Power (Romantic Suspense) (34 page)

My stomach turned. I directed my attention back to the stage. What else could I look at? Butterfly hadn’t shown up, yet, but I knew she’d be coming. Those stupid triplet chicks had called her on our way here.

Once we arrived at this factory looking brothel, the triplets placed me in the VIP section by myself, in the back of the audience. Anyone could see me and no one helped. None of the women or men did anything more than continue their dive into lust and money.

Good job, Mary Jane. You’re caught. You should’ve never had Fuji take you out. Now what will happen to him? If he doesn’t kill himself, Noah will.

Thinking of Noah hurt. My heart ached like I’d been stabbed in the organ, over and over.

Noah. Noah.

I pushed him out of my mind, scared that the tears would spill from my eyes.

How am I going to get out of this? I doubt she’ll let me be like the singer and chain me to the stage to tell jokes. It wouldn’t be a bad life compared to death. But. . .Butterfly. . .she would probably kill me.

After binding my legs to the floor and my wrists high above me, the triplets tore away at my clothes in front of everyone. Some of the men had glanced over their shoulders and licked their lips when the blue-haired one spread my thighs and exposed my center to them all.

“I don’t see what the big deal is with you.” She’d laughed and flicked my clit.

I tried to kick her, but couldn’t.

“That looks like a regular old pussy to me. I don’t see why Noah and Butterfly are in such a fuss.” She tried to touch me again and I leaned forward with so much force that I head-butted her.

“You bitch!” She rubbed her forehead and stumbled back. “You’re lucky Butterfly told me that I couldn’t hurt you.”

“No, you’re lucky that I have these chains on.”

She gestured to the bandages on my chest and arm. “Yeah. You’ll really give me a beating.”

Laughing the triplets left me there, naked and chained. The crowd went back to enjoying themselves.

Suddenly, everything changed—just like that.

First, I swore I spotted a big ogre of a man with his arm in a sling. He stood at the edge of the stage watching the singer. But he looked out of place. For one thing, he had a sling on his arm like he’d recently been injured. The other thing, a stuffed animal of some sort was in his other arm.

He must be security or something. He’s definitely big like one of Noah’s men.

That huge guy rocked his head to the lyrics. It was odd that this monster of a man would be so captivated with the song when others merely ignored her. They didn’t see the beauty in her lyrics, but he had.

What’s in his arm? Maybe it’s a gnome or dwarf. Why the hell would a huge guy have a stuffed animal in here?

The guy stepped closer to the stage with his mouth open and his hand almost squishing the stuffed animal.

“Cruel kisses seducing the evil in my own soul.”
She turned to him and her crimson strands spilled over her shoulder.
“You have all of the control.”

The big man stopped walking forward as if scared to freak her out? He reminded me of when my childhood friend would try to sneak up on stray cats. It was in his stance. He hunched over a little, trying to make himself smaller. He even lowered his face like he was shielding it in the dim lighting. All the while, he squished that dwarf in his huge hand.

This is the strangest place I’ve ever been. . .chained to.

Her voice continued its dance, but emptiness no longer filled her eyes. She focused on him.

“Who loses when you love me in sweet bruises. And I don’t ever want to be free.”
All of her concentration remained on him.
“You’re a cruel symphony.”

He was hypnotized. With each new lyric, he moved closer—no longer playing it safe. He was the moth, she the flame. She’d lassoed him with her lyrics and steadily pulled him forward.

Why does he look so familiar? I wish he would turn around.

Someone whistled in the far back. I couldn’t figure out who’d done that. The big guy with the dwarf continued to stand in front of the stage in a trance. The singer and he held a magnetic charge. The person in the back whistled again.

“I romance the darkness inside of you.”

The big guy glanced over his shoulder. Rage covered his face. He clearly did not want his entertainment to be interrupted.

Holy shit! Is that Crusher?

Before another thought hit my mind, red laser dots appeared and scattered throughout the room. Tons of bright dots decorated most of the guys’ faces in the crowd. The singer paused while others spotted what I’d seen and began pointing at each other as if to say, “Hey, you’ve got red dots on your head!”

The music stopped.

And that big guy with the stuffed dwarf growled at the stage in a hoarse voice. “Duck.”

That’s Crusher!

The singer fell to the ground and covered her head. I would’ve too, had I been able to. Thank, God, I was in the back.

Instantly, the red-dotted faces exploded! Tons of them.
Noah!!
Blood splattered. Heads exploded. Bullet holes appeared where eyes had been. Hollow and empty, men fell to the floor. Some slumped onto the women who’d been fucking them. Others crashed into tables and sank to the floor. Glasses and plates shattered. Sparks flared and the stink of blood drenched the air.

Oh, my God! Noah!

Crusher with the stuffed dwarf, turned around, grabbed a running guy by his head, and crushed his head together with one hand. A crack appeared at the forehead, bone breaking and splitting flesh. The eyes popped out of the socket. Mouth gaped open and spilled out liquid. Only a gash of meat and shattered skull remained in the big guy’s hand. Blood splatter sprayed all over him.

Did he just do that with one fucking hand?
A terrifying shiver ran through me.
Now I know why they call him Crusher.

Chaos ensued. Women screamed. People ran, bumping into each, falling over turned-over chairs, and pushing others out of the way. More bullets fired. There was murder in the air now, no more singing or fucking, simply pain and blood.

How did you find me, Noah? Mo must’ve seen it all! I love you, you little creepy boy!!

Armed men stormed into the building. Hundreds of them. A fucking army, all scarred and deranged looking. They weren’t playing around. With each person, the crazy men would pause for a few seconds to check the girls’ faces before they killed them, making sure it wasn’t me. Most hands gripped a gun. Some held machetes and saws. Many smiled amid slicing and shooting. Others laughed while they tore limbs from bodies. It was a demented battle. I knew the guys were on my side, but I still couldn’t stop the tremors of terror ripping through me or the bile rising in my throat.

I would never be the same.

And in the middle,

Noah stood,

his coat swinging from side-to-side as people ran and screamed around him.

Both hands held guns.

Blood garnished his face.

And his eyes.

So cold.

Full of danger.

Scaring the shit out of me.

“Mary Jane!” he screamed over the chaos. “Mary Jane!”

“Noah!” I swung my body back and forth, clinking the chains and knocking my table over to gain his attention. “Noah! I’m right here!”

He turned my way. Our eyes met and my body froze when he hit me with his cold, fixed stare. How the hell had he even heard me over the chaos? How in the hell had he found me so easily in the center of this death-drunk inferno?

The whole place was a battle ground. Piles of dead bodies. Turned-over tables. Broken glass and discarded chairs. Pools of blood everywhere. Women and men on the ground begging for their lives.

Noah never blink when he stepped over all of them and raced my way. “Mary Jane!”

Oh, my God! Oh, my God! It’s going to be okay? Is it really going to be okay?

My heart beat fast in my chest. “Be careful!

His face twisted in confusion wondering what I meant. Clearly, his ego thought he could kill anyone and survive everything. A guy jumped in front of him. Noah didn’t blink or step away. He simply raised his gun, pointed, and shot the man in the head.

All words left me in those seconds. Before these weeks, I’d never seen a dead person. Now, I’d seen too many corpses. I could probably get a funeral director’s license with no problem. My stomach turned. I didn’t look at the dead man that Noah stepped over to get to me. I couldn’t focus on the crazy around me. I knew if I did, I’d go insane. And I couldn’t go mad. My baby had saved me from Butterfly and this disgusting brothel.

Everything is going to be okay.

Noah stepped to me. Fury pulsed from him once he realized I was naked and spread for the any in the club to see. Pain laced his voice. “Mary Jane.”

“I’m okay, baby.”

He put one of the guns away and took off his coat. “Did they fucking touch you!?”

“No.” I shook. “No.”

He covered me with his coat. “Did they fucking put their nasty little hands on you?”

“No, baby.” My body was an earthquake of shivers and tears. “They took off my clothes, that’s it.”

“Who?” He shot each chain holding up my wrists, making me jump.

“These triplets—”

“They’ll be dead before dawn.”

“Umm—”

“Cover your ears.”

I did and he shot the chains on my leg and swooped the coat and me up like I weighed nothing.

“Are you okay?” he asked.

“I’m fine.” I held onto him tightly and kissed his face and neck, going crazy that I was finally free. “I’m fine.”

“Let’s go.” He twisted and rushed us toward the exit. Shooting continued. 305 arrived at his other side.

I gripped Noah hard, entirely sure that I would never let go. The scene behind him came into view. Most were dead, even the piano player on the stage. And then I spotted the singer, crouching on the ground and still covering her head. “Oh, wait!”

“What?” Noah looked at me.

“The singer! Can we save her?”

“Who?” That cold expression had never left Noah’s face. “What singer?”

“Over there.” I pointed behind him.

“305, go get her.” Noah’s gaze never leaving me.

I turned to the black guy he’d been talking to.

Annoyed, 305 turned toward the stage and when he caught sight of her, his expression changed. “Damn.”

Damn?

He said nothing else, rushing her way. I looked back to the stage and realized that Crusher had beat 305 to her. Fear permeated her face when she peeked up at him.

“She’ll be fine.” Noah moved us forward fast—getting us past the dead bodies and screaming blood-soaked women, kicking chairs out of the way and pushing us through the door. Cold air hit my bare legs, but I didn’t care. I was finally free.

Twenty men stood outside with their guns pointed at the street waiting for Butterfly or anyone else to come. As we walked by, they looked away from me.

“Any show of that bitch?” Noah growled.

Everyone shook their head.

“Good.” He kept us moving forward. “Make sure everyone’s out of there and then burn the plant to the ground.”

“Okay, boss.”

Flames covered the neon butterflies above us. The light posts looked like fire torches. Smoke thickened in the air. More bodies littered the street.

I made a special mental note to never fuck with Noah while he opened the limo door and gently placed me in the back. As soon as the door closed, he picked up a white wash cloth from the seat and wiped the blood from his face and hands. He almost looked like he would vomit, but that couldn’t be true. The man I watched destroy a roomful of people could not be squeamish around blood.

Once he cleaned himself and me, he wrapped his arms around my body and buried his face into my neck. “I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.”

“No.” I shook my head. “You didn’t—”

He raised his head. Tears fell from his eyes.

I parted my lips, but had nothing to say. He’d just killed someone in front of me. He’d stormed into a packed building with an army of men. He’d saved my life. And now, he cried.

“I love you.” He pressed his mouth against mine drowning out any thoughts, but those of him.

“I—”

“Are you okay?” Being as tender as ever, he pulled me away, studying my body with his hands not believing what I’d told him.

“I’m okay.” I moved his hands away. “Baby. . .” I wiped his tears away. “I love you, too.”

At least, I think I do. Almost dying, sort of changed my whole idea of life. Do I love him? I feel like my heart will shatter into nothing if he isn’t around me.

“I didn’t think I could love any woman besides my mother.” He pulled me back into his arms and trembled against me.

Noah was scared. This man who had taken down at least a hundred people either by his own gun or by shouting out orders. Terror had blazed all over his face. But in the limo, Noah transformed into a version of himself who I’d never met—tears in his eyes and fear radiating all around him. “I used to love this city.”