Billion Dollar Bad Boy (Big City Billionaires #1) (12 page)

Every built in fear that had chased me since five years ago kicked in. Stalkers were dangerous, and danger was something I'd taken painful steps to always avoid.
Why was I so stupid?

I didn't know I was standing until Silver reached for me, holding me by my arms and keeping me from collapsing to the floor. “Pet?” he asked.

I couldn't answer, I just swayed.

I'm insane, he's insane.

What if he ties me up and keeps me here forever... he said he wanted to... what if he hurts me... what if...

“Pet! Are you alright?” He shook me, demanding I look at him, and still... I could only close my eyes. This wasn't real, this wasn't possibly real, this...

“Alexis!”

My eyes popped open, fixing in shock on Silver. His face was tormented, fine lines and a deep furrow on the bridge of his nose. I'd never seen him so worried. It would have been comforting if I wasn't so freaked out.

I pushed backwards, hugging my naked chest. “Tell me what's going on.” My voice was shaking; I tensed, making myself harden. This time, my words were sharp and solid. “Who the hell
are
you?”

Silver lifted his hands, spreading his fingers. “Calm down.”

“I'm not going to calm down!” I couldn't, the anger was all that was keeping me together. I latched onto it, desperate to stay on my feet. “This is a sick game, stalking someone and playing with them! I don't get it... I don't...”
I let him get too close to me.

That time, when he reached for me, I backed away. I was moving too quick, my body like a broken marionette. I swung one way, my hip slamming into the bedside table. The bolt of pain made me wince, but it was the reminder of how he'd clung to my skin while burying his cock in my depths.

I'd let a mad man tie me up. I'd fucked someone crazy enough to follow me around for who knew who long, and I'd justified all of it. But his threat of keeping me here, of capturing me so I could never leave—that had been too much.

Grabbing my dress, I started to slide it on. The top was ruined, it wouldn't keep me decent. Silver moved my way, I gave him a warning look. Instead of grabbing at me, he scooped his jacket off the floor, holding it out.

Warily I took it, sliding the heavy material around my body. It was saturated with his scent. It reminded me wretchedly of the first night we'd met. He'd given me his jacket to keep me warm... to protect me. As much as I didn't want it to, it made me feel safe.

A mountain was growing up and out of me. The pressure crushed my soul.

On bare feet I rushed towards the elevator. I didn't look back, it was an impossible task. If I just kept my eyes forward, I could make it out of this alive.

Before I could get into the sliding doors, he swiped out his palm and caught the edge, blocking me from entering. “Wait!” he growled, his fury rivaling my terror. “Just wait a fucking minute.”

Gritting my teeth, I ducked under his arm.

Amazingly, he didn't reach for me. I faced the glass windows, eyeing the city outside and willing myself to transport away from here.
This is too much, I don't understand any of this! I need air, I need to get out!

Something solid landed by my feet, startling me. Glancing down, I saw it was my purse. Silver said, “Don't forget that. You'll need your phone to reach me.”

The elevator doors pinched together before I could reply. I didn't even know what I would have said, because honestly, I wasn't sure if I wanted to see this crazy man again.

It was raining outside. The doorman was taking shelter under the eaves when I burst past him. “Hey!” he shouted after me.

I didn't slow down.

Why did he pick me?

My bare heels splattered over the shining asphalt.

Why?

Headlights beamed at me, my lungs shredding from exertion.

WHY?

Cement bit into my feet, a slippery patch making me stumble. Clutching the jacket, I crumbled into a heap, my knees skidding and bleeding. A distant roar, like a coming tornado, filled my ears. I couldn't hear the cars, the horns, or the lingering people wandering in the night air.

Shaking so hard I expected my bones to come undone, I hugged my knees. Maybe I was crying, maybe it was the rain. It didn't even matter. There was no making sense of what had happened back there
.

You should be scared,
I told myself. Lifting my chin an inch, I glared at my raw knees.
No. You should be pissed.
Silver wasn't just some distant admirer. He was a bastard who'd led me into a game where he could conquer me, break me down, and keep me at his side.

But why pick me? It made no fucking sense!

“Are you alright?”

My head jerked up; I'd been picturing Silver so clearly that I expected him to be the one speaking. Instead, a police officer with a flashlight crouched over me. He offered a hand, shining the light in my eyes. “Did someone assault you? Are you injured?”

Swallowing, I let him help me to my feet. “I'm fine,” I lied.

He glanced down at my bare feet pointedly.

I smiled, but it was frail and ready to crack. “I left my shoes at a... friend's place.”

The cop clearly read 'friend' as hookup. His eyebrow quirked, his look of worry turning into one of amused defeat. I wasn't the only girl he'd find tonight doing a walk of shame.

“Let me give you a ride,” he sighed, thumbing at his parked car.

I came close to saying no. Overhead, thunder rampaged through the blackening clouds. I couldn't walk home the way I was, and taking a taxi didn't offer the same comfort as a police escort. I had no clue if Silver might come after me.

He knew where I lived, after all.

With a sheepish nod, I let the cop open the rear door  of his car for me.

“It's messy out there,” he said, settling in the front. His hooded eyes peeked at me through the rear-view mirror. “I'm Officer Santile.”

Fingering the pockets of the jacket, I hunched my shoulders. “Alexis. Alexis Willow.”

I sounded too forlorn. His forehead crinkled. “You sure you're alright, Miss Willow?”

Not at all.
“Yeah. Just a long evening.”

Officer Santile turned the engine over, leaving me to wallow. And I
would
have wallowed, I was in prime woe-is-me mode.

Inside the jacket pocket, something poked my finger.

Curious, I slid the tiny card into the air. There wasn't much light in the car, just the lazy bursts as we passed by buildings or other vehicles. It was enough, though, for me to read the words on the piece of stiff paper.

Keswick Silverwell

CEO of Pure Pleasure Inc.

1223 Avelera Ave, Portland OR

I breathed in through my nose, loud enough that Santile peered at me. “Ma'am?”

It's his business card. It has to be! Holy shit.
Shaking myself, I stuttered, “I'm fine. Everything is fine back here.”

Tracing the edge of the card, I experienced my stomach flipping. I knew his name. I knew his actual fucking name. I even knew where he worked!

So what?
The tiny voice in my skull buzzed.
It doesn't matter. You don't want to see him again!
What good could come from interacting with a guy like him?

As if on cue, his scent wafted off of the jacket. A helpless flutter traveled into my scraped knees. It was too easy to be reminded of what it had been like to be so close to him. How he'd teased me, bound me, made me come while his cock drove into me at full capacity.

Keswick Silverwell.

I had so many questions I wanted answers to.

Would I ever get them?

“Have a good night,” the cop said as he pulled outside my home.

Climbing from the car, I shivered at the cold puddles around my ankles. “Thanks for the ride.”

“You sure you're alright?”

Considering his question, I came close to asking him to stay nearby. If I said I had a stalker, would he believe me? Wouldn't I have to give him the name of the man who might show up here?

Deep down, I realized I didn't want to get Silver in trouble.

I really
was
fucked up.

“I'm fine. Thank you again.” Turning, I ran up to my door. But here's the truth. As much as I didn't want to cause harm to Silver... I still took my phone out, dialing most of the emergency number before stalking around my house with a baseball bat in hand.

I was alone.

Except for my torrent of thoughts... I was alone.

****

W
ater hit me in the face.

“Hey!” I shouted, gaping at Laralie.

Her face pinched in, no humor in her usually cheery features. “Talk to me.”

It had been three days since I'd last seen Silver. Or Keswick. I didn't know what to call him anymore. Either way, Laralie had sensed my brooding mood—not that I'd been subtle—and asked me out to lunch.

I was regretting agreeing to it, especially as she sat across from me, her straw at the ready. Pushing my half-eaten sandwich away, I sighed. “There's nothing to talk about—ah!” She'd flicked more water; I hastily wiped it from my shirt. “Laralie, come on.”

“I gave you fair warning.
Talk to me,
or be water boarded!”

“This is unnecessary torture!”

“Only if you keep resisting!”

Throwing my hands up, I rolled my eyes. “Okay, okay! I surrender, I'll talk.”

Grinning, she pushed the cup away, folding her hands under her chin expectantly.

Drying my cheek, I held back a small smile. Laralie was ridiculous, but maybe I needed this kind of blunt tactic. “You know the guy that sent me that dress?”

Her eyes flashed. “Of course I do. It was gorgeous.”

I decided not to tell her what the fate of the dress had been. After getting home and seeing how ruined it was, I'd regretfully tossed it in the trash. “We had a bit of a... fight.” There wasn't a better word.

Laralie nodded sagely, not acting surprised. “I figured that was what was going on. Did he do something stupid?”

Opening my mouth, I hesitated. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

“I don't know. I'm still trying to figure it all out.”

At least that part was true.

“I think I get it,” she said, sipping at her drink.

“You do?”

“Oh yeah.” Her manicured nail jabbed at me. “Turns out he wasn't who you thought he was, huh?”

My eyes flew wide, hands crushing the table edge. She was too close to the reality of it all.

Her hair bounced, her nodding never seeming to stop. “I
knew
he couldn't be that rich. He was faking being a big shot, trying to impress you and all, and you figured it out. Well, good for you, Alexis!”

Laughing sheepishly, I slid deeper in my chair.
Good for me.
“I guess so.”

“You're better off without a faker.” She blinked at me. “Shit, I just realized something.”

My heart thumped. “What?”

Narrowing her eyes, she sighed dramatically. “That dress was probably a fake, too. And here I was, hoping to borrow it from you and never return it again. Life is awful.”

Holding my mouth, I bent forward and shook with laughter. The movement rattled me so hard it eased out the tension that had built up for several days. Wiping my eyes, I saw Laralie smiling at me knowingly. “Thanks,” I said. “I needed that.”

Dropping some money, she stood up. “Don't mention it. Just treat me to a good time in the future and we'll call it even. I haven't been out in forever!”

Together we slid out the restaurant door, the air feeling cleaner to me. My steps were lighter, too. Was the weight that had been sitting on the back of my neck vanishing?

It was a short walk back to our building. With all the people wandering the sidewalks, I didn't notice the detective at first. But he saw me, his arm lifting to wave. “Miss Willow!”

Laralie froze exactly like I did.

He'd been leaning against the stone wall that ran along the sidewalk. Now, he pushed forward, coming our way with determination. I counted his every step until he was right in front of me. “Miss Willow,” he said again, tipping his chin. “How are you doing?”

“What do you want?” There was no hiding my sharpness. Roose had left me in pieces when he'd met with me last. I didn't want to repeat that.

It amazed me that he didn't
look
like the threat I felt he was. He didn't even look like he belonged in law enforcement; his hair was too messy, his clothes too casual.

The silence stretched until Laralie broke it. “She asked you a question.”

“I'm aware.” He hadn't stopped eyeballing me. I wiped my palms on my hips, and he watched that, too. “Miss Willow, I was doing some thinking.”

“Were you,” I mumbled.

“Yeah. Last time we talked, you were... upset. Part of that seemed to come from your fuzzy memory.” Lifting an eyebrow, he pursed his lips. “I'm guessing you haven't remembered anything still?”

I swallowed loudly. “Nothing.” Where was he going with this?

Cocking his jaw, Roose sighed. “I'll just jump to it. Miss Willow, I want you to come with me to Old Stone Bank.”

I locked my knees out, ignoring how they ached. “I don't... what? Why?”

Laralie lifted her hands, sensing my unease and acting like she was going to catch me if I fell.

“I've done some research. In cases like yours, where a victim—”

Victim.
I hated that word, but was he wrong?

“—represses their memories, going back to the scene of the trauma can jolt everything back into place.”

Shaking myself head to toe, I breathed in and filled my lower belly. The pressure kept me stable, strong. “No,” I said. “I can't go.”
Never again. I said I'd never go back.

“And why is that?” he asked.

I glanced at my building. “We're in a crunch,” I lied. “I can't miss any work. I've got to get back before my boss flips out.”

Roose's smile ate my confidence away. “Thank goodness I already talked to your boss. He told me he'd be more than happy to let you assist me, in the name of the law and all that. Good guy, that one.”

Good guy, alright.
I was mentally choking him.