Niko(Love Me Harder #2)(13)

Chapter Eight




“Wake up, Dee. We are here.”

Here was not her nice neat apartment complex in the heart of Shadyside, surrounded by the up and coming. Here was an estate-like grounds with trees way in the background and manicured lawns.

“Where exactly is here?”

“This is my house.”

“That’s not a house. It’s a frickin mansion, much like the one Aran lives in.”

He smiled. “I know, it’s great. No noise, no visitors, no need to hide. A place where I can be myself, without this world intruding or judging me for being different.”

She stopped and looked over at him. The need to panic was in the back of her mind, but it was swallowed up by the need to understand.

“Sometimes I think that’s the American dream. They say we dream of white picket fences, a dog and two point three children. I don’t know. Maybe we did back in the day. Now I don’t believe that. I think we dream of this, having enough space all our own to be able to be ourselves, without anyone judging us. Paradise.”

He did it again. He came and opened her door for her. Royalty. That’s how royalty was treated. He was telling her in such a small way that she was worth so much more. If she hadn’t been jaded, so mistreated, her eyes would have welled with tears.

She blinked fast.

“Are you ok?”

She nodded her head. “A little bit of dust. I am fine.”

He led her into the house. The steps had been long and wide and the porch was simply an entry way. Now she stood in the foyer. It was huge, the kind of place she could get lost in. It was set up so that when you came in, you had a sense of this being someone’s pride and joy.

Pictures of hillsides and eerie moments of the night hung in there, along with several sculptures. He loved his space.

“You know I can’t stay, right?”

“Stay as in forever or for a night?”

“Stay period. Not even for ten minutes. You have to take me back.”

“Why?”

“Because this is not how this night is supposed to end. I can’t get involved with you. I need something you can’t give me.”

“What do you need?’

“Forgetfulness!” She screamed the word. She had done everything. She had played his game and watched her back and all she wanted was a chance to forget, to let some guy who looked good on the outside, but was as messed up as her on the inside fuck her silly and make her forget.

Then she would get up like it had never happened, stagger her way home, wash her herself off and cry herself to sleep. That was the game she played when life became more than she could handle.

Then come Monday, she would pick herself up, slip on her beautiful mask and deal with a world who didn’t understand the monster who lived in her.

“Not tonight, kitten. Tonight you climb those stairs or I carry you. Either way works for me. I drop you in my bedroom and you sashay that beautiful ass into the bathroom and clean up. Then we talk about what happens next.”

“You’re crazy. Do you kidnap all your women and bring them here? Do they scream Niko? Do you get off on that? Well not me. I won’t be staying here so you can rape me and who knows what else.”

She reached down calmly and took her shoes off. Holding them in her hand, she flung first one then the other at him. She turned and ran to the front door, trying to get it open. The door never budged.

She turned to see her shoes dangling off his fingers.

“Ready to go upstairs?”

“Don’t do this Niko. You can have any woman. You can get help for this.”

“Maybe I only want you Dee. Ready?”

She turned and hit the door again. She pounded on it. Stupid, stupid Dee, she thought. Always getting yourself in trouble.

She felt him when he got close. She launched herself at him trying to scratch at his eyes. He ducked low and she fell over his shoulder. He picked her up and carried her up the stairs.

She should cry, not that it had ever helped her in the past. She always thought no matter how bad it got, in the end everything would be ok. Who knew she would be killed like this by someone she had considered a friend.

He dropped her on a large bed. She looked around the room with unseeing eyes. Big room, large bed and plenty of storage. Yep, looked like a master bedroom to her.

“What will Rena say when I disappear.”

He shrugged his shoulders. “She should have stayed with me when I asked her?”

“You bastard.” She flew at him. He caught her and dropped her back on the bed.

“As much fun as this is, you need a bath.”

“What, you like your woman clean before you rape and dismember them?”

“You watch a lot of television?”

She would have tried to scratch his eyes out again, but after two tries she needed a new tactic.