Defying Dorian: Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (17 page)

I
felt
like a caged animal the entire flight. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself everything was fine -- man, there was something gnawing at me. No sooner did we touch down than I grabbed the phone, calling my security chief again.

“What’s the latest, Mark?” I asked the instant he answered.

He cleared his throat, obviously hesitating. That didn’t help my state of mind, not one goddamn bit.

“Out with it!” I demanded.

“Haven’t established contact with them yet, sir.”

Dumbfounded, I jerked backwards in my chair. “What the hell do you mean you haven’t made contact with them yet? It’s been hours since you and I talked last.”

Mark started to say something, give me some bullshit excuse, but I cut him off.

“Have you sent anyone else over there to see what the hell is going on?”

“No, sir,” he muttered.

“Jesus!” I balled up my fist, just about to put it through the fuselage before I managed to get my rage under control.

“
Quit fucking around.
Text me the address to her apartment. I’m headed straight over there from the airport, and we will break down the fucking door if we have to. Do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir, I…”

Before he could say another word and mumble some half assed apology, I disconnected the call. Within minutes, he texted me the address to Tempest’s apartment. We arrived, and I saw Mark along with a few of my other security detail huddled at the base of the stairs. After getting out of the limo, I marched towards them, not even bothering to stop and talk.

“Let’s go. Fuck, come on. What the hell am I paying you for?”

Leaving them behind, I ran up the stairs, nearly taking two at a time. Together we stormed down the hallway until I reached the door of her apartment. Without waiting, I knocked on it with several hard strikes.

“Tempest! Open up!”

I paused, pressing my ear to the door. Turning over my shoulder, I glanced at Mark. “I don’t hear a goddamn thing.”

He shook his head. I turned back towards the door and started to pound on it with my fist. “Tempest! Ainsley!”

“Fuck!” I growled, backing away from the door. “Kick the fucking thing in.”

Mark gestured for a couple of the guys to step up. We broke through and I walked in ahead of everyone. The place was completely trashed, beat to hell. I looked to my left and saw the bodies of Devon and Robert. Tempest and Ainsley were nowhere to be found.

“Fuck,” I moaned, raking my hand through my hair.

Mark walked up behind me, and I turned in place, pointing my finger at him and poking it into his chest.

“I should fire you for this right now. How could you let this happen?”

He started to say something, but I turned my back on him, waving him off. “Don’t talk to me right now. Just start searching for anything you can find that might tell us where they were taken.”

Furious at all of them, I turned and walked down a nearby hallway. Right away I came upon an open door, a bedroom. Just like the rest of the place it had been completely trashed. I stood there, my teeth grinding into chalk inside of my skull. Closing my eyes, I tried to keep it together. It was like everything I wanted to prevent came to pass, and there wasn’t a thing I could do about it.

Shaking my head, I glanced around the room, looking at everything, looking at nothing… All of a sudden, something caught my attention. There was a shiny object sparkling in the carpet. I walked over to it and knelt down, picking it up. It looked to be a wedding ring. Whose it was, I had no idea. I slipped it into my pocket and turned around, heading back out to the living room where my men were still searching.

“Anything?”

Mark looked at me, resignation in his eyes. “No, sir.”

I grimaced and exhaled. “I’m leaving. Take care of our men and get this place cleaned up.”

After returning to my limo, I got inside and made the trip back across town to my estate. We’d have to sort out the scene at her apartment later. Not only was I furious with Mark, but the kind of rage I had inside towards Malcolm – I’d never felt anything like it in my life.

If that son of a bitch harmed a single hair on either one of their heads I would tear him to pieces with my bare hands. I grabbed my cell phone, pulling it out of my pocket. Malcolm may have been Ronan’s brother, but he’d taken things too far.

I called Ronan, getting his voicemail.

“Ronan, this is a difficult goddamn phone call. I know that Malcolm is your brother, and that if the situation was reversed, and I were you, I’m not sure how I would feel about what I’m about to say. Here’s the deal. If you have any sway with your brother at all and you care about what happens to him, then listen closely. I know he’s got Tempest and Ainsley. I have no idea what that sick fuck has in mind, but I’m telling you right now that if he so much as breathes on them, I will track him to the ends of the earth and eat his heart right out of his fucking chest while it is still beating. I will stop at nothing.”

“
S
ecure their legs too
,” Malcolm began, ordering one of his henchmen. “I don’t want them getting loose under any circumstances.”

With a rope in his hand, one of the men nodded at Malcolm. “Yes, sir.”

He knelt in front of me and reached for my foot.

“Fuck you!” I snapped, kicking at him.

The man reacted quickly, grabbing me by the ankle and squeezing.

“Ow! You asshole!”

“That’s enough!” Malcolm yelled. “Don’t hurt her. Just do what I told you. After all, we don’t want to damage the merchandise.”

Merchandise? What the hell was he talking about?

“I’ll leave you to it then,” Malcolm said, looking down at his men.

He walked away, disappearing from view behind a rack of clothing. The men tied our ankles to the chairs and walked off, standing nearby and keeping guard.

I looked over at Ainsley. She hadn’t said much since discovering Malcolm was behind the whole thing.

“Ainsley…” I whispered.

She seemed in a trancelike state, her gaze staring in the direction of where Malcolm had walked. She didn’t respond.

“Ainsley…” I repeated, this time with more force in my voice.

She looked at me.

“How do you know him? How do you know Malcolm?”

Ainsley shook her head. “No. Not right now.”

Before I could say anything, Malcolm spoke. Apparently, he remained within earshot. “Oh come now, Ainsley. Don’t keep secrets on my account.”

Ainsley grimaced, frowning in the direction of his voice before looking at me. “Don’t say anything. Just keep quiet.”

Suddenly, Malcolm reemerged from the clothing racks, holding two immense wigs in his hands. Passing by one of his henchmen, he gave one of them to the man. Without breaking stride, he walked towards us with the other one in his grasp and stopped.

First, he looked at me, then at the wig. Next, he turned his attention to Ainsley and then back to the wig again. I couldn’t explain it but something about the wig seemed familiar. The distraction didn’t last long though. Malcolm spoke, bringing my attention back to him.

He looked at Ainsley. “Yes, this one is definitely you.”

Malcolm leaned over towards her. Ainsley squirmed in her seat. “Stay away from me!”

Ignoring her, Malcolm slipped the fire engine red wig over the top of her head and tugged it down before standing back to admire his handiwork.

What the hell was wrong with this guy? What the hell was going on?

A demented smile came to his face.

He looked at me. “Now, your turn.”

I tensed up. Every muscle in my body twisted like the cords of rope restraining me. I watched him gesture for the other wig he’d handed off and take it. It was a horrible color, like aquamarine or something. After getting his hands on it, he stepped towards me and repeated the same process, yanking it down on top of my head.

I winced, glaring at him when he stepped back.

“Gentlemen,” he began, looking at his men. “What do you think?”

The henchmen muttered their approval. Malcolm stood there in silence. Tilting his head to one side he pursed his lips and with his index finger began to tap his cheek.

“Hmm, no. Something’s still not right. I’m not sure if it’s the lighting in here or what. The both of you look a little pale to me. I think you could probably use a touch of color, maybe some blush.”

With that, he pivoted and took a few steps to where the bodies of the men who brought us there lay just a few minutes earlier. Squatting down, Malcolm wiped his palm across the floor, smearing his hand with the blood of the men.

Jesus Christ!

Malcom stood and looked right at me, thick crimson dripping from his outstretched hand. In the span of the time it took him to smear his palm through it, he’d changed. He wasn’t just crazy, but completely fucking insane.

Without hesitating, he started to walk towards us. Standing right in front of Ainsley, he used the fingers of his other hand and wiped them through his blood covered palm before moving toward Ainsley’s face.

She screamed, flinging her head from side-to-side. “No!”

“Oh now…” Malcolm cooed. “This will only take a second.”

I watched in horror while he smeared the blood into her cheekbones, circling it there like a sadistic makeup artist. Knowing I was next, I felt my entire body begin to shake. He finished and smiled at Ainsley, looking down at her with a grin fit for a madman.

Next, he stepped in front of me and before I could say or do anything, I felt the slimy touch of his fingertips against my face. The blood was cold. I had no idea how long it’d been on the floor. Chills raced through my body while he worked it into my skin.

After several horrifying seconds, he finished and stepped back, clapping his hands together and rubbing the remainder of the blood into his palms. His eyes moved between both of us, and he grinned.

“There, fit for a king, or at least somebody as rich as one.”

Ainsley lost it. She stomped her feet on the ground and screamed. “What the hell are you talking about? You lunatic! Why are you punishing us for the craziness in your family? Why can’t you keep this between you and your brother?”

Malcolm lurched towards her, grabbing her by the throat. Ainsley gurgled for breath.

“Let go of her!” I screamed.

Malcolm ignored me. Ainsley’s neck began to streak red. He snarled at her. “I wasn’t the one who made the decision that brought you here today. It was your testosterone-filled brother, yourself and that bitch sitting next to you.”

Stunned, I watched the color began to change in Ainsley’s face. She gasped for each breath. Just then, Malcolm released her and stepped away. Ainsley coughed and choked trying to catch her breath once again.

Unconcerned, Malcolm reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He cleared his throat, aiming it in our direction.

“This way ladies. Let’s look beautiful now.”

The camera made a clicking sound. When he finished, Malcolm spun it around, smiling. He nodded and looked in our direction before lifting the phone in front of his face, texting I guessed.

While he was distracted, I looked at Ainsley. She appeared to be breathing better but the evidence of Malcolm’s choking episode lingered on her neck. I hated the feeling of helplessness. It was like he was toying with us.

“This shouldn’t take long.” Malcolm said, lowering the phone away from his face.

He was right. It didn’t. The phone started to ring almost immediately.

“I figured you’d be interested. I’ll put you on speakerphone.”

Please let it be Dorian.

Instead, when the speakerphone crackled to life, I heard the voice of a man I didn’t know. The same wasn’t true for Ainsley, who sat forward in her seat and yelled.

“Ronan! Don’t give in to him!”

Before the guy on the phone could say anything, Malcolm interrupted.

“You still carry a torch for her, don’t you, brother?”

Brothers?

The phone went silent for a few seconds, way too many for my liking.

“What do you want?” Ronan asked. “What the fuck are you doing to them?”

“I want what you stole from me. Simple as that. Return the case, and I let them go.”

Ainsley yelled again. “No! You know him better than that, Ronan! Don’t do it!”

Her constant interruptions apparently got the better of Malcolm. I watched him storm over towards her, raising his hand like he was going to slap the shit out of her. At the last instant, he stopped.

Instead, he reached for her chin, pinching it between his thumb and forefinger. The sinister smile returned, curling at the side of his thin lipped mouth. He raised the phone in front of his face.

“Do not get Dorian involved, Ronan. Do you understand me? This is between us and us only.”

Ainsley fought to free her chin of his grasp but couldn’t. Instead she glared at him, hatred narrowing her eyes.

“Fine,” Ronan responded. “Just us. I want those women unharmed.”

Malcolm released Ainsley’s chin from his fingers and walked away.

“What’s the rush, dear brother? There’s still plenty of time. I’m enjoying getting reacquainted with Ainsley. It’s been far too long.”

He turned his attention to me and stepped in my direction.

“And this new one, she’s quite intriguing. A bit rough around the edges but beautiful nonetheless.”

The psycho winked at me and then looked at the cell phone in his palm. “I’ll be in touch. Plan on hearing from me in a few hours. In the meantime, I’m going to have a bit of fun with my lovely guests.”

Before he could hang up, Ronan yelled, “Malcolm, you fucking…!”

With a flick of his thumb, Malcolm disconnected the call and slid the phone into his pocket. My brain went into overdrive. Nothing made any sense. The only thing I hoped was once Ronan returned the case to Malcolm, we’d be set free.

Malcolm stood there in silence, smiling at us with a grin of smug satisfaction. I might have been scared, but there was one thing I knew for sure.

“You’re an idiot,” I snarled, fixing my gaze on him. “Once Dorian finds out where we are, he’s going to unleash hell. You know you’re a dead man, or at least you will wish you were when he finally gets here and gets his hands on you.”

Malcolm didn’t bother interrupting me. In fact, he seemed completely unconcerned. I glanced towards Ainsley. From the look on her face, it was almost as if she’d gone into a state of shock or something. Biting my lip in frustration, I turned my attention to Malcolm again.

He shrugged and finally responded.

“Dorian can’t save you now,” he began, looking down at a watch on his wrist. “By my estimation, our time together is almost up.”

Almost up?