Page 95 of Moonlit Thorns

Asher’s jaw tightens, and he glares at Nero. “What is it?” he says, his voice as sharp as the lash of a whip.

“I need to know what you think of Maude. I’m nervous as hell about later, and I need to know you’re okay with it and have no real objections.”

Some of the tension eases out of Asher’s body. “I think you should do whatever you think is right. You’re a grown man and can make that decision for yourself.”

Nero’s smile is nearly blinding. This feels like a moment that should be between the two of them.

“I’m going to run to the ladies’ room and let you two talk. I’ll meet you back at the table?”

Asher places a chaste kiss on my lips, then leans in to whisper thank you in my ear.

I pull my mask back into place and give him a smile before making my way off the dance floor. I find the bathroom easily enough, and when I come back out, one of the event workers is lingering in the hallway and smiles when she sees me.

“Excuse me, miss? There’s a gentleman who asked to see you. He’s down the hall and take a left.”

“Oh, okay, thank you.” I smile at her, then glance to my left down the hall and my right toward the ballroom.

What is Asher getting at? Is this some surprise he has planned? Or maybe we can slip away already?

With anticipation making my tummy fizz, I head down the long hallway that runs the length of the ballroom and turn left like she said. I frown when I don’t see Asher. In fact, this end of the hall is much narrower, and there’s no one down here that I can see.

“Hello?” I walk down the hallway. Maybe he’s in one of the smaller rooms that runs off this hallway? “Asher?”

But all the doors are closed. Until I reach the last one, and I see light escaping out from under the bottom.

With a smile, I gently push open the door. “Asher, what’s going?—”

A rush of air leaves my mouth as I’m yanked inside and pushed up against the wall.

“Shut up, bitch. It’s not your precious Asher.”

I have to blink several times to make sure I’m seeing what I think I’m seeing. A man dressed in a tuxedo has one hand pressed across my sternum and in the other is a gun that he has pressed at my temple. It takes me a moment to realize that he looks familiar, even with his black mask on, and ice travels through my veins, freezing me in place.

Preston Wallace.

A cold, calculated gleam fills his eyes. “I see you’ve realized who I am, Anabelle.” He says my name with a sneer.

“What are you doing?” I manage to say past my throat that feels as if it’s closing up.

“The mighty Asher Voss thought he could just fuck me over, and there would be no consequences?” His head arches back as he laughs.

I use the opportunity to glance behind him and see that we’re in a small meeting room. There’s a long conference table in the center of the room with chairs around it and another door at the far end of the room.

I don’t know how, but I have to get out of here.

“There will be consequences all right. He thinks he can take over and kick me out of my own company?” He’s shouting in my face now, clearly unhinged. “He’ll pay. He took what was mine, and now I’m taking what’s his.”

He presses harder against my sternum and up into the base of my neck, constricting my airway. Gasping, I pull at his forearm to no avail. He seems to enjoy the fact that I’m fighting him, based on the expression on his face.

He’s not budging so I do the only think I can think of—I bring my knee up and hit him in the groin. The impact is dulled because of the ball gown I’m wearing, but I manage to make contact enough that he folds over with a grunt.

When I push, he stumbles back enough that I’m able to run around him, bounding toward the door that leads out into the hallway since it’s the closest. I’m about to grasp for the handle when his hand is in my hair, yanking me back. I cry out at the pain in my scalp and stumble backward into his chest.

He wraps an arm around my waist, holding me there. “You’re going to pay for that. Maybe I’ll keep you awake rather than knock you out when I have my way with you.”

I swallow back the bile traveling up my throat.

“Let’s go. You’re going to be a good girl and walk with me out to the limo. I’ll have this gun pointed at you under my jacket, so don’t even think about trying anything. You’ll bleed out before anyone can save you.”

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