Page 45 of Devious Kingpin
“Look at my wife one more time, and you’ll lose your eyeballs by the time the elevator door opens.”
Dante’s warning slithered through the air. The chatter suddenly stilled, and it was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat.
Ding.
The elevator stopped with a beep and the doors slid open. Like the devil was at their heels, the teenagers rushed out and disappeared from our view.
“What was that about?” I hissed under my breath.
He didn’t answer. He just leaned back against the elevator wall with a smile, but his eyes remained sharp. Dark and possessive. It sent shivers down my body.
The elevator door closed as it started gliding up again.
We had another two floors to go. To the penthouse suite.
Only the best for the groom and bride.
Apprehension shuddered through me. I wished now that I hadn’t been so brave with Dante the first time I ran into him. I played the part of an experienced seductress instead of a woman with invisible scars. The ones that wouldn’t heal, festering in my mind while I hid it all under my obnoxious persona. But it had all caught up to me.
My breaths came short and heavy as I felt my thoughts begin to spiral. My heart thundered against my ribs. The urge to flee was strong, but I remained still, my eyes locked on a single spot on the elevator door.
Ding.
The door opened too quickly.
“You ready?” Dante asked as he pushed off the interior wall, then took my hand. He tugged me forward, my feet practically dragging across the floor. They felt heavy, like each foot weighed a ton and it was an effort to move them.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” I bit back icily, hiding the fear that was quickly overtaking me.
He said nothing else. The next thing I knew, he was swiping the keycard and we were inside. It was only when the door clicked behind us that he released my hand.
Dropping his keys and wallet onto the table by the door, he strode through the room and into the closet. Jesus, was he going to strip right away?
“Change out of the wedding dress, Juliette. Sleeping with that dress on will smother us both and I have no intention of dying just yet,” he stated softly as he disappeared into the closet.
No, no, no.It was mid-afternoon. Barely. I wasn’t ready to start the wedding night.
I remained standing, glued to the spot. My eyes darted to the table and my heart fluttered. It couldn’t be that easy. Could it?
Dante’s car keys sat right there in front of me. I held my breath for five seconds, then snatched them up, and without a second thought, I burst out the door and stumbled blindly down the hallway.
I didn’t bother with the elevator. It would give him a chance to catch me while I was waiting for it and I couldn’t risk that. Instead, I took the emergency staircase. The stupid heels slowed me down, so I kicked them off and started running down the stairs. I gripped the fabric of my dress, rushing down each step and expecting to hear him call out at any moment.
Yet… nothing. Only the sound of my breathing and the soft padding of my steps. Once on the garage level, I lifted my dress up further and broke into a run. The concrete felt cool under my feet. Blood pounded in my temples. I ignored it all.
The tiny bit of reason I had left deserted me the moment I said those vows and the desperation to escape had been building ever since. I frantically clicked the button on the key fob, searching for Dante’s car.There!
The headlights to a blue vintage 1962 Chevrolet Corvette convertible flashed in welcome. Thank God he decided to upgrade that feature on this car, or I would have been screwed.
This is happening. It’s really happening.
My run was cut short when I spotted a familiar head of blond hair. I froze and bit back the panicked gasp. It was Priest, leaning against the column separating two sections of the garage. He looked sharp in his tux. A lit cigarette was halfway up to his lips, but he wasn’t smoking. He simply twisted it between his fingers, his eyes flicking my way.
Without pausing to think, I closed the ten feet of distance to Dante’s car and slid into the driver’s seat. My hands were shaking, and it took me a few tries to finally push the key into the ignition. My eyes kept reaching for the rearview mirror, but oddly enough, Priest didn’t appear to be coming after me.
Adrenaline sped up through my veins, leaving me panting like I had run a marathon. As my bare foot slammed against the accelerator, the engine roared in protest, and I sped up through the garage and out onto the busy Las Vegas street.
When we first arrived, I heard Emory mention the cliffs thirty-five miles northwest of the strip. It was where I’d race to. I had no idea what I’d do when I got there, but I needed peace and quiet. There was no way anyone would find me there and I needed time. Time to think. Time to figure my way out of this. My shoulders ached from the tension. It’d been there all along, only increasing as the day went on. As I turned onto the highway, I let myself spare one last glance at the rearview mirror.
