whom Leroi said was dead.
