Chapter 70
ASH
There was once a man who did his best to shed the ghost of his past and make his way to the top. It was hard for him, I gotta tell you - very hard - but he did it. He got to the top, alright, but he did so slowly, painfully. In all, he had a purpose, a focus, and nothing could shake him. . .
Until now.
I've lived that man's dreams because that man. . . is me.
A feeling of total hopelessness assails me as the image of Hazel eyes becomes smaller, but as I look down and see Maybelline latched onto my hand like a leech, I shake it off because I've got a vendetta to plan and revenge to dish out.
"Yeah, that bitch totally wasn't worth my time," I say to no one in particular, removing an imaginary speck of dust from the sleeve of my jacket.
From the corner of my eyes, I see Maybelline's eyes almost popping out as her hold on my hand tightens. "Do you mean that?"
I shrug, affecting an air of bored indifference, and begin walking in the direction of the house. I need to get Hazel eyes out of the clutches of fucking face-impostor, but first, I need to shut this party down, and fast. Secondly, I need to find out where the harpy walking beside me, placed the bomb, that is if she really did put one there in the first place. Then, third, and most important of all, she has to tell me where Hazel eyes was taken.
For every step I take I realize I'm not going to shake her, so I turn to her, the same time I slap on a smile. "Go wait for me in the study, I need to wrap things up here."
She shakes her head back and forth. "No can do." She comes close and taps my chest. "You, sir, are a very slippery fellow and I don't want to lose you."
I release a chuckle, mentally wincing when it almost slips out as a snarl. "Don't be a naughty girl, go and wait for me and before I get back, make sure you're naked."
Yeah! That would definitely get her singing like a canary.
I move back and watch her eyes pop with delight as she nods eagerly. I don't wait to see if she'll do as I tell her because I know she'll hop on that train fast. I stride off in the direction of where the party is. The first person I come in contact with is Senator Harrison. I explain to him that something important came up, and that's all I need because word gets around and everyone begins to trickle out.
I make sure the last person leaves before I turn to the guards and instruct them to lock the gates. No one comes in, and definitely, no one goes out. They rush to do my bidding while I close my eyes and sigh. When next I open them, my head is reeling, my heart is aching for the woman I wish was waiting for me but isn't, and then I shake it off, getting into character as I head to the library.
As my strides eat up the distance between me and Maybelline, I've already decided what to do. The minute I open the door, I see her - she's splayed all over the lone couch in front of the desk, as naked as the day she was born. She gives me a sultry smile as I walk closer, her eyes dipping to the front of my trousers for evidence that I do find her attractive.
Disappointment flares in her eyes and her smile slips off her face. "Why aren't you hard for me?"
It's my turn to smile as I walk to the desk and pour two glasses of red wine and hand one to her. "I believe you still like red wine." It's not a question, it's a statement of fact.
The smile on her face is back, and it's enough to light up a room. She chugs that drink down her throat so fast, I know she's going to spill the beans soon. It takes a few minutes and her smile is sloppy as she drapes herself back on the couch. She tries to lift her hand but it doesn't work. She lets out a breathy laugh. "C'mere!"
Yup! It's started working. I stoop in front of her, immediately getting to work. "Is there a bomb in this study?"
She throws her head back and laughs. "N. . . no* hic * he * just wanted * to scare you." She giggles and almost falls off the couch, but I hold her and prop her up.
"Where did he take Alicia to?"
At first, she looks confused as spittle dribbles down from a corner of her mouth, then she lifts a hand to her head and shakes it. "Waswrong *hic * with * hic * me?"
"Answer the question, Bell, where was Hazel - Alicia- taken to?"
"He * hic * took. her. to * hic * the * hic * cemetery."
I pause for a bit, wondering why he would take Hazel eyes there. I try to get more words out of her, but I guess I must have put too much of the truth serum inside the bottle of wine. I call one of my men and tell him to tie her up and take her to one of my warehouses.
Her reprisal will definitely come later.
My phone rings as I walk out of the library. It's Night eyes.
"Ash, we got a problem."
I close my eyes and squeeze them tightly as I listen to him recount how he followed Leonard from the club and he met with a man who has a shocking resemblance to me.
"At first, I thought it was you and was about to walk up to him, but this man - he had a beanie cap on his head - turned around and there was a mark on the back of his neck, and that's when it hit me."
My heart sinks when I realize what happened. All this while, Leonard must have been giving him information about me, the same as Maybelline. I smile grimly because you know what they say about revenge being a dish best served cold.
Unfortunately, that just isn't going to work for me.
I'm going to have to serve mine hot.