Defying Dorian: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (10 page)

BOOK: Defying Dorian: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance
13.48Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads
9
No Escape (Tempest)

I
should never have tried
to make an escape on foot in an evening gown and high heels. It seemed like it had taken me forever just to get down the stairs and get a few blocks away from the casino. I assumed they wouldn’t be far behind.

To make matters worse, every drunk guy on the street whistled at me and made just about every crude comment imaginable. It wouldn’t bother me under normal circumstances except the last thing I wanted to do was draw any attention to myself. So, instead of telling the dirt balls off, I decided to keep my head down and walk as quickly as I could.

Now that I’d accomplished my goal of escaping, I realized I didn’t have any plan about what to do next. I mean, I wanted to go to the police, but it wasn’t like the decision was crystal clear in my mind. It seemed like a good idea earlier but now, all of a sudden, it didn’t.

Would they even believe me?

After all, how likely was it that a billionaire would kidnap a cocktail waitress and hold her hostage? God, with every step I took making a confession like that began to sound more and more idiotic.

My thoughts became clouded, a fog descended on my brain.

All kinds of random ideas started to float around. Maybe I should go to my job. But if I did that, everyone would ask about Todd? Where is he?

Reaching up, I crossed my arms at my chest and began to rub my upper arms with my hands, trying to warm myself. Even though it was ninety degrees out, I couldn’t fight the feeling of a sudden chill coming from the realization Dorian might be right.

Was I crazy to have run away? After all, he really didn’t have any reason to lie to me. What if someone really was after me? It became more and more difficult to get a single breath. In every direction I looked, the faces of strangers worried me.

I wondered if the next person I walked past would grab me and pull me into a dark alley or, a waiting car. Any ability I had to think clearly slipped away. Just then, I saw a couple of cops on bicycles about a block ahead. Thinking about all of these things exhausted me. The stress started to overwhelm me. I approached them.

“Excuse me?” I began, feeling suddenly awkward in my appearance. “Can you tell me where the nearest police station is?”

They exchanged glances. One of the officers looked at me, confusion in his eyes. “Um, a couple of miles from here. Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

I shook my head. “No, I-I’m fine. This isn’t something I want to talk about on the street.”

They basically ignored me, instead wasting my time asking me a bunch of stupid questions. It seemed to me like all of these things could be taking care of at the station. Every second that passed made me grow warier of being discovered.

I couldn’t take it anymore. “Look, please, I’m begging you. Can I just go to the police station? I’ll answer every single question that you have. Please.”

They gave in. A patrol car arrived not long after, and I got inside, safe at last.

I’d never been interrogated before, but for some reason, sitting all alone in a room at the police station, it sure felt like it. I sat, I stood, I sat, I stood. There was no way to get comfortable. While I was still standing, the door to the room opened and two men entered.

“Miss Rain?” one of them asked.

One held a tablet in his hand. The man who spoke introduced himself as Detective Wilson. He gestured toward the other cop. “This is my partner, Detective Mitchell. He has a few basic questions for you before we get to the reason why you’ve come in tonight.”

Once he began, it wasn’t long before I felt my stomach sink. What was I doing there? If they started to ask me a bunch of questions about Dorian, it could really get him in trouble.

That’s not what I wanted. He didn’t deserve that.

All I wanted was to be able to go back to my life. I wasn’t trying to cause any trouble, not for him and certainly not for myself. Paranoia gripped me again, and I looked around the room for surveillance cameras or maybe even a two-way mirror. I’d completely ignored the last few questions out of Detective Mitchell’s mouth. I guess he noticed.

He cleared his throat. “Ma’am?”

Without thinking, I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “I um, I want a lawyer. I don’t want to be recorded or say anything without one here.”

The two men looked at each other for a split second, frowning.

Detective Wilson spoke. “You aren’t under investigation. There are no recording devices anywhere. In fact, you can go, if that’s what you want to do.”

My mind raced. I didn’t know what I wanted. If I left, I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to.

“Miss Rain,” Detective Mitchell began. “Would you like to clarify the statement you made about being kidnapped and held hostage? It would be helpful if you shared the name of the person, or persons, responsible. After all, that’s a very serious charge.”

Half listening, I looked at him. “What? What was that?”

He raised eyebrows and repeated himself. “
Who
kidnapped you?”

To my horror, I blurted it out. “Oh, um, Dorian. Dorian Scott.”

They looked at each other again.

“Are you… sure about that?” Detective Wilson asked. “Dorian Scott, the businessman?”

“Yes.” I scoffed. “Of course I’m sure.”

“Uh huh, well, do you want to press charges against him?”

Did I?
“I… I don’t know. I mean, I’m not sure.”

The truth was he hadn’t done anything to harm me, in fact, it had been the opposite. Yes, even though he wouldn’t let me go, I had no doubt he’d do anything to protect me. How convincing could I be if I said ‘yes’ to the detective’s question?

Not only that, but I’m sure the fact I wore an expensive gown wasn’t lost on them. Detective Mitchell leaned into Detective Wilson and whispered something into his ear.

Afterward, he looked at me.

“Miss Rain, would you be willing to give us a few minutes? We need to discuss what can be done to help you, even if it’s just finding somewhere safe for you to stay.”

I shifted in place, wishing I could find something to do with my hands to look less guilty or anxious or whatever.

“Okay…” I muttered. “Um, I guess.”

Soon after, both of them left the room. After they’d gone, I wondered if I’d said too much, gone too far about Dorian. Eventually, I sat down, tried to calm myself and gather my thoughts. I still hadn’t pressed charges, so really there wasn’t anything they would do to him unless I followed through.

On the other hand, if I didn’t and I left the police station, it was a matter of time before Dorian tracked me down. There was no doubt in my mind. Looking up at a clock on the wall, I noticed the detectives had been gone for quite some time. I began to wonder what the hell was going on.

I scooted the chair back. It groaned on the smooth cement flooring. Standing up, I walked towards the door, wanting to open it and find out what was going on. But when I twisted the knob, it didn’t budge.

I looked down at it and yanked –
hard
.

Nothing.

There was a long, narrow window on the door, a few feet high and maybe, maybe six inches across. Moving my head from side to side, I looked through it to see if I could find anyone close by.

“Hey!” I yelled, banging on the door. “Let me out of here!”

I don’t know how long I stood there, pounding away at it with no response. Finally, after turning the bottom of my hand red from hitting the door, I gave up.

Hours
passed.

A mix of rage and fear took hold of me. What the hell was going on? Why was I being held here? Suddenly, the door opened, and the detectives walked through it. I jumped to my feet, running in their direction when I stopped dead in my tracks. Dorian appeared right behind them, his foreboding frame filling the doorway. He glared at me while I backed away, bumping into a chair behind me.

What the hell was he doing here?

Once Dorian was inside the room, the detectives excused themselves, but before they could close the door, I let them know what I thought of the shit they pulled.

“You fucking crooks! He paid you off, didn’t he?”

Ignoring me, Detective Wilson slammed the door, leaving me alone with Dorian. He raised his hand to his face, covering his nose and mouth for an instant before wiping it downward in frustration.

“Why did you run away? Didn’t you enjoy yourself?”

“Uh! Did you seriously just ask me that? This has nothing to do with me enjoying myself!”

He didn’t respond. The look on his face suggested he didn’t want to hear any explanation I had.

Fuck it. I didn’t care.

“I don’t want to be anyone’s hostage, even if that means putting my own life at risk.”

“That’s ridiculous, Tempest. You have no idea what you’re talking about. I told you that once I turned the case over and some time passed you would be free to go. Why couldn’t you just trust me?”

I stepped towards him. “How much time…
exactly?
Would you settle for an answer like that? No, you wouldn’t.”

“It’s too bad that you feel that way, but that’s not going to change what I have to do. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if anything happened to you.”

I couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. I might as well have been speaking another language.

“You aren’t listening to me! I am not afraid of being captured.”

Dorian leaned away, clapping his hands together in obvious amusement. “Don’t be so naïve. False bravery won’t do you any good here…”

I cut him off. “Hey! Here’s a news flash, Dorian! I
don’t care
what you think. I’m leaving and there’s nothing that’s going to stop me.”

I started to pass by him when Dorian grabbed hold of me, hissing a warning. “You are making a big mistake.”

I didn’t have the energy to fight with him. After a few tense moments, he let go of me, and I pulled away.

“Look, I didn’t tell them anything about what happened with Todd, about the case.”

Dorian let out a long exhale. “I already know that. You see,
I trust you,
but for the life of me, I can’t figure out why you are unwilling to do the same in return.”

“Okay, well, you’re not my father. Even if you were, he stopped having any control over me when I was twelve. This has nothing to do with trust and everything to do with you thinking you can control me which, by the way, you can’t.”

Shaking his head, Dorian raked his hand through his hair before turning his back on me and walking towards the door.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

Stopping at the door, he wrapped his hand around the knob and looked at me over his shoulder. “If I can’t reason with you, I know someone who can.”

What the hell was he talking about?

He opened the door and gestured for someone to enter, calling out at the same time. “Okay!”

Before I could get a word out, I looked on in disbelief, stunned at the person who entered.

“Oh my God!” I cried out, running towards my father. A huge smile came to his face. I flung my arms around him and swallowed him in the biggest hug I’d ever given to another person.

With my chin resting on my dad’s shoulder, I watched Dorian walk out of the room and close the door behind him, leaving the two of us alone.

* * *


W
hat are you
…” I stammered, separating from him. “How did you get here?”

A tired smile spread across his face. He sat down in one of the chairs.

“Dad, answer me. What are you doing here? How did you know where I was?”

My father scooted the chair closer to the table. He flopped one arm on top of it and with the other gestured towards the entrance of the room.

“Ask the suit.”

Following his fingertip with my eyes, I glanced in the direction of the door. I couldn’t see anyone looking inside, but Dorian was out there, somewhere.

Had he done this? Why?

The fact he had… It made me feel like he really listened to me. After all, he knew how much I wanted to see my dad. What’s more, he’d done it in spite of the way I acted towards him. The cops must have told him I’d come in threatening charges of kidnapping. Maybe in his own way he was trying to prove to me I could believe everything he said.

I had no idea what to think.

I turned and looked at my father again, smiling. I’d have to get the answers to all those questions later. Right now, I just wanted to spend time with him.

“Dad, I’m sorry I couldn’t make it for our regular visit. Something came up, and I…”

With a casual flick of his wrist, he waved me off. “Don’t worry about it, Temp. I’m just glad you’re okay. I worried when I didn’t hear anything from you.”

While he spoke, I sat down in the chair next to him and frowned. “I know. It wasn’t my fault. I…”

He shrugged. “No. Stop. I don’t want to hear it. Tell me what is going on, and do it now.”

I returned his shrug with one of my own. “What are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about?” he replied, clapping his hands together once for emphasis. “Well, for starters,
why
are you in here?
Where
is Todd? I thought the two of you were coming by to see me on the way to Reno, and now you and I are here?”

BOOK: Defying Dorian: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance
13.48Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

Other books

The Romance of Atlantis by Taylor Caldwell
Face of Betrayal by Lis Wiehl
Alena: A Novel by Pastan, Rachel
Worth Dying For by Lee Child
Trust No One by Alex Walters
Life in Shadows by Elliott Kay