***LONDON’S POV***
I knew I was playing with fire but I didn’t know how deep it was fucking going to burn me. With Zane, one can never know how deep it runs but right now, Michael seems to be some sort of distraction to me.
His dog, Jase, is at the back and I hadn’t even had the time to pet his fur with sweetness. Michael had pulled me towards the booth so that he could give feed to me.
“Fuck, the chocolate eclairs are sweet, mouth warming and so delicious. I love it,” I mutter as a big chocolate patch stains my nose.
“I am glad that you love it,” Mike says.
I don’t notice anything is wrong, how the fuck will I when I was having a good time with Michael? I wonder.
“Why are the people outside?” one of Mike’s people asks.
“People?” Mike yelled as he stood.
Before I could process what was going on, I watched it unfold like a movie scene. Zane fucking Vincenzo stomped into the bakery with about fifteen men in tow behind him.
“Oh, Sweet Jesus,” I cry out as I turn towards Michael.
I know I have to put myself between Zane and Michael, but I also know what happened the last time I tried putting myself between an angry man. I landed a blow on my head, and it wasn’t funny, to say the least.
“London,” Zane called out and I turned towards Mike.
“We need to leave,” I screech out.
“I have the kitchens that lead to the back door, we can make it on time,” he says.
We dash out into the small kitchen and close the doors. I heard how Zane gave instructions for everything in the bakery to be destroyed. I turned around to face Mike, anger in my eyes.
“He can’t do that to you, Mike, I hate that Zane is destroying your shop,” I let out.
“Let me go out there and show that fucker what it means to get your shop destroyed,” he gritted out.
“No, wait,” I say.
This was all my fault. First of all, I stole a huge sum of money from Zane, and I mouthed one of his men. Zane wouldn’t have it lightly with me, but what do I have to lose?
Zane walked towards the door we were hiding in and started knocking on it. If I thought the man was going to be aggressive, then, I had a thing about doubting Zane’s potential.
Zane was gentle when he knocked.
“London? You have ten seconds to open this door. Your friend would be safe and you will be safe as well,” Zane says.
I looked at Michael, he started shaking his head knowing that this is all bullshit.
“Go away, Zane. Don’t make a scene here and tell your goons to stop wrecking the place,” I bark out.
“SEVEN!” Zane counted.
Three fucking counted. Although my pulse was kicking, I tried holding my breath in.
“FIVE!” Zane said his voice light.
I knew it was filled with anger, this man would destroy my feminine body before I even reached the house, Oh God, help me.
“Let’s get out of here, London,” Michael says.
“No, you should go, Mike. I think I can handle Zane,” I say.
No, absolutely no, I cannot handle that beast of a man but if it means I have to pretend like I know what I am doing, yeah, sign me up on that shit.
“THREE!” Zane continues.
I have shivers running down my spine and Mike opens the emergency door at the end of a bent spice door. I close it before leaving me in here alone. I open the backdoor thinking I could make it far.
I wish. Five of Zane men’s were patrolling the grounds and I couldn’t be indivisible to pass through without being noticed.
I heard a loud crashing sound and the door of the kitchen was blasted open. A small scream escaped my lips as I rushed down the shrubs hiding there. If I thought Zane wouldn’t see me, then, I got a whole idea.
What pushed me out wasn’t Zane or one of his men, I saw something crawling in the bush, coming towards me.
“A… A… A SNAKE!” I shouted as I scouted backward.
Tears burned my eyes as thorns bruised my skin. Whatever made me think entering a bush of Pine while running was a good idea, I was reconsidering it again.
I couldn’t be any more loud than when I had started crying for help. I wanted Zane to find me more now than ever.
I felt a strong pair of arms wrap around my waist and I was pulled out of the bush.
“A snake. There is in snake in there,” I shouted as I tried pushing away from the pair of strong arms holding me captive.
“Please…” I begged but the haze of tears was shading my eyes, I didn’t see who it was that was carrying me until I heard a strong voice speak behind us.
“What is going on here?” the voice was familiar and in my haze, I looked upward and saw Zane striding towards us.
I was in Reaper’s arms. He didn’t say anything but he looked at me with warmth.
“She saw a snake in the bush of pines she was… hiding in,” he says, finishing the last words like he was forcing himself to state the obvious.
Well, the obvious thing is that I was hiding, I am not going to hide it now.
“London? Are you alright?” he called out as he lifted me from Reaper’s arms.
I can’t believe that Zane was just trying to be subtle to me. He held me in my arms and I held my breath waiting for the other leg to drop.
Zane’s lips wrapped around my lips as he says, “I’ll deal with you when we get home, right now, let us get you to the car,” he mutters out.
I feel my eyes warm with more tears, I crush my face in the crease of Zane’s neck, sobbing gently.
Zane carries me effortlessly towards the car. He made it feel so light carrying me. I think I was heavy, but with him, no, that wasn’t even like that.
“Come now, baby, let’s get these pines out of you,” he says.
When Zane looked up, his eyes were dark when he spoke to Reaper.
“Dagger, stay behind and make sure that bastard is found,” he states.
“Why do you keep calling Reaper, Dagger?” I ask.
He laughs darkly before turning towards me.
“Because he knows better to act up to that name. If you think Reaper’s personality is dark enough, you should see him acting up to his other name,” Zane says.
My eyes widen in shock, I gulp as I know whatever Zane means he isn’t bluffing. I shift in my chair and look at Zane.
“Hurt me instead, don’t hurt, Michael please,” I say.
Caleb was in the driver’s seat, his eyes glued to the road.
It made me feel uncomfortable, but I struggled with the truth that would daunt me for a long time. Zane wouldn’t take it lightly with me.
“You should think about yourself, London, we will have a big girl talk when we get home,” he finishes.
He didn’t say anything again, the rest of the way, Zane looked out of the window while I removed the thorns from my body. I cry whenever it comes out, but I don’t even look towards Zane’s side of the car.
Breathing the same air and staying in the same environment as Zane made a fresh wave of tears want to overflood me.
By the time I removed the last thorn from my flesh, we pulled up at the house and I slipped out of the car.
“When Sinner gets here I want you all in the house chilling. I will be upstairs with London. When she is ready, I will bring her down,” he says.
“Ready for what?” I ask.
Zane curls his brows at me and I feel my throat tightening, I know it is cruel of him to make me feel guilty.
“Get into the house, we are talking in my room,” he says.
I look at Zane, before rushing inside. The man was too good for my sanity, but I have to do as he says, There are a lot of bad points I have scored for myself already, and I can’t bear to make it happen again.
I enter the house and go to the kitchen instead of the bedroom. I grabbed a bottle of water as I watched Zane speaking to Caleb. I was staring through the window and as if he could feel my eyes on him, he turned towards me, our eyes locking.
“Oh shit,” I mutter as I scrambled away, running upstairs.
I had to go to my room with immediate effect, there is no way that I am getting my points skyrocket towards the negative end when I haven’t even had a word with Zane yet.
***
Ten minutes later.
Zane walked into the room and he looked at me, his eyes firm on hers.
“London Ellie Jameson,” Zane called out dangerously, his eyes looming towards me.
“Am I safe now that you used all of my names?” I ask my voice dripping with fear.
“No. You aren’t safe, little girl. I want you to listen to this,” he blurts out.
Zane removed his phone from his pocket and I heard my voice from the speaker.
“Fuck! I didn’t know Sinner was recording. That son of a bitch,” I call out angrily.
“You don’t use cuss words, little girl, and being rude to one of my men? Bloody Jesus, I bet you would wish I didn’t find out,” he mutters out.
My blood was boiling in my body, this is fucked up. My situation is totally fucked up and I know it. I shouldn’t have picked up a fight with Sinner.
“Zane,” I whisper.
“The only words coming out of your mouth should be you explaining from the beginning your actions,” he says.
I looked at him as I slipped out of my shoes, they were tightening my feet already. I bet it was the pressure from Zane’s eyes.
“Come on now, spit it out, where did you say you were going to this morning?” he asks.
I hadn’t given him a definite answer, but I had explained that I was going out.
I gulp, sweat trickling down my forehead.
“I didn’t say it. But you said I should wait for Sinner to be my guard for the day,” I tell him in my tiniest voice.
Zane clicked the door lock and advanced towards the room, I took a few steps backward and remained trapped at the end of the wall in Zane’s room.
Zane smiled at my vulnerability. He didn’t waste any time to tease me about it.
“Trapped like the little human that you are. Tell me why you would call Sinner a guard dog when all he wanted was your protection?” he asked and I felt guilty all of a sudden.
“He wouldn’t let me go alone,” I say, hoping to sound convincing.
That response infuriated Zane.
“Alone? So that you could become a slut and fuck men around? Who did you meet when you first paused at the City Square Center?” he asked.
I knew Sinner had done a good job reporting me to Zane, but had he seen who I was meeting? If my secret is out, I bet Zane would have me killed before I can even blink.
“I… Uhm…” I was stuttering.
“Choose your next words wisely, honey, I wouldn’t want you lying to me, you will regret it,” he warns me.
“I have a headache, Zane, let’s not do this please,” I cry out.
The man before me laughed. Nothing was humorous there, rather, it was filled with bitterness. I knew better than to poke the bear.
“Come here, London,” he says pointing at a spot before him.
I skipped to stand before him. He nods his head gently.
“We are going to talk, headache or not,” he finishes.
Tears ripped at the back of my throat.