The Hunt for Summer (NSC Industries) (13 page)

“You wanna get
together, Lucas?”

“I’d love to,
tonight?”

***

I had never known a
day drag as much as today did. After an awkward business lunch with Gary and
Red, we had a conference with Mr Ching and then a fucking meeting with Nate.

But Red had remained
completely professional and polite, more than I fucking did.

I couldn’t help
taking my temper out on everyone I came across.

Nate had given me
some stern looks when Ava had delayed in sending me some information via Josh,
the internal runner, and I had stormed up to her floor and practically ripped
into her.

Gary Thornton had
widened his eyes on me when I had barked my order to our waitress and proceeded
to pull her service to pieces when she placed my food on the table from the right
hand side instead of the left.

I had refused every
single offer old man Ching had proposed, and eventually he shook his head and
disconnected the call.

But Red had remained
impassive and completely undisturbed by my mood. I had caught her a couple of
times flicking her thumb over her index finger but other than that, nothing,
and I wasn’t sure if that angered me or impressed me.

I sighed in relief
when at 5:30 Red came through the intercom and alerted me that she had finished
for the day.

She didn’t
acknowledge me after that, she just upped and left, and as soon as she left I
wanted her to come back so I could pin her against the wall and kiss the damn
life out of her.

I wanted to taste
every single fucking breath of hers, feel her tiny tongue around mine and
devour each of the little whimpers she always made when I kissed her.

I wanted to mould
her lips under mine and just fucking feel her, feel everything about her and I hated
the small damn stab in my chest that had popped up every time I had seen her or
thought about her today.

God damn it Lucas. I
had it bad, very fucking bad and I needed to bang the fucking daylights out of
Erica tonight just to rid these unwanted, forbidden feelings.

Chapter 13

Layla

“What the hell was
eating Lucas today?” Ava asked me.

She poured another
shot of vodka into my glass and I eyed her suspiciously. “Are you trying to get
me pissed so you win?”

She laughed but I
saw the hint of deviousness in her eyes.

I shook my head
determinedly at her and Courtney laughed “Eat it up Ava and prepare to die
babe.”

“Never” Ava declared
as we settled ourselves on the floor in front of the huge screen currently
showing the Xbox match between Mason, Greg, Sam and Nate.

“So, come on,
Lucas?” Ava repeated and I just shrugged and kept my eyes trained on the game.

Mason flicked a
glance at me and narrowed his eyes. “Thought he was supposed to be joining us?”
he probed and I shrugged again.

“I dunno, he’s my
boss not my partner.”

Mason scrutinised me
for a while before Sam nudged him and prompted him back to the game.

“You ready for
tomorrow?” Ava turned to me and widened her eyes “I am so glad you’re coming
with us, I mean Sandra’s okay but she’s…well, she’s boring. We are gonna rock
France, Hun.”

I laughed at her
excitement and nodded. “To be honest, it’ll be good to get out of here for a
while and relax without having to look over my shoulder all the time.”

She nodded solemnly
and frowned “I can’t believe after all this time, fucking Simon Bell is back. I
so wanna get my hands on the bastard and rip him to shreds.”

“Down, my little
warrior!” Mason chuckled and I sighed heavily.

“It just means it’s
all going to shit if he’s involved” I divulged and Ava placed her hand on my
arm.

“Mason will sort it Lay,
I promise.”

I downed my drink
and refused to let my life disrupt the fun for my friends so I slid behind Greg
on the sofa and placed my hands over his on the Xbox controller.

He grinned back at
me and I winked when I helped him slaughter the rest of the group.

“Whoa… cheats!” Sam
declared after not realising I was helping for ten whole minutes.

***

By 11 O’clock I had
proceeded to stampede my friends at Call of Duty and I was thoroughly legless.

Mason saw me into
the taxi and paid the driver to see me inside and as I closed my eyes in the
back of the cab my phone rang in my bag.

“Well hello, Sir” I
smirked when I saw Tristan’s name pop up on screen. “Good evening, Miss Willow.
You busy?”

“Well…” I was
suddenly wide awake and thinking of Lucas. Why the hell should it feel like I
was betraying Lucas if I spent the night with Tristan?

But it did and I
knew I couldn’t.

“Yeah, I’m kind of
involved with someone at the moment.”

“Shame, Willow.
Never mind. Let me know if it goes tits up.”

I chuckled lightly
“I will, bye.”

He disconnected and
I stared at my phone in my hand, Lucas firmly on my mind and before I knew what
I was doing, I was telling the cab driver the change of destination.

***

I stood outside
Lucas’s apartment door for a good twenty minutes before I plucked up the
courage to knock and after waiting five minutes for him to answer; I was just
about to leave when he opened his door.

He stared at me with
a slight frown. “Hey” I said nervously as my eyes scanned his near naked form.
He was wearing only shorts and my heart beat sped up at the sight of his
stunning body.

“Red…” he whispered,
his eyes inspecting me as though I was an apparition.

My thumb was
twitching rapidly as he just stood immobile and mute, staring at me “I…”

“Lucas Darling?
Hurry up, I’m kind of in a position here…” a female voice sounded from beyond
the door. Lucas cringed and blushed furiously.

My heart exploded in
my chest and my stomach heaved when I realised he had company. “Oh… I… I’m so
sorry…”

I spun around on wobbly
legs and hurried back to the elevator, my humiliation burning a hole straight
through my soul.

“RED…” he shouted
after me but I hurtled into the lift at speed and jabbed the ground floor
button rapidly. “Come on…come on…” I hissed out.

The doors closed
just as Lucas reached me and I flinched when I heard his fist hit the doors
forcefully.

I would not cry, I
refused it and denied it.

Why the hell was I
crying?

The tears were
flowing freely and rapidly and I scrambled out of the lift, positive the snooty
bastards in the exclusive apartment lobby were all laughing at me.

I was amazed to find
a few taxi’s waiting outside the building and I clambered in one. “Move!” I
barked out as Lucas came barrelling through the foyer, still donning nothing
but his bloody boxer shorts.

The cab driver was
luckily an experienced one and sped off at my command. “Everything okay,
Darlin’?” he asked, eyeing me up through the mirror and I nodded a yes as I
stared out of the window and made myself focus on the London nightlife; anything
to take my visions and the sound of the woman in Lucas’s apartment out of my
mind.

The driver dropped
me off and I tipped him well for helping me escape so effectively and as I
entered my flat I frowned at the silence.

“Sare?” I shouted as
I flicked on the hallway light.

Silence.

“Wonderful” I
groaned as I realised I was thoroughly on my own tonight.

I didn’t bother with
a drink, just wanted to curl up under the duvet and I tugged at my clothes, practically
ripped them off me, before I climbed in bed and fell asleep exhausted,  hurt
and desolate.

***

I trundled through
the airport, my case bobbing about behind me as my eyes scanned the area for
Lucas.

God knows how I was
going to face him today? I could feel my cheeks burn at the memory, never mind
actually facing him.

I caught sight of
Nate and Ava over by private departures and Nate smiled widely as I approached.
“Hey, Lucas with you?” he asked and I shook my head before I turned to Ava as
she spoke to me.

“Headache?”

I shook my head and
smirked “Nope.”

“Bitch!”

I winked and pulled
out my trilling phone from my bag and frowned at the unknown number “Hello?”

“You get on that
plane Kayla and I’ll personally make sure you regret it, as will your friends.”
Diablo’s rough voice grated through the earpiece.

My hands shook
violently as I scanned the lounge for him, my eyes flicking from left to right,
even up and bloody down as if I expected him hanging from the ceiling… which
actually wouldn’t surprise me where he was concerned.

“Where are you?” I
whispered shakily as my heart pounded uncontrollably in my chest.

I saw him then. He
stepped out from beside a thick white concrete column not 20ft away.

His dark eyes
conquered me and he just stood and manipulated every thought that whirled
around my head.

He was the ultimate
master, plain and simple and I would obey his command.

My chest heaved so
much it felt like it was going to explode and my throat closed in as he made
his way towards me.

“Kayla” he stated
simply as he tipped his head sideways sinisterly.

He stood silently
observing me for a moment before he curled his lip at the corner, “Stand and bind”
he ordered.

I instantly stood
before him, my chin high but my eyes lowered and my wrists crossed at the small
of my back.

“What the fuck,
Lay?” I heard Nate say from behind me and I noticed Tash, Diablo’s bodyguard,
walk up beside me and enclosed one of my wrists in his huge grip as I heard Ava
frantically talking to Mason on her phone.

My stomach heaved as
Diablo led me through the airport whilst Nate continued to shout my name but it
was too late.

He knew it.

I knew it.

And Diablo
definitely knew it.

Chapter 14

Lucas

“Shit Lucas, trust
today to be the day you actually ever run late!” Nate barked at me as I sidled
up to him in departures. I scowled at him but didn’t answer.

Ava was pacing up
and down and talking rapidly on her phone, shaking her head and spitting some
serious curse words at the person on the other end “What the hell was I
supposed to do, tackle him in a fucking airport? Mason, you didn’t see the size
of the brick shit house chaperoning the bastard!”

I frowned at them
both when it was obvious I had missed out on something, especially when Nate
cancelled our flight with an airport attendant and security came scampering up
to us.

“Mr Carter, if you’d
like to follow us, we managed to get a track on them via the cameras around the
airport” a thick set bloke said to Nate and I turned to Ava.

“What the hell is
going on?” I asked as she finished her call.

She glared at me as
she nibbled furiously on the tip of her little finger. “Where the hell were
you?” she spat at me and a thought jumped into my head as I flicked my eyes
over the area where we were stood. “Where’s Red?”

Ava huffed angrily
“If you had arrived on fucking time then you’d know. Fucking Diablo got to her.”

Everything around me
seemed to stop for a fraction of a second as her words sank into my blazing
brain.

I fought against the
slight wobble in my legs and choked back the thunder that was threatening to
erupt from my chest as my blood exploded into every thread of my body. “What?”

Ava’s phone erupted
again as we were ushered along with the security guards towards their little
office and I grabbed hold of Ava’s forearm “What the fuck do you mean ‘Diablo
got her’?”