Out of the Storm(13)

My feet patter against the wet cobblestone, and I'm kind of thankful now I'm not in heels. Looking around, I take in my surroundings. Surely, one kidnapper is more than enough for one night. I can't shake this feeling that something is so wrong, so off.

Charlie's nowhere to be found. What if I let Theo leave, and I can't find Charlie? Then what? You walk back to your car, Jules. It's not that far, right? I did pay attention on the way as to where he was taking me. But I'm regretting leaving my jacket in the car, especially now that my sweater is wet. Goosebumps pop up all over my exposed skin. Every time I breathe, I can see my breath escaping through my mouth and my frozen nose.

That's when I see him, Charlie, and I'm so relieved. He'll give me his coat, and unlike Theo's it'll bring me comfort.

Of course, Theo's probably would have brought me comfort if I'd just accepted it, but I can't take anything he's offering me more than the money. Because Theo equals trouble.



       
         
       
        

Get him out of your mind, Jules. Dammit.

Charlie doesn't see me. He's standing outside one of the restaurants. And before I make my presence known, I hear him talking. Any other day, I would've just walked right up to him, no problem. I trusted him, but Theo's planted a seed of doubt in my mind. Shaking my head, I take a step in his direction. Theo wants to come between us for selfish purposes. I'm not letting him.

"What do you mean she just disappeared?"

"We had a visual on her as we entered the parking garage, then she just vanished."

"So, you're fucking telling me you failed?"

"This time, sir. Yes. But we can try again. Or we can try something else."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. My body is shivering, and it's taking every bit of my muscle strength to keep my teeth from chattering like some kind of wind-up toy that walks across the table making noises while they move up and down. Crossing my arms, I squeeze myself as a tear falls down my cheek. What has he done? And why is he trying to hurt me?

Swallowing back the impending sob, I turn and walk straight into six foot six inches of steel, his arms open. He leans down and brushes my ear with his lips. "Do you trust me now, agapemèni?" he says, his deep, husky voice low, quieter than a whisper.





Theo Kataigída is comfort. In his arms, this time, that's what this feeling is. And safe. How is that even possible?

"When do you want us to try again, boss?"

My eyes widen, and I glance up at Theo. He puts a finger over my lips, his jaw ticks, and he ever so quietly says, "Shh."

My body is shivering, my teeth still near chattering. He shrugs out of his jacket and puts it around me, then pulls me into his body.

"Try again tomorrow."

"That everything?"

There's silence, and I don't want Charlie to see me, to know that I've heard his plan. Or to see me in Theo's arms.

"Get me out of here." Bile creeps up my throat, burning and giving me the sourest taste in my mouth. My chest feels like someone cracked it open, ripped out my heart, and stomped on it. This has been the worst day ever.

He takes my hand, leading me between two of the buildings. Of course, while I'm tall, two of his strides equal one of mine, and I practically have to run to keep up with him. Once we're far enough away from Charlie, I kind of laugh. It's one of those nervous laughs, but also has a hint of relief, and a lot of hurt in it. One that keeps you from crying. One where you're trying to find silver linings when you aren't sure there are any. "If I had on those fuck me shoes you wanted me to wear, I wouldn't be able to keep up with you. So, I think I should keep these ugly ass shoes." 

"I would gladly carry you if you had those on. Not the romantic way. I'd just toss you over my shoulder. It'd be my fucking pleasure. Want me to show you right now?" He stops and acts like he's about to pick me up from the bottom of my legs.

I swat his arm. "Walk. Or Run. But don't you even dare pick me up like that here. Right now."

"So one day it will be okay for me to show you?" He winks. "I see what you did there. Left your options open."

"Ugh. Where are you taking me? This isn't the way we came."

He shakes his head. "No. I don't want to risk him seeing us. I'm going in the opposite direction I think he'd be going. The parking lot is too lit, too open."

"So, where are we going?"

But before he can answer, we're on the street, several blocks away from our office building. "We're walking back?"

"Nope." He points to the subway entrance in front of us. "We're going for a little ride."

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'll just walk back to my car."

Theo keeps walking, pulling me behind him and into the stairwell. "Hell no. Did you not just hear the fucker say he's got people out to do only God knows what to you?"

Swallowing back the tears, I hang my head. Hearing him say it so bluntly makes it sound so much worse. I mean, I knew it was disturbing, but this isn't that. It's sinister. It's incomprehensible. "Yeah," I mutter.

"We're not going back to my car yet. We're not going back to your office, either." He pulls his wallet from his back pocket and swipes his Metro card twice. He never lets go of my hand, and for some reason, I'm in no hurry to release it. He crosses through the gate and watches as I do the same, still grasping my hand.

"Where are we going then if we're not going back to either of those places?"

His head is down, and he peers up through his lashes. He. Looks. So. Sexy when he does that. My knees nearly buckle, and everything in my body comes to life. "My place."

"Oh. That is definitely not a good idea."

The train arrives, the doors open, and he steps on, and I follow even though I know I shouldn't. "Do you want to go to yours? Or do you live with skatá prósopo?"

Instead of sitting, he holds on to one of the pulls, and I grab the pole.

"Please hold on," an automated voice says. "This train is about to be in motion."

He smirks. "Is it wrong that I'm looking forward to you being thrust into my chest when this thing takes off?"

"Do you hold anything back?"

He nods. "I just find it hard to be around you."

Even though I'm holding on, the force catches me off guard, and I try to catch myself before I move, but I do fall right into him. That hand on the pull never moves, but he wraps the other around my waist and pushes me closer, as if that was even possible. "You smell like roses." He inhales. "Does he ever tell you how fucking good you smell?" Once we're stable, he lifts my chin. "Does he ever tell you how beautiful you are?" My heart skips a beat. Theo's eyes are intense, like he's trying to say so much more than he is. His lips dip down and brush mine. "I'm not taking you to my place because I want you sexually. I do, but that's not why we're going there. I'm taking you there because I want you to be safe."

And for the first time tonight, I actually believe him. I actually can't wait to get there because even though in his arms I felt more safe than I had being alone in the alley, I feel vulnerable out and about with him. I look around. What if Charlie is on this subway? What if he sees us like this?



       
         
       
        

Well, for starters, he would have called me already. "Shit." I push off his chest, pulling my hair back, then blow out a breath.

"What?"

"I left my purse in your car."

"It's probably fine."

"It's not fine. My phone is in there. What if he's tried to call me? And I didn't take my car, so all he has to do is go to the office to realize I went with whoever this mystery client is. He's going to be so pissed."

Theo closes the gap I just created. He strums a finger down my cheek. "Do you think he cares that much?"

"I think he's possessive and jealous." The skin he just touched is on fire along with my insides. Scorching. "You have to quit touching me in public. What if someone sees us? Someone who knows him?"

"So I can touch you in private?"

I sigh. "You're impossible."

"I'm just trying to keep up with your rules and any opportunities I can take advantage of in the future. I can toss you over my shoulder at a later date. Must buy you fuck me shoes first. And I can touch you, just as long as it's in private so no one can see it. Right?"

Squeezing my thighs together, I try to ignore all of his insinuations.

His eyes roam down to my legs, and his lips curve into a devious smile. "Yeah. I can wait until we get back to my place to touch you again. But be warned, Jules … " He rakes me over. He doesn't even need to touch me. He's saying it all right now with his voracious look. "As soon as that door closes to my apartment, I'm not going to be able to keep my fucking hands off you."

I gasp. "I'm still engaged."

He runs a hand through his hair. "Are you seriously still committed to the kólos?"

"The what?" I shift my weight. "You need to remember I don't know Greek."