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Ellie shook her head, a look of sadness sliding over her face.

“It wouldn’t do any good. The last person who stood up to Grey didn’t survive it and I don’t want to see anything happen to you…”

Ellie dropped her gaze to her hands, knotting her fingers against one another as she spoke.

“Who stood up to Grey?”

Ellie sighed and lifted her gaze. “My father.”

“And he murdered him? How can you be so sure?”

Ellie instantly bristled but she was tired and the combination of exhaustion and pain sapped her of the energy she needed to stay angry. She drooped, her shoulders slumping forward.

“I just know it… They tried to pass it off as a suicide but I know he wouldn’t have killed himself. He loved us, and when I told him what Grey had done he was so angry…”

Ellie cut herself off, suddenly wishing she had kept her mouth shut.

“What did Grey do, Ellie?”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she mumbled, trying to hide her gaze from Stuart’s probing one.

His fingers pressed beneath her chin, tilting her head back until she was looking up into his dark eyes.

“Tell me… Please.”

“I was stupid, so stupid… I thought he liked me. He invited me up to a small party he was throwing, so I went…”

Ellie trailed off again, not sure how to form the words of what happened next.

“It’s alright, Ellie, I’m right here. You can tell me.”

Stuart’s soothing tone helped and Ellie scrubbed her hand back across her eyes.

“I should have realised when I was the only girl there… Well, me and another girl, but I thought maybe I was early.

“He gave me a drink when I arrived, everyone else had one too so I drank it and that’s when things got weird…”

“What happened, Ellie?”

“I guess there was something in the drink and I started to feel kinda weird. So I tried to call a cab but then Grey was there and he took my phone. They were all around me, laughing and I thought it was just some joke that I didn’t get but then they started pulling at my dress, I ran. I don’t even know how I did it, I just had this urge to get away… They ripped my dress, ripped it right off me in the panic of them trying to stop me, and I remember climbing a fence before I passed out.

“The other girl was still there and I guess they got bored looking for me…”

Ellie faltered, the memories of that night, or lack of memory burned into her mind. How could she have been so stupid? To trust someone like Grey Mattheson had been a foolish mistake and one she refused to ever make again.

“When I woke up I was in the ditch near Mattheson’s house, my dress was gone and I don’t remember what happened after I passed out. I don’t even know if they found me. I just have this overwhelming feeling of fear and disgust over the night.”

“Did you go to the cops? They’d have done a rape kit on you, if there was any evidence…” Stuart’s voice trailed off.

“Ellie, please tell me you called the cops?”

Shame welled up within her as she shook her head.

“I couldn’t—I was so afraid of what people would say or what they’d think of me if I told them what happened that night… And I didn’t want to know if he caught me. I didn’t want to know if he raped me. At least this way I can pretend to myself that I got away, that I was lucky.”

Stuart didn’t say anything and Ellie half expected him to get up and walk out. After all, she had just admitted to being weak and pathetic, that she didn’t even have the courage to face up to what might have happened.

Stuart wrapped his arms around her, his grip careful of the bandages across her back.

“Don’t, I don’t want to be pitied…”

Stuart shook his head and stared down at her.

“Ellie, I don’t pity you, I could never pity you. I think you’re amazing. You’re brave and strong and…”

She cut him off as she pushed against his chest.

“Don’t lie. I’m none of those things. I can’t bear it.”

She struggled in his grip, her hands pressed to his chest.

Stuart growled, the sound reverberating up through her arms and into her body.

“Does this feel like a lie to you?”

He tugged her in against his body, his lips coming down on her mouth in a crushing breath-stealing kiss.

The feel of his tongue as he slid it across her lips made Ellie ache deep in the pit of her stomach. Without thinking, she slipped her arms up around his neck, pressing her body closer to his as the kiss deepened.

Stuart’s hands pressed in against her waist as he slid them higher, his fingers brushing against the sides of her breasts.

He growled again as Ellie opened up to him, her own need for him growing as she straddled his hips and ground her body down against him.

Pathetic.

The word swelled within her mind and Ellie struggled to bury it beneath the desire Stuart had awakened within her, but it was useless.

She couldn’t escape the realisation that she was damaged goods and that what they were doing on the couch was wrong. She didn’t deserve the happiness Stuart brought her. She would never deserve it.

“No!”

She pushed against him, sliding off his lap and pushing up onto her feet.

Pain burned in her back and Ellie used it to harden her resolve. He didn’t want her. No one did.

People like Stuart didn’t look at girls like her.

Ellie clutched at the front of her top, holding it in place against her chest. Selena had cut the back of her shirt away to get at the cuts and welts and now it swung around her shoulders as Ellie moved to put distance between her and Stuart.

“Did I do something wrong? Ellie, tell me what I did wrong?”

The look on his face was one of pure vulnerability and Ellie instantly felt bad. Was she wrong? Was she tainting Stuart with her experiences with the likes of Grey Mattheson? What if she was wrong and he really did like her? That the kiss they had shared had been more than just opportunity and pity?

“It’s not you, I just can’t… I can’t do this, Stuart. I think you should leave.”

“I’m not going anywhere until you tell me what the hell just happened? Did I misread the situation, Ellie? Because if I did, you should tell me.”

She shook her head.

“Please just leave… This isn’t what you want. I’m not the girl for you. You need someone like you, someone who’s not… me.”

Stuart stood and shook his head, confusion clouding his brown eyes.

“Ellie, I don’t understand what the hell happened? I like you, I like you a lot and I thought…”

He cut off, realisation dawning in his eyes.

“I get it.” He nodded. “I suppose, I should have guessed.”

Ellie’s heart sank.

“Guessed what?” The words left her as little more than a whisper but the room was so quiet it may as well have been a shout.

“There’s someone else. I get it, I really do. It doesn’t surprise me. I just wish you’d told me before I made a fool of myself.”

Ellie’s mouth dropped open and she took a step forward and then stopped.

“There’s no one else, Stuart, I…”

He shook his head and started for the door.

“I’ll get out of your hair. It’s fine.”

His voice was filled with bitterness and Ellie felt her heart stutter in her chest.

What was she doing? Had she lost her mind completely? He had saved her life, helped save her brother and she was doing what, exactly?

Stuart slammed the door behind him, leaving Ellie standing in the living room alone.

Stuart was the type of guy who only came along once in a lifetime. One night with him would have been the best night of her life and she had pushed him away… Even if it had been pity, wouldn’t one night of mind-blowing passion with the one man she had ever felt anything for be better than this constant loneliness?

Ellie shook her head and dropped down onto the couch. She’d blown it and now he was gone.

P
ushing up onto her feet
, Ellie winced as the pain slowly built. It hurt to stretch, to move, but she needed to go and check her mom.

Ellie climbed the stairs, painfully slowly, each step making her want to give up and just curl into a ball on the stairs. She pushed on, reaching the landing, but Ellie didn’t look in the mirror this time. The last thing she needed to do was depress herself further by looking at herself in such a state.

Stepping into her mother’s bedroom, the sound of steady breathing filled Ellie with calm. Even though her mother had suffered such a debilitating stroke, there was still something so calming about spending time with her and listening to her breathing.

After the death of her father, and her mother had suffered the stroke, sneaking into the hospital room to spend the night had been the only thing that kept Ellie sane.

Her mom couldn’t speak to her, but Ellie had a feeling that she could understand her and so simply being with her brought comfort.

Ellie took her seat next to her mother’s bed and stared down into the peaceful face of the woman who had raised her. It was strange how the roles had now reversed.

Closing her eyes, Ellie imagined a time when life had been better. It was her favourite thing to do; at least in her daydreams she could have the perfect life she’d dreamt of having every night since she’d learned of her father’s death.

But tonight was different. Tonight there was no peace in the daydream. It was the dream she usually allowed herself. Her father was still alive, her mother had never suffered the stroke, life was happy… Life was how it was supposed to be… And yet for some reason Ellie couldn’t find a reason to find any enjoyment in the fantasy.

It was missing something, something vital.

Stuart’s face popped into her mind, the feel of his lips against hers, the hunger in his kiss and the touch of his hands.

It didn’t matter how much Ellie tried to push the memory of his kiss from her head it wouldn’t leave. She had been a fool—a fool to believe that she could just push him away and expect everything to be alright.

It seemed impossible, it should have been impossible, and yet Ellie knew deep down that she was falling for him. She was falling for a guy she barely knew. It was that sort of impulsiveness that had gotten her into trouble in the first place.

And yet, Ellie knew it was no good knowing it was a bad idea, it was already too late. She had already begun the free fall and it was too late to change her mind now. All she could do now was brace for impact and pray that when she did hit the ground that it wouldn’t leave her heart irreparably broken.

S
tuart slammed
his fist against the steering wheel, his anger getting the better of him. How could he have been so stupid?

It was something so obvious, and yet it filled him with rage to imagine it. There was something in Ellie that called to him. Something that told him that she was meant for him and him alone.

The thought that some other man was enjoying her luscious body, that another man would bring her to ecstasy, made the blood boil in Stuart’s veins.

He fought the urge to track down Ellie’s boyfriend and take his irritation and anger out on him. It wouldn’t do any good if he did it and Ellie would probably only end up hating him if he did.

Gunning the engine he pulled away from Ellie’s house in a spray of gravel.

Without even properly thinking about where he was going, Stuart turned the car in the direction of Grey Mattheson’s house.

There was at least one thing he could do and that was get to the bottom of Grey’s behaviour once and for all.

It was naive to think that Grey’s men were acting without his knowledge; that was impossible. In fact Stuart could imagine that Grey’s men wouldn’t make a move without the knowledge of their boss.

Stuart pulled the car to a stop just down the road from Grey’s estate and killed the lights.

At this time of night, Stuart was under no illusion that Grey would have the place locked down tight. He wouldn’t let him in if he just pulled up at the gateway. No, Stuart knew the only way he was getting in the gate was if he let himself in.

Stepping out of the car, he stared at the high wall that surrounded Grey’s estate. There was only one way over the wall and Stuart would have to hope and pray that Grey didn’t have any special surprises on the other side.

Stuart slipped his cell phone from his pocket and quickly punched in his brother’s number. The call went straight to voicemail and Stuart felt a certain measure of relief, at least this way it would give him some time to carry out his plans.

“Hey, Riley, just thought I should let you know, I’m paying Grey a visit. It’d be wise to get your ass over here and bring the cops.”

Stuart ended the call and pushed the phone back into his inside pocket.

Creeping over to the wall, Stuart scaled it quickly and easily, dropping down over the other side of the wall without issue.

Pulling the hood up over his head, Stuart kept his head down as he jogged through the trees Grey had let grow up around the estate.

Reaching the edge of the tree line he paused and stared across the expanse of perfectly manicured green lawn. He could make a run for it and hope that Grey didn’t have outside cameras. Of course this was utterly unlikely and Stuart couldn’t see a way of making it to the house without first getting caught by some of the security guys Grey had.

Staring up at the house, Stuart couldn’t shake the look in Ellie’s eyes as she had told him about what Grey had done to her. That thought alone was enough to set his blood boiling in his veins once more and he set off across the lawn at a relaxed jog.

I
t didn’t take long
for the first security guards to appear. They charged across the grass towards him and Stuart could feel a wide smile spreading across his face. This was what he needed to release the pent up frustration he felt.

As soon as the first guard was within grabbing distance, Stuart rolled in towards him, his punch catching the other man by surprise. Stuart left him to tumble to the ground, clutching at his bleeding face as he fell.

Two more guards closed in around him, one of them landing a blow to Stuart’s ribs as he tried to bring him down. Stuart kicked out, his mixed martial arts quickly coming into use as more guards joined the fray.

It was a losing battle but the adrenaline that coursed through Stuart’s veins only made him fight harder and dirtier.

In the end it took five guards and a Taser to finally bring him down. Stuart gritted his teeth as they landed kicks into his ribs.

“Grey is going to be seriously pissed if you don’t bring me to him.”

The guards laughed and the one holding the Taser crouched down next to Stuart, holding the illegally altered device up to Stuart’s face.

“The boss trusts us to take care of garbage… That’s all you are and garbage doesn’t get to meet the boss.”

“Then I suppose you’ll be happy to explain to your boss why you beat Stuart Reynolds to a bloody pulp without consulting him first?”

“Why would he care who you are?”

The Taser crackled as he depressed the button, the blue sparks lighting up his face in the night.

“Because he needs my brother to sign off on plans and he hired me this morning to work as part of security.”

The guard holding the Taser seemed to pause and Stuart could practically see the cogs turning in his mind.

“I don’t believe you.”

“All you need to do is ask him, it’s not as though I can go anywhere.”

“You’re lying…”

“But what if he’s not? His name sounds familiar, what if he really is who he says he is?” one of the other guards piped up. Stuart could hear the nervousness in his voice and he couldn’t help but wonder if he had just recently gotten the job. Normally that type of nervousness only came with inexperience.

“No, he’s definitely lying…”

“What the hell is going on out there? Did you see something or…”

Stuart’s stomach dropped into his boots and he couldn’t help but wonder what he had done to deserve having his luck run out so badly.

Wilson ambled across the grass and even from his position on the ground Stuart could see the black and blue bruising around the man’s lower jaw.

He paused and stared down at Stuart, a look of suspicion flashing through his eyes.

“What’s he doing here?”

Wilson’s words weren’t forming clearly and Stuart wondered if perhaps the other man had had his jaw wired.

He’d had it done once and it had been an extremely irritating and uncomfortable experience.

“He seems to think we’re going to bring him up to the house. Says his brother is someone the boss needs, even said the boss hired him as security…” The guard holding the Taser trailed off as he stared up into Wilson’s stony expression.

Stuart held his breath, waiting for Wilson to pass judgement. One word from him was all it would take to have them take him round back and beat him with metal pipes. Of course it would all be passed off as a ‘lesson’ but it wouldn’t change the fact that it would put him out of commission for several days at least.

“Take him up to the house.”

The words were muffled through Wilson’s wired jaw and for a second Stuart wasn’t sure if he’d heard him correctly. Could he really have gotten off so lightly?

“Wilson, I know you got a knock on the head today but…”

Wilson turned his glowering expression on the one who had just spoken to him, and anger seemed to radiate from every bone in his body.

“Did you hear what I said or do I need to repeat myself?”

The other guard stood his ground before finally shaking his head.

“Take him up to the boss, boys.”

Stuart found himself being lifted from the ground and onto his feet. Wilson’s first punch earlier had surprised him and it seemed he wasn’t done with the surprises. The simple fact that he hadn’t decided to take revenge when he so easily could have, lifted him in Stuart’s estimation.

He started up the final incline to the house, only pausing once they had reached the front door.

Stuart waited while one of the guards went into the house. Several minutes passed and he couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if Grey refused to see him.

The front door opened and Stuart stepped inside as requested. The guard holding the Taser pushed him down the hall in the direction of Grey’s office. It seemed that was going to be the only room in the house that Stuart was going to get a good look inside.

Grey sat behind the large desk, his suit and tie replaced with jeans and a casual blue polo shirt. He was the epitome of the wealthy man at rest and Stuart fought the urge to launch himself across the desk and wipe the smug look off Grey’s face.

“Stuart, what a pleasant surprise. You’ll have to excuse the guards. They take their duties very seriously.”

There was barely concealed laughter in Grey’s voice but that wasn’t what bothered Stuart. It was the fact that a man as heinous as him could be allowed to get away with so much.

“So they should, you never know who’s lurking out there.”

Grey nodded and dropped his gaze. Stuart could guess that it was simply a way for Grey to hide his smile.

“So, what can I do for you, Stuart? Are you really that eager to start work for me?”

Stuart laughed and it wasn’t a pleasant sound.

“Well, about that, the more time I’ve had to think about it the more I’ve come to realise I’d rather work for anyone but you. Sending your men in tonight to beat Ellie really was the last straw for me.”

Grey’s expression changed, anger blanching the colour from his face.

“It was you tonight? I suppose I should have guessed. What did the little whore say to get you so riled up? I can’t imagine seeing her get what she deserved could have prompted this foolish endeavour.”

Stuart grinned. “I wouldn’t call it foolish. I got in here, didn’t I?”

He didn’t wait for Grey to register what was about to happen.

Stuart lunged forward and caught Grey by the hair, driving his face down into the glass desktop, splintering the shatter-proof surface.

Grey’s cry was muffled as Stuart released him.

“If you ever come near Ellie or her brother again it’ll be the last thing you do.”

“You’ll pay for this…”

Grey spat blood out onto the desk, his face screwed up with pain as he spoke. The sound of sirens split the air and Stuart couldn’t help but smile. Trust Riley to come through for him.

“I’m sure you’ll try, Grey, but I’m not particularly worried.”

The sound of commotion from outside the office door had Grey standing and moving towards it.

Blood poured down his chin and dripped onto the powder blue shirt he wore.

The door swung open seconds before Grey had the chance to reach out and open it and Riley stood framed.

“I want to know where my brother…”

Riley’s voice faded as he took in the sight of Grey and the blood. The cops however weren’t as lax and Stuart held his hands out in front of him as they surrounded and cuffed him.

No matter what happened next, it had all been worth it just to see the look on Grey’s face.