Mister Distraction (Distraction #2) (14 page)

“Hey, asshole.” He turned to look at me, and Chelsea backed away.

“Jason, back to your old tricks, I see.” His face was smug as I reached for his throat, pinning him against the concrete wall.

“I want you to stay away from her. If you touch her again, I will kill you. Do you understand?” I felt him struggle to breathe. His face started turning red. He forced a slight nod, and I threw him to the ground like slimy garbage. He got up quickly, rubbing his throat. He stood before me, nose to nose, green eyes to brown and a hateful smug smile creased the corners of his thin lips, and I couldn’t stop myself as my fist hurled into his stomach with the same force I hit the punching bags at the gym. He fell to the ground again, and I eyed him viciously as he struggled to breathe. He sat up and leaned against the wall.

“Jason, it will never last between you and Katarina.” He paused panting for air. “She is way too good for you. You are an animal, like me, and you like to play with your prey. The more she runs, the more she tries to get away; it’ll set off things inside you.” He was struggling to stand, continuing to speak through gritted teeth. “It really doesn’t matter though; she is promised to someone. He was the only person—other than me—they let her get close to. He was with her that last night, telling her not to be smart, that she was just supposed to look pretty. She laughed and thought he was joking. He didn’t love her, and he was going to take everything from her. He was a self-entitled prick, so I threw him out on his ass. Then she was mad at me. I loved her and threw him out, protecting her from her future with him, and
she
was mad at
me
. She didn’t even talk about him like he was a person. She just referred to him as her ‘responsibility’. I took her virginity that night, before anyone else could. I couldn’t stop once I got started, and...” he paused, his eyes zoning completely into mine. “I will have her again. She is who I think of every time I make a girl cry and scream. Except this time, she will come to me. She will offer herself to me.” He was brushing back his hair and staggering closer to me. He was an idiot for provoking me and I almost popped him in the nose for being such a foolish ass-wipe.

“She was the best I have ever had. I know she will forgive me and remember how good we were together. We were in love, Jason. I took care of her. She will remember; it’s a matter of time. She will want me back.” He was so close to me I spit in his face. He grabbed a cloth from his pocket and wiped the spatter away. “You know she is how I got my name?” I glared at him, my temper flared and all I wanted to do was rip his head off. “Her brother called me Red, after Katarina’s first time with me. He said that when he opened her bedroom door that day, he saw ‘red’.” He laughed, wickedly, the sound echoing off the walls of the parking garage. “He said he saw red, and I would like to think he was referring to the color that ran down his sister’s legs.” He paused, glancing away from me, a sick smile spreading across his face. “When I was having sex with her, I thought she was wet for me. It turns out, it was blood. I took her hymen, Jason, and it was the fucking best sex I ever had.”
That was it
. He turned and staggered away from me, like a dizzy coward. Another frickin idiot move, you never turn your back on your attacker. My right hand lurched out and grabbed his shoulder. I flung him around to face me. I brought my curled fist to his face, then my other fist made contact with his smart mouth. I hit him two more times and heard crunching. He toppled over and fell to the ground. I wanted so badly to hit him again as I watched him lay there, holding his blood-covered face, so I kicked him hard in the stomach. That seemed to shut him up. I heard him coughing, and watched him spitting up blood before turning and moving to my car. Chelsea was on her cell phone, and men emerged from the elevator immediately to help Red. I ducked behind some large trucks on the way to my Jeep.

I yelled over my shoulder as I proceeded to my Jeep, “Just fucking stay away from her,
asshole
, and that’s my name for you.”

My hands were shaking when I got into the Jeep. I tried to calm myself.
Fuck
. I counted to ten and did it again. I felt the need to punch something, or someone, again. I finally closed my eyes and prayed, “Please help me, God.” I repeated it, picturing Katarina’s face, her blue eyes. I said the words slowly, over and over, and then I pulled out of the garage.

Chapter Nine

The drive to Katarina’s apartment was excruciatingly long. I had no clue how I was going to convince her to come with me. It was after two in the morning, and it would be a miracle if she didn’t call me a crazy stalker. When I reached her parking lot, I gave myself a pep-talk.
I’m protecting her. She needs me
. I hopped out, holding my cell in my hand. I went through the routine of taking deep breaths and rolling my head on my very tense shoulders, trying to relax. I knew what I needed. I knew what would calm me. I needed her to be close to me. I convinced myself to text her, praying she would answer.

Jason: I am downstairs

Katarina: R U OK?

Jason: Will you see me? Will you come home with me?

Katarina: I am safe nobody’s here just Heather and me

Jason: PLEASE I can’t sleep

I crossed my fingers, hoping after months of sharing our quiet mornings together that she would follow her heart.

Katarina: All right, I am on my way

I was surprised by her trust in me again as she appeared at the top of the concrete steps slowly walking down the stairs and out of the gate.
I snatched her things fast, and guided her to the Jeep, not giving her a second to question what she was doing or where she was going.

When we were both loaded; I drove off. I needed to explain some things to her. I wanted her to understand me. “I have been thinking. I need to tell you more about myself.” I spent long moments trying to convince her that I wasn’t a stalker, and I also let her know that I was aware of her friend telling lies. I was talking fast, rambling, trying to reassure her that I would never hurt her physically. I was thinking of the way Red hurt her when I said it. I began talking about my relationship with Bettina, trying to explain the attraction I had to her. I wanted her to know this before she heard it from anyone else.

“I was into all of it: bondage, voyeurism, and multiple partners. She was a part of this lifestyle with me.” I heard her voice over mine, and I paused my verbal longwinded ranting to face her. I noticed she gripped the door handle. I was scaring her, and my heart ached at the thought. I heard her question a minute after she asked it.

“How did you know my friend was lying?”

My scared, wild rabbit was back. I could see it in her eyes. I answered her question quickly, “She was shifty,” I looked at her tiny little body, “I am not stupid enough to think that a girl a buck-ten could beat up a man.” I paused when she broke eye contact, then started again, “I am a good reader of women; I know you don’t have a gun.” She startled and looked back up at me. I stifled a chuckle, and then she started babbling on about how the possibilities of her having a gun were pretty high. Again, I was amazed at how adorably cute she was. I shook my head, clearing my thoughts. I took some deep breaths and continued trying to clear my name. I wanted her to know that there was no restraining order, and why I had never seen Bettina after that day. I told her about my family’s intervention, and that I was a sex addict. Those were the two scariest secrets for me to share, and I don’t know why, but her immediate laughter at the whole thing was rather calming. It gave me a second to gather my thoughts and to paint her a different picture. I could tell she didn’t buy it, and I finished.

“I actually stay away from all addictive things right now. I have been trying to stay away from you,” I said, which was a lie. I glanced at her, and she was all smiles. “You make it hard.” I felt blood rush to my face, a result of what was I saying. I wanted to add something lighthearted before we got out of the Jeep and headed into my very lonely house.

“I talked to you before that day—before the day you paid for my coffee, do you remember?”

Her eyes were intent on mine, and I could see her wheels turning in her brain. “I don’t remember you at all before that day.” She had some sort of pity in her eyes.

I shrugged. “I asked you if I could sit with you; I was attempting to charm you.”

She was curious and it was comical. “What did I say?”

I leaned closer to her, studying her words and facial features. “You didn’t even look up from your computer. You told me I could have the whole table because you were leaving. I watched you after that and noticed every time someone talked to you, you shut down and ran. It was mesmerizing to watch; you acted like there was a bubble around you.” Her eyes grew big, like I was on to something. “It was like watching a princess hiding herself in public.” She was pulling at the bottom of her t-shirt that was hidden under her hoodie, and smoothing the shorts of her pajamas. I watched her repeat the nervous habits over and over again as she sat there. I jumped out of the Jeep, running around the front of the car to get my hands on the beautiful creature in my passenger seat. She pushed me aside, still filled with anxiety.

“I can get out without you; I am not fragile.” She was trying to tell me that she was not the princess I thought she was, but I knew better.

“I am just being a gentleman, like I was raised to be.” She was out before I could touch her. It made me disturbingly unhappy. I watched as Bo approached her with caution, like I did. He was clearly excited to see her, but could sense that she was indeed fragile. She bent down without hesitation, and greeted Bo. He was so needy for it, his tongue licking her tentative hand, encouraging her to touch him. My heart began pounding at the sight, my eyes moist.

“That is Bo. He is a Rottweiler mainly, but has a little Lab in him.” He placed himself in her path and rolled on his back, begging her to touch him more. I watched in awe. This was the first time I’d ever known Bo to approach anyone like this, and Katarina was eating it up. I took a second just to be thankful that this night was turning around. Once again, I was on the right path, and it felt great. I carried her bags up the steps of the porch. I heard her feet behind me, and I unlocked and opened the door, rushing to shut off and restart the house alarm.

I had the alarm installed right away when I moved in. It was the only thing other than the two beds upstairs I had purchased. The previous owner left behind all the other furniture and the dishes. I was counting the days until Bettina showed up, and wanted to be prepared. I slept better with the alarm, knowing that I wouldn’t wake up with a knife in the heart. I loved my new house. The bottom floor had all hardwood flooring. I found myself walking barefoot, craving that comforting feeling I once had at Strikers, my home away from home. The place still smelled of wood too. It was empty, every sound echoing off the completely bare walls, but I loved it. I heard Bo follow me towards the kitchen, his monster claws making clicking sounds on the floor behind me. I turned to take in the beauty that was now in my bubble. She had flip-flops on, but took them off at the door, which I found sexy—for whatever reason. Her tiny bare feet with pink toenail polish padded across the room towards me. My eyes couldn’t get enough. She wore pink pajama shorts with hearts on them, a white shirt pulled down, resting over the top of the hearted bottoms, and a grey, hooded sweatshirt with the word Washington across it. She was all smiles. My heart warmed at the sight.

“It’s beautiful.” Those were my thoughts exactly.

“I am glad you like it.” I was relieved, and actually felt air escape me that I had unconsciously been holding in. I wasn’t sure why, but what she thought was the most important thing to me. She slowly walked through the house, making her way to me.

“No furniture at all, did you just move in?” I didn’t like the question, so I moved her bags up the stairs and made my way to the first
bedroom. I couldn’t pinpoint it, but furniture was a sore subject for me. I was ready for the outer-structure of the house, but the inside was a whole different ball game. I rattled off an answer that I thought would appease her, not wanting to go into it further. I opened the door to the first room and walked in. I heard her behind me.