Page 61 of Red Velvet

A sigh escapes my lips as I empty my glass, seeking solace in the soothing wine.

"You know he'd only harm himself if he sent those pictures to our family, right?" Elene argues. "It's an empty threat, and he knows that. He’s just trying to threaten you because he's desperate and pathetic, and he knows how to push your buttons. He knows this will unsettle you, and he knows you'd be intimidated enough to do whatever he wants you to."

"But he didn't just threatenme!" I exclaim. "He's threatening Kade, too! He says he's going to call the police on him and tell them he beat me!"

Much to my surprise, Elene just shrugs at those words.

"So? Do you really think he'd get anywhere with that? It's a David against Goliath kind of situation, Lila. And as ugly as it may be, a guy like Jim can do very little against the lawyer power that men like ours can gather if they need to. Besides, his allegations are untenable, at best. One word from you, the alleged victim, and the whole thing is over before it even begins."

“Men like ours.”Elene talks about her marriage and my not-really-a-relationship with Kade as if they were the same thing. I wish she was right to do so, but with how things are at the moment, I probably shouldn't give in to that hope.

"It could still taint Kade's name, even though it's bullshit."

Elene shakes her head. "No it wouldn't. He'd make sure of that."

She clears her throat, looking uncomfortable when she adds, "I knew men like him long before I married Damon, Lila. I've worked for them, seen them at The Velvet Rooms. They all swim in money and power, and they know how to use it to keep their name clean, even if they actually did fuck up. Kade didn't even do anything wrong with you. It's child's play to him. Trust me, he'll just laugh if Jim sends the police after him."

"But his reputation," I interject. "You know he's trying to build a business here,together with your husband! Don't you think it… I don't know, it makes him look bad."

"What makes him look bad?"

"The whole… kink thing, and the club."

I jerk up when Elene bursts out laughing, almost spilling her wine on the pricey sofa.

"Oh, Lila, you crack me up!" she shouts, still laughing. "You think his kink and being a member at The Velvet Rooms could make him look bad among his peers? Theyallgo there!"

I blush as I realize how ridiculous I must sound to her. As special and somewhat wrong as this whole thing seems to me, Elene lives in a world where such play is a prevailing leisure activity and not the disturbed abuse Jim wants me to believe it is.

"Did you talk to Kade yet?" Elene asks. "Because I really think you should."

"I can't. I can't contact him without my phone, and I have no idea where to find him."

"Oh, but I know!" Elene blurts out, sweeping away my tense worry and replacing it with sheer surprise.

Chapter 33

Kade

I don't know who's more bewildered at seeing Lila and her sister burst into our meeting room, me or Damon, who obviously didn't his wife to show up. For a split second, we all just stand there, baffled gazes locked onto each other while tense silence stretches between us.

"Elene? Is everything okay?" Damon breaks the silence, now looking more worried than surprised.

His wife nods, raising her hand in an appeasing manner. "I'm fine. Are you guys about done here?"

She stands a lot taller than Lila, who's hiding behind her sister's back, carrying herself in a much weaker stance, slouching a little as if scared of being seen. She’s wearing a turtleneck dress, which hides the collar that I still know to be around her throat. I wish I could see it.

Her eyes find mine, an expression of worry and sorrow casting a shadow over her pretty face. She looks like she's been crying. Seeing her like this feels as if someone’s tightening a noose around my throat, making it hard to breathe and even harder to swallow.

"Yes, I think we're done," Damon says. "We were just about to get some coffee."

"Good, I'll join you," Elene says, turning to her sister with questioning eyes. "You'll be okay?"

Lila responds with a silent nod.

I notice the puzzled looks Greg and Damon exchange when Elene escorts them out the room while I stay behind without having any idea what's to come next.

"I'm sorry" is the first thing Lila says once the door closes behind them.

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