Billion Dollar Bad Boy (Big City Billionaires #1) (24 page)

I'd known that this was coming. How could we arrive at anything else? Silver had always been a fugitive.

I was a fool to think our pasts wouldn't matter.

Police officers stormed us, circling to help Vermont handcuff Silver. Florian stumbled out of the way, his hands in front of him like he expected to be arrested, too.

Running on pure instinct, I jumped forward. “What are you doing to him!?”

Amber irises focused on me, Silver's face a torrent of rage and defeat. His pain was
my
pain; I reached out, but one of the three officers pushed me away. “Stop this, please!” I shouted.

Vermont yanked Silver's arms back, holding them and forcing him down the steps towards his Subaru. He was ignoring me.
Me,
the girl he'd hoped would be the key to finding the man he was after.

Unwillingly, I'd been exactly that.

Struggling against the cop, I yelled at the back of Vermont's head. “Listen to me, he didn't do it!
Listen!”
I filled my chest. “
Vermont!”

The detective locked up, his shoulders stiffening. Without a hint of gentleness, he pushed Silver into the back of his car. The door slammed, then he swung his stare at me, climbing the steps.

Encouraged by his approach, I said, “He didn't do it! Silver is innocent!”

“Silver?” Vermont asked. His nose wrinkled. “Is that your pet name for him?”

My heart went cold. “Vermont...”

Scowling, he took the pen from behind his ear, twisting it. “That's why you were protecting him, right? How long did you know?”

Wordlessly, I shook my head.
No no no.
I stopped shoving against the officer, my body going limp. “Vermont, please. He didn't do it.”

“It's
Detective Roose
.” Spinning, he cut his hand through the air. The cop released me, backing away.

Through the window of the car, I saw Silver watching. The sight of him gave me strength. “He's innocent, you have to believe me!”

“
Believe
you?” I'd never seen Vermont so furious. “You lied to me over and over, Alexis. In what fucking world would I ever believe you again?”

One by one, the officers climbed into their cars. Roose ripped his driver's side door open. Over the roof, those once-friendly brown eyes locked on me. “I really thought you were on my side.”

Sides?
I thought desperately.
This isn't about sides!
This was about grey areas... about helping the people you loved!

Shaking himself, Roose ducked into his car. Like a series of missiles the cops and him flew down the road. Silver watched me until he was gone.

This isn't happening.
But it was. It fucking was.

Just when I'd gotten my life back, it had all turned to dust in my hands. Clenching my fists, I shivered under the assault of the cool evening air.
What do I do now?

Florian was still standing beside me, as shocked by his boss being arrested as me. His face was pale, his eyes far away.

“He didn't do it,” I said softly.

He blinked owlishly at me. “How are you so sure?”

“I just am.”

My sincerity gave him pause. Nodding slightly, he tucked his hands in his pockets. “He's a good guy, but that doesn't matter. The government always has its cocks up our asses, even if we're innocent. If there's any justice, Kes will beat this.”

Something chipped at the back of my memory. “Right,” I said slowly. “He'll beat this.”

Checking his watch, Florian winced. “I should go back in there,” he said, pointing towards Pure Pleasure. “I mean, in case the cops get a warrant and decide to tear apart everything. People could lose their jobs after this. Fuck, I had a shit ton to do
before
we lost our head-honcho.”

“Wait,” I said. “What should
I
do?”

“You?” He was already walking backwards. “I don't know. I guess go down to the station, or maybe call up a lawyer for him. That's what I'd want if I was arrested.” He offered a sympathetic smile. “Good luck, and see you around.”

A lawyer, that's smart.
“Bye,” I said, not noticing he was too far away to hear me. Silver was going to need someone to defend him. He was innocent—sort of—and a good lawyer could prove that!

Tapping my cheek, I came close to smiling.
Yeah, that's it. I just have to...
Patting my pockets, then my purse, my heart dropped.
My phone!
That was why I'd come back here in the first place!

Facing the building, I jumped the steps two at a time. The doors were dark, I'd seen Silver shutting everything down earlier when I'd shown up. I thrilled with relief to find the entrance unlocked from Florian going back in.

The alarm beeped behind me.
Motion sensors, right.
Silver had shown me how it all worked. Of course, he wouldn't be looking at his phone right now. Or maybe ever again.

In the eerie waiting room, the water cooler bubbled in near darkness. A reddish light by the hallway was the only illumination I had. When I entered the room full of computers, they were all glowing blue. Shielding my eyes, I lifted my chin. There was a rattling sound, wood banging over and over. “Florian?” I asked, spotting him at the top of the stairs to Silver's office.

He spun, his eyes flashing like a raccoon's in the dark. “What are you doing back here?” he asked me, wiping his face.

“My phone,” I said, climbing the steps to join him. “It's still in his office. I really need it.”

“Well, good fucking luck,” he groaned. “The door's locked, and Keswick has the only key.”

The grip of depression started to strangle me. It didn't get far before I remembered what Silver had given me two weeks back. Unzipping my purse, I slid out the spare keys. “One of these might work.”
He said he'd never let me think I couldn't reach him.

The memory of his promise cut through me.

Florian's eyebrows flew to the top of his scalp. “Thank fucking goodness! I didn't know what I was going to do.”

It took a few seconds, but one of the keys clicked perfectly in the lock. Jiggling the door open, I flicked on the nearest lamp. “What were you trying to get in here for?” I asked, scanning the rug frantically. “Paperwork or something?”

Florian ignored me, dropping into Silver's chair. The computer 'beeped' on, his fingers flying over the keyboard.

Crouching, I spotted my cellphone under the couch in the corner. The weight of it in my hand was a relief. Turning it on, I scanned the messages Silver had sent me overnight.

Silver: There's so much I want to tell you.

Silver: So much I want to do with you.

Silver: I want forever.

Silver: I love you, Pet.

Each of them cemented my desire to free him. Living without that man felt impossible.

“Alright,” I said, standing to acknowledge Florian. “I'm going. I need to get to the police station right away.”

He looked up at me briefly. “Yeah, yeah. I've gotta finish some stuff real quick. Say hello to the government cocks for me.”

He'd said that earlier, too. Was that why it was familiar?
No,
I told myself.
I've heard that before, but when?

Rounding the desk, I meant to ask him where he'd heard that phrase. The brightness of the computer screen drew me in like a moth. Several pop-ups were open, numbers flying as fast as Florian's fingers. What looked like timers were counting down. “What the fuck?” I whispered automatically. “What are you
doing?”

He glanced at me, then away. “Nothing, work stuff. Go help Keswick.”

In a black box, white code tumbled by in a waterfall of gibberish. I knew exactly where I'd seen that all before.

Silver spoons for some, government cocks for everyone else.

Cupping a hand over my mouth, I bit back a shout.
Detective Roose!
He'd shown me that phrase mixed in with some cryptic computer vomit in our first interview. He'd called it the hacker's calling card, he...

Florian glanced at me, his fingers pausing on the keys. My horrified face must have given me away. “Shit,” he said.

Backing up a step, I lifted my hands in front of me. “It was you!” Ripping my phone out, I went to dial for help.

Florian jumped up in a panic, knocking my phone away from me. “Shit,” he said again, his hands up in the air  like mine. We must have looked ridiculous.

I moved first, scrambling to get the phone where it had fallen. Florian was all arms, wrapping me up, his palm pushing my cheek to the rug. “Let me go!” I shouted, struggling madly. The phone was inches away from me.
I have to call the cops!

“No one was supposed to find out!” Breathing heavily, he sat on my back. His knee stabbed between my shoulder blades painfully. “Fuck, fuck! Just stay down, I need to stop this!”

Stop what, stop me? I didn't know what he was talking about, but I wasn't going to stay down. I reached back and dug my nails into his ankle. His scream was satisfying.

Florian rocked off of me, enough that I could give myself rug burn as I crawled forward. I grabbed for my phone; Florian shoved me with everything he had, my chest bouncing off of the floor.

The wind was kicked out of me, I gaped soundlessly as I rolled on my side. Panting, he stood over me and kicked my phone into the far corner by the door. Coiling his fingers in my hair, he wrenched me back. My scream was a mere whine, I could barely breathe.

Twisting me into a choke-hold with one arm, Florian yanked me towards the desk. This new angle let me see the screen again. One of the timers was blinking, a red warning that said 'two minutes.'

“Dammit!” he shouted, dropping me on the floor. I hunched there, working to fill my lungs, my gasps ragged. Over my head, I heard him tapping on the keyboard. “Gotta stop it, gotta, fuuuck.”

The timer,
I realized through my daze.
He's worried about the timer.
I didn't know why, but if he was scared of it going off, then I wanted it to happen.

His scrawny legs hung over me. Bunching my muscles, I pulled my knees to my stomach and then kicked them out. Florian toppled, slipping against the rolling chair as he collapsed to the rug. “Augh!” he shouted.

Dizzy, I grabbed the desk's ledge, using it to stand. My phone looked miles away, but I took it step by step. Behind me, he snarled a nonsense sentence of swears and hatred.

Move, get the phone!

One leg gave out, but I landed in arm's length. Snatching my cell, I frantically dialed, rolling to watch Florian looming over me. He was an avalanche, and I had a few mere seconds to speak.

Vermont picked up instantly, his voice clipped. “What now, Alexis? I'm on my way—”

“
It wasn't him!”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

Leaning into the phone, I started to shriek. “It's not Silver—not Keswick! It was Florian!”

“Who the hell is Florian?”

The hacker cracked his fist into my ear. Every color in existence spun in my vision, and I noticed I was looking up at the ceiling.

“You little bitch!” Dropping the phone, he crushed it under his heel. “You really wanted to ruin everything, didn't you?”

The computer made a tiny clicking sound. Florian froze where he was, his face turning ghostly white. I knew that noise was a
good
noise.

Whirling, he ran for the desk. Slamming his palms on either side of the keyboard, he boggled at the screen. The blue light made his face alien. “No! No no no!” Pounding the keys, he scraped his nails over his temples. I'd never seen a person so unhinged.

I did it, the timer went off.

His stare flicked to me, and my joy melted.

“I hope it was worth it.” He stalked towards me around the desk. “Ruining my alibi is the last thing you'll do on this damn Earth.”

Once, five years ago, I'd known the fear of death. It had clung to me the moment Silver had put a gun to my head. Watching Florian approach should have locked me down like that first time.

But I wasn't that girl anymore.

Instead of crumbling into a shaking pile, I forced myself to run for the door. He was breathing down my neck. Wind grazed my elbow; he'd moved to catch me.

I was already bolting down the stairs.

“Get back here!” he screamed behind me.

Taking a hard turn, I plowed around a corner. The throbbing in my head was making me ill. When I burst into a room full of brightly colored sex toys on display, dread became my new companion. This was where I'd been with Silver last night. It wasn't the exit.

In my panic, I'd taken a wrong turn.

His shoes stampeded behind me on the hard floor. Low grunts made him sound like a dragon that planned to eat me alive. I didn't know the full weight of what I'd done to Florian, but he was furious. Deadly.

With a final growl, he shoved into me before I could run again. Toppling against the table, I sent vibrators and other items crumbling to the floor around me.

This is it,
I thought in wonder.
This is how I die.

My eyes blurred, focusing on the texture of the tiles in front of me. The scuffling shoes of my attacker approached, echoing like thunder claps.
I can't give up.
What a strong, useless thought. I was fighting tooth and nail, and still, Florian had broken me down.

But I wasn't done.

Not yet.

“I'll kill you,” he huffed, finger-tips digging into my shoulder. “I never planned to hurt anyone, but fuck if you haven't changed that, you dumb bitch.”

Spinning, I swung at his temple with the full strength of every bad thing that had ever happened to me behind it. The edge of the heavy metal base on the toy cut into his skin, colliding off of his skull.

Florian toppled to the ground in a giant heap.

Breathing in great swallows of air, I stared down at him savagely. My grip on the big red dildo was bone-white. I'd done it. I'd actually done it. For the first time in my life, I'd faced down someone trying to hurt me...

And I'd
won.

“Here,” I mumbled, tossing the toy so that it bounced off of his temple. “Have one of those cocks you won't shut up about.”