Page 54 of Any Means Necessary

He wants to kiss me, I can read it in every tensed muscle in his body. And god, do I want him to do it. If I was thinking clearly, I’d probably have a little alarm bell ringing in my head right about now.

Callum is danger. But right now I’m feeling reckless without a cause.

If I tilt my head even a fraction, he’ll take the invitation without hesitating. He’ll swoop in like a predator pouncing on his prey. And just when I’m about to give him the green light, the oven timer goes off to announce that it’s time to take the cake out.

Shamed by the bell.

“And just like that, another moment gone,” I murmur, stepping away from his caress. “I should get the cake out of the oven before it burns.”

“This conversation isn’t over, Dewdrop.” Even facing away from him I can feel the determination pouring from the man behind me.

I can’t argue with him, because I can feel the truth of his words. So instead I simply say “Good night, Callum.”

Chapter Eighteen: Lexie

I have a date. A first date.

Take deep, slow breaths.

This will be good. I’ll meet up with him, get a few drinks, have some flirty conversation. Maybe make-out a little if the mood is right. It’ll be fun… right?

At the very least I’ll meet someone new and check out a cool bar in the city. Not to mention it’s a few hours not spent fantasizing about the sexy man back at the penthouse that I’m trying desperately to maintain a professional relationship with—I could cut the sexual tension between us with a knife.

Agreeing to go on a date with the golden retriever boy from the dating app has me more nervous than I’d like to admit. I know I look good in my pretty periwinkle dress with a corset top and puff sleeves. I feel pretty and confident. The word shy has never been used to describe me. But I am a little jittery, just like I am before every first date. It’s only natural.

My phone chimes with a location pin and a message from Eric. ‘Waiting for you in the alley near the south entrance.’ Why would he want me to meet him in the alleyway behind the parking garage? Parking is ridiculously expensive in the city, especially in this neighborhood. I assumed we’d be taking the subway.

My hand tightens on the taser in my purse as I round the corner.

Eric stands a few feet down the alleyway, I recognize his mop of black curls from his photos. He stands stiffly, dwarfed by the bulky frame of the man standing right behind him. I stare at the man, the air leaving my lungs. Hazel eyes stare at me over my date’s head.

“Callum.” His name is ripped out of me by the shock, my heart rate picking up speed. One large tattooed arm is wrapped firmly across Eric’s chest, pinning him in place. The glint of gleaming metal catches the light, making me feel like I’m going to vomit.

“I’m surprised you’d meet us back here. I thought you’d be smarter than to meet a man off the internet in a back alleyway. People are found dead in places like this all the time.” Callum’s condescending tone is laced with something terrifying—a deadly intent that matches the darkness in his eyes as he presses the large knife to his captive’s throat.

“Why are you doing this? Let him go.” I inch closer, unable to focus on anything other than the sharp blade pressing angrily against delicate skin. Eric’s eyes on me are a silent cry for help, his breaths coming out in harsh bursts through his nose. I stare back at him, just as powerless to the man holding us both hostage.

“I don’t like to repeat myself, Lexie. But you were drunk, so I’ll make an exception just this once,” Callum says. “I will slit the throat of any man who thinks they can have you.” He means it, and even worse—he intends to carry out this threat while we’re standing here.

“Don’t.” I choke on the word, the air leaving my lungs doesn’t seem to be returning as I try to suck in. “Please, don’t.”

“You didn’t take me seriously the first time. I’m sure you won’t make that mistake again.” He drags the knife across Eric’s neck in an agonizingly slow, controlled movement. The skin slices easily under the sharp edge. “Get on a dating app again, I’ll kill every man who thinks they have a chance with you. You’ll watch as I split them open from ear to ear.”

Eric’s eyes widen in agony as blood ribbons from the clean sever. The choking sound that’s ripped from him echoes between the buildings, a sound that will haunt my dreams until the day I die.

“Stop,” I plead, tears pricking behind my eyes. “I won’t even look at another man. Please, just stop.” It’s a promise.

Callum’s blade pauses its movement, leaving the job half finished. His dark eyes drill into me, a harbinger of death and destruction. Completely unrepentant for the carnage he leaves in his wake, demanding more when it fits his needs.

Any relief I feel when he removes the knife and steps back is squashed when Roscoe steps forward in Callum’s place. In three long strides, Callum is in front of me, towering like the grim reaper. One of his hands is at my waist, the other gripping my skull, spearing through my hair roughly at the nape of my neck. I crane to look him in the eye like his hold demands.

“I don’t know how I can make this any more clear to you. You’re mine, Lexie. No one else gets to have you.” His fury ripples in waves beneath his cold, calm exterior. “Understand?”

“Yes.” My response comes out defeated.

“Good.” Callum gives a quick nod and Roscoe allows Eric to slump to the ground like a bag of rocks, gasping and sputtering. He gapes like a trout floundering on land, clutching at his throat in an attempt to stop the bleeding. It’s no use. Callum stopped slicing half way, but the cut is deep—definitely hitting the carotid artery.

The blood is gushing too fast, spurting in the rhythm of his erratic heartbeat, and Eric is already fading. I move to help him, every instinct in my body screaming at me to save him. But Callum’s punishing grip yanks me back, forcing me to watch helplessly as the man slowly expires.

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