Page 162 of Heart of Stone

The look on her face when Sasha had practically assaulted her was one that I wouldn’t forget anytime soon. She appeared confused and terrified all at once, but it was the look of accusation that would haunt me for a while to come.

I knew I was to blame. Krystina wasn’t worldly to people like Sasha and I should have protected her better. My only defense was that I didn’t realize how much Krystina would stick out in Club O. Her naivety and thirst for knowledge was like a bullseye for every predator in the joint.

Given that, and my newfound knowledge of her traumatic past, I should have followed my original instincts. My club was not a place for her, and it was high time that I got her out of here.

I pushed through the door of the men’s room and headed back to where I left Krystina. However, I was instantly alarmed when I spotted her. She was sitting on a bar stool with her arms hugged tightly around her body. Her eyes were as wide as saucers and she was a ghastly shade of white.

“What’s wrong?” I asked once I reached her. I put my hand on her shoulder, only to feel her trembling. “Why are you shaking so bad?”

She looked up at me with a blank stare.

“I just want to leave, Alex. Please, take me home.”

“Okay. Angel, I’m so sorry,” I apologized, rubbing my hands up and down her arms. “I should never have brought you here. This was a huge mistake. When we get back to my place, I will draw you a hot bath and –.”

“No, Alex. I want to gohome. To my apartment, not yours,” she said cutting me off midsentence. I stopped rubbing her arms and looked deeper into her eyes. Her beautiful browns that were normally so expressive and full of life looked shockingly empty.

Whatever she was thinking about was not something that I wished to discuss in a noisy, sex-laden club. I gave in to her request easily, with the idea that I could change her mind about going home once we were out of the building.

“If that’s what you want to do,” I told her.

We made our way up the stairs and back into the main lounge area. When we were walking through, I tried to put my arm around Krystina’s shoulders, but she jerked away from me. Her rejection stung, but it was understandable. She had a right to be angry.

I’m such an asshole for exposing her to this.

I was about to tell her as much, when a man stepped in front of us and blocked our path towards the door. He was average height with sandy blond hair, but he had suspicious eyes. I felt Krystina stiffen beside me.

“It was good seeing you again, Krys. Enjoy the rest of your night,” he said easily. However, his tone was almost mocking and there was something shady about the way he leered at her.

I instantly hated the man.

Cocking my head to one side, I stared pointedly at him.

“And you are?” I inquired coolly.

“An old friend. Right, Krys?” he replied, tossing Krystina a wink.

“Let’s go, Alex,” Krystina said. There was no denying the fact that this guy was making her nervous for some reason.

Is he the cause for her upset?

Perhaps it wasn’t the incident with Sasha at all.

Krystina hurried past whomever the jackass was, not bothering to wait to see if I was following. I was torn. A part of me wanted to stay behind and slug the stranger over the mere fact that he was bothering Krystina. However, after deciding that it was best not to leave her alone anymore that evening, I threw a menacing glare at the guy and hurried towards the exit.

When I exited the club, I saw that Krystina was already halfway across the parking lot. I had to run to catch up with her.

“Who was that guy?” I asked after reaching her.

“Nobody,” was all that she said.

“Bullshit. Who was he?” I asked again. She continued to walk in silence, but didn’t answer me. She was starting to seriously piss me off. I grabbed hold of her arm and spun her to face me. “Who was that guy, Krystina?”

She glanced down at my hand that was squeezing her arm, then up at my face. Her expression was full of fury, and her eyes were glassy from unshed tears.

“Let go of my arm. Now,” she said icily.

Shocked that I had lost my temper, I instantly let go and took a step back. My intent was to simply get her attention and I hadn’t meant to grab her that way.

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