Monster (6 page)

“Well for starters, you’re not going to drown your sorrows in that bottle. Liam needs you, especially if what you say about Dominic is true; he’s not going to stop until he gets his revenge.” She chewed on her bottom lip as a sudden, horrible thought came to her. “If he’s as ruthless as you say he is, then he might try…he might to take Liam, Eden.” At her friend’s sudden ashen complexion, Jenna knew she probably should’ve exercised a little more tact.

Eden’s beautiful honey gold eyes widened in horror suddenly sober and alert. “He wouldn’t…”

“I’m not saying he will,” Jenna was quick to soothe, “I’m just trying to prepare you for the worst.”

“No, I know.” Eden sighed, threading a hand through her hair. “I don’t know why I’m so shocked. I know exactly what he’s capable of and I certainly wouldn’t put it past him to use Liam to hurt me.”

Eden wouldn’t give him the chance. Dominic had another thing coming if he thought he could use her son for his own selfish gain. It was imperative for her to consult with an attorney, because without the law on her side, Eden was virtually powerless against her husband.

* * *

It was with somewhat bolstered spirits that Eden exited the office of Dunn and Associates the following afternoon. Her meeting with Diana Ramirez had been very reassuring, and despite the hefty price tag, Eden had encouraged her newly hired attorney to proceed with the divorce. This would resolve everything. She didn’t want his money, and Eden wouldn’t require him to give it. She would have Liam, and they would be free to continue on with their lives. Everyone would be happy. Deciding to stop by the bank to draw up what would be the first of many payments to Diana, Eden’s world was once again turned on its axis, discovering that she had a zero balance.

“What do you mean I have a zero balance? There’s supposed to be over eighty thousand dollars in that account. Check it again.” She was bordering hysterical as she tried holding herself in check but found that she was failing miserably. With only two haggard tellers working and the line behind Eden getting longer with impatient customers, Eden could feel their judgment at her back, and that only seemed to complete her humiliation and heighten her frustration.

The teller was getting aggravated with her but Eden could care less at this point. She watched the woman behind the counter press a few keys, prompt Eden to enter her pin, and was once again given the same answer. “Ma’am, I understand your frustration but there is nothing in your account. Now, my manager would be more than happy to further assist you if you could please step aside and wait over to your right. She will be right with you.” Left with little choice, Eden reluctantly stepped aside to the indicated area and thankfully wasn’t made to wait too long for this manager, who was all smiles despite Eden’s declining mental state.

Her name was Amanda Kelly, and once she’d led Eden to one of the side offices and asked her to take a seat across from her, she presented that infuriating smile and asked how she could be of any help. “I need to know how eighty thousand dollars can just disappear from my account. All your teller can tell me is I have a zero balance when I know damn well how much money was in that account to start with.”

The smile remained in place. “Oh, well, I’m so sorry to hear that this has happened to you, ma’am, we’ll do all we can to help you. I need your social security number and two forms of ID, please.”

It took a few minutes and some vigorous clicking on the keyboard before she was able to pull up Eden’s account. “From what I can see in our records, Eden, there were several small transactions made before a large transfer was made three days from this account to a joint account.”

The wind was literally knocked out of her as she sagged in her chair now completely incapable of thought.

Amanda’s cheerful disposition faltered slightly at Eden’s desolate expression. “We can begin an investigation into this transfer and see who authorized it…”

“No,” she said quietly, rising from her seat, “there’s no need. I know who’s responsible.”

The moment she believed herself a step ahead, Dominic already had three on her. He made her believe she was in control, made her think that she could somehow beat him, but it was all an illusion. It was his game and he’d mastered the rules; Eden was simply a pawn to be moved at his discretion. But with that understanding came a torrent of fury unlike anything she’d ever felt before. The instant she hopped in her car, Eden had only one direction in mind, and she drove like a bat out of hell to get there.

One of the highest buildings downtown with its gunmetal mirrored exterior was like some formidable edifice from a distant future. It was the head office of the Armstrong Corporation. Eden was on a warpath as she trudged through the expansive first floor and rode the elevator to the thirtieth floor. Determined strides took her past the surprised receptionist who’d been situated just at the front of the elevator like a sentinel. Eden paid her little mind when she hastily chased after her, nothing would deter her from searching out her bastard of a husband. His office was just beyond the closed double doors, and without further regard, Eden wrenched one of the doors with all her might and strode inside. There were two men with him when she entered, who turned bemused glances her way, but again, Eden’s mind wasn’t on anyone but the man seated behind his imposing executive desk. Eden took a momentary victory in the fleeting look of surprise that she spied on that fiercely handsome face before he quickly schooled those features into one of impassivity.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” she fumed through gritted teeth, needing some answers. But Dominic was intent on acerbating her anger as he didn’t even acknowledge her.

“As I was saying…”

“I swear to God, Dominic, if you don’t excuse these men right now, I will air all our dirty laundry in front of them, and they’ll know just how twisted and vile you really are.” When he finally slid his green eyes to her, Eden’s heart stopped for an instant at the blazing fury she spied there. He didn’t like being threatened, and the fact she was pushing back, something that she’d never done before, only added fuel to the fire. Eden was ready to roast his ass in the inferno. And maybe he knew exactly how serious she was because he finally excused the men who’d taken on the brief display with curious and confused stares.

“Gentlemen, I’m afraid we must reschedule our meeting. My darling wife has only just returned from a trip to Italy and wishes to regale me with tales of her fascinating time there,” he drily delivered, prompting both men to chuckle appropriately before rising from their seats and leaving the room. The tension that poured in upon their exit was palpable, so thick that Eden could feel it choking her.

“Well, my pet.” He smoothly popped the button of his suit jacket as he leaned back in his chair, framed by the floor to ceiling windows, looking every bit the executive. “Do tell me about your adventurous trip to Italy.”

He was so goddamn smug, so damn confident in his indolent pose that Eden wanted nothing more than to jump across the expansive desk and choke him with his dove grey tie. She was so angry that she was literally shaking from it, attempting to scrounge up a modicum of composure was a complete failure. “I don’t care how you did it, but I want you return every last red cent of my money—”

His bark of laughter caused her to jump at the unexpectedness of it. It wasn’t a delightful sound, it was completely devoid of humor, and only served to unnerve Eden.

“How predictable you are,” he indolently chided.

Eden watched wearily as he straightened, unfolded his leonine form from the chair, and walked with measured steps around the desk. The dangerous glint in his eyes made her take an involuntary step back, and although he didn’t advance on her as she’d initially presumed he would do, she quickly formed an escape strategy, noting the doubles doors behind her. Despite his immorality, he’d never laid a violent hand on her, but Eden wouldn’t put it past Dominic. Especially now, given the almost lethal expression on his granite features, he looked like he wanted to throttle her.

“But then again, it has always been about the money, hasn’t it?” he derided almost silently to himself, leaning back against the edge of the desk and crossing his feet at the ankles. Narrowed green eyes fastened on her, raking languidly down the length of her body, making Eden feel instantly exposed to him. She fought the urge to raise her arms and cover herself, which was completely ridiculous given that she was fully clothed, but Dominic had that effect on her. “I knew money was the only way to draw you out and you fell so perfectly for it. Although I shouldn’t be surprised, a money hungry whore is always a money hungry whore, regardless of how much time has passed.”

“I may be a money hungry whore, but then what does that say about you? I don’t imagine it would go too well if the press learned about your depravity and how you paid me to be your wife. I can see it now, media mogul, Dominic Armstrong, so desperate for female companionship that he would resort to paying cold hard cash just for sex. Very pathetic.” Eden barely had time to retreat before she was faced with Dominic’s ferocity. He’d closed the distant between them in one long stride and clamped a hand around her arm in the next second. He deliberately invaded her space, coming so close to her that she could smell the citric notes of his cologne. Held completely at a disadvantage because of his towering height, she had to crane her neck up to meet his gaze, and Eden shuddered at the unadulterated rage that blanketed his savagely handsome face. The murderous glint she spied in his emerald eyes made her want to run for cover. “Let…let go…” She attempted to pull away with futility, finding that the manacle of flesh around her arm seemed to only grow tighter.

“You vindictive little—” he thundered, but stopped himself before he could say the word that was on the very tip of his tongue. “Be very sure that you are ready to carry out that threat, sweet pet, otherwise you will not like what will come after,” he spelled out with deadly calm, but the tension of at his jawline was a clear indication of his restraint.

Fear breathed down her spine, telling her to tread cautiously, but that warning went unheeded as Eden squared away with him, refusing to back down. There was too much as stake now to allow him the upper hand in this. She couldn’t afford to cower, not when there was Liam to consider. “You don’t like being threatened, Dominic? Welcome to my world. That’s exactly how you’ve made me feel every single moment I was married to you,” she fired back, looking him dead in the eye to convey exactly how serious she was. “I won’t let you bully me anymore. You may have the power and the money, but I know all your secrets. And if you push me, I will go to the press. Now let me go.” She was surprised to find her request obliged when he released her. Eden distanced herself from him quickly enough, putting a hand to her arm to nurse the area where he’d held her. “See, Dominic, I can play just as dirty as you can. Being your wife has taught me a lot.”

In the ensuing silence he was a veritable statue, his face was devoid of any emotion. He simply regarded her, but then the corner of his mouth quirked upwards in a smile that the Cheshire Cat would’ve envied. “Yes, but apparently not enough,” he pointed out with cool temperance, turning his back to her, ambling to the liquor cabinet on the far right that she hadn’t noticed until now. With his body concealing his activity from her, Eden heard rather than saw him pour a drink into the short glass. “But I must say, I’m enjoying this side of you,” he lauded, raising the glass towards her with that damnable grin. “It pleases me immensely to know there’s more to you than what’s between your legs.” He tossed back the drink and scrunched his face a little at the burn. “Although I must admit, I have sorely missed being between your legs.”

The heat that sluiced over Eden’s skin at his candidness was blamed entirely on her anger. “You’re disgusting.”

“No, what I am, is incredibly horny, but more on that later.” He poured himself another shot, but drank it much slower than before. In his progress back to her, Eden took him in, incapable of doing otherwise. A year hadn’t changed him much. He was still agonizingly handsome, his thick dark hair well-coiffed to fit the aesthetics of his sharp, patrician features. The tailored suit he wore, Hugo Boss, if she remembered the name of his favorite designer correctly, fit him to perfection, cut and fitted to his athletic regal physique. He’d always carried himself with an air of superiority that went hand in hand with the understated sex appeal that seemed to lure the fairer sex.

“Or we can do something about now.” Eden’s faced warmed as he cast a knowing glance her way, and she cursed inwardly at being caught staring. “I want to bend you over my desk and—”

“You’re such a pig.” She made to retreat, heading towards the door. She stopped and turned. “You have until tonight to give me back the money and then I want a divorce.” Eden had her hand around the silver handle, all she needed to do was pull down and freedom would’ve been hers, but she knew escaping the devil’s lair couldn’t have been so easy.

“You seem to be under the impression that you’ve bested me in some way, but let us be completely clear on this.” His tone sent a chill down her spine as she foolishly waited for him to continue. “If you so much as speak an unkind word about me or my family, I promise you, Eden, I swear it, that you will never see your son again.” As he cruelly ripped the ground from beneath her feet, she felt him behind her, the warmth of his body radiated sun hot against her back, while the length of him pressed invasively close to her. His hard hand around her wrist whirled her around to face him. He was impervious to the fury alight in her golden honey eyes as he captured her jaw with bruising fingers and leaned down to capture her lips in a hard, punishing kiss. The crack of her palm connecting with his cheek resonated in the next second, and he recoiled slightly, but not enough for Eden to escape. Momentarily stunned, he looked at her and finally saw the revulsion in tear laden golden eyes. Dominic tongued the inside of his cheek and came away with the coppery taste of blood coating his tongue. “I would so hate to see Liam grow up without his mother.”