Bitter Black Kiss (22 page)

“She isn’t here.” Molly looked past him, out into the courtyard. Perhaps she couldn’t bear the sight of him either.

“I need to see her.”

Molly’s expression was pinched. Her eyes and nose were red, an indication that she’d been crying.

“Just go away.” She swiped at her cheeks and groaned.

Brody stared at her and ran through the possibilities in his mind. None of them were good.

Molly hiccupped on a sob. “Nicky didn’t come home last night. When she got here this morning, she went straight to bed after she showered. About an hour later, she started screaming.”

Brody stepped into the apartment and gripped Molly’s shoulders. “What happened?”

“She…” Her voice caught on a sob and she looked away again. Her body shuddered in response to the memory.

“What is it, Molly?” Dread filled him. “What happened?”

“She looked like hell.” She gazed up at him and bit her bottom lip. A scarlet flush darkened her cheeks. “She didn’t want to talk about it, but she had scrapes and bruises. It looked like someone beat the shit out of her. There were marks on her throat, Brody.”

Soft sobs shook Molly’s frame. “She left in a hurry this morning. She said she had to get away to clear her head. She hasn’t come back yet and she won’t answer her phone.”

His pulse thrummed. He was close to losing the control he so desperately clung to. His heart twisted and a wave of emotion flowed over him. He removed his hands from her shoulders. “I’ll find her. Do you think she’s at Stone’s?”

She swiped at her eyes with the back of a hand and shook her head. “That's where she came from.”

Brody strode toward the door, murder on his mind.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Someone should be here in case she comes back.”

Molly followed him onto the stairs. “She’s like a sister to me. I can’t wait around and do nothing.”

He dragged in a calming breath. “Tonight's the full moon, Molly. Everyone is agitated and anxious, including Nicole. You'd better sit this one out.”

Molly paled, but nodded in understanding.

“Call me the moment she shows up.”

Brody thundered down the stairs. He dropped into his car with a sense of determination and hope. The secrecy that surrounded Nicole and her actions worried him. If he could find her, he’d help her set things right. And if Stone had hurt her, god help him.

It was a gamble, but he decided to swing by Stone’s house. Nicole might have gone there in search of him if she needed help. He took the long way home which meant he had to pass Bitter Black. Nicole’s car was not parked there. He also cruised past Stone’s sprawling estate. She was not there. Stone wasn’t either, for that matter.

Chapter Twenty-one

Nicole gripped the stair railing and prepared herself for what would come. She knew Sean would be angry and the idea of him losing control worried her. She’d thought about bringing Molly, someone to bear witness after what happened last night, but couldn’t put her friend in that kind of danger.

She spied Aaron’s oily head of hair. He was bent over the pinball machine, swearing at the game for cheating him. She quietly slipped past the employee lounge without him noticing.

Nicole hesitated outside Sean’s door. He spoke to someone in a low, threatening tone. Great, he was already worked up and now she had to face him with more bad news.

She smoothed a hand down the thigh of her jeans and straightened the hem of her light pink blouse. It was better to just get it over with, she decided. She raised her hand to knock on the door.

The men stopped speaking. Sean cleared his throat. “Who’s there?”

Nicole used a hesitant finger to push the door wide. A brown-skinned man with shoulder length black hair turned to stare at her. He looked relieved by the interruption. Sean stood and the man sprung out of the chair.

Sean moved around the end of his desk. Nicole wanted to turn and bolt down the stairs and she was certain he could see it in her eyes. Instead, she summoned all her courage and took a step into the office.

“Now isn’t a good time, Angel.” His smile seemed forced.

Sean was the perfect gentleman this afternoon, but Nicole knew the truth. Now she knew what kind of monster he really was. His deception didn’t work on her anymore. She wouldn’t have bothered with the resignation, but felt the need to face him despite her fear. The crumpled piece of paper looked stark and solid in her hand. She thrust it at him. “That’s okay, I just wanted to give you this.”

His eyes drifted across every scratch and bruise. He lowered his gaze to the document she held. “What’s this?”

It had taken a couple attempts before the words came out. “My resignation.”

Sean’s eyes darkened and an odd grimace shadowed his features. Nicole stood her ground. The other man cast an uncomfortable glance at both of them.

Sean said, “No, I won’t accept it. Don’t do this to me, Angel. I need you.”

“You don’t have a choice, Mr. Stone.” Nicole thrust the paper at him again. “I quit.”

“I’m sorry about last night.” His voice faltered, but he still looked calm and collected. “I lost control. It’ll never happen again.”

She continued to hold the paper out to him.

He turned toward the visitor and growled, “Get out, Dave. The discussion is over.”

The man beat a hasty retreat past them. His hard-soled boots clanged against the metal as he descended the stairs at a breakneck speed.

Apprehension crawled down Nicole’s spine now that she was all alone with Sean. She cast a glance at the stairwell, wishing he’d just take the damn paper so she could leave.

His fingers closed over her wrist and he pulled her toward him. The sheet crinkled between their bodies. Sean wouldn’t allow her to pull away. His grip was still gentle, but firm. His other hand caressed her cheek. He backed her against the door. The memory of their last encounter surfaced in her mind as a shudder raced down her spine.

His mouth closed over hers for a moment, but she refused to allow him entrance. Nicole turned her head and forced him to kiss her cheek instead.

“Let go of me, Sean.” Anger and repulsion churned within her. She jerked her arm away. Her fingers groped for the doorknob, but he pressed a hand against the door to keep her from opening it.

“I’m sorry, Angel. I’ll make things better, I promise. Let me make it up to you.” He gripped her shoulder and forced her to face him again. “Name it, I’ll do it.”

Nicole gritted her teeth. This kind of groveling sickened her. Aaron had used the same crap when he had hit her or verbally assaulted her. And every time, it had worked. Nicole wasn’t so young or naïve these days. She shoved Sean away, but he held tight to her arm.

“What you did was inexcusable.” The sensation of cold fingers tickled down her back. Her expression tightened and her teeth exploded with pain. She gripped his jacket front instead of worrying about whether or not she’d change. “You tried to kill me!”

“But I didn’t! I want you for my mate, Nicole. I’ve wanted you ever since the first time I met you.”

“Stop it. I’m done with your games.”

“Games? You’re the one playing games, leading me on with a flash of leg or a glimpse of tit. You got what you wanted. I gave you the drugs and you slept with Brody. I would have given you anything. Anything!”

Even as her heartbeat thundered in her ears, she did not raise her voice. “Let go of my arm, Sean."

“I should be your mate. Not him.” His fingers wound in her hair and he bared his teeth. “When I take the title of alpha, you’ll be sorry.”

“No.” Her own teeth lengthened. The bones in her face ached, it reminded her of being punched.

He gripped her upper arm. “What are you going to do when you run out of pills?”

“Let go.” She jerked her arm, but he continued to hold tight.

“By the way, Angel. That’s not wolfsbane you’re taking.” His chin stretched and fine silvery hairs sprouted across his forehead. His nose widened and his eyes took on a feral look.

Nicole’s constant urge to change, the unnatural feelings of bloodlust weren’t a product of her own desires or imagination. Sean had doped her, made her feel a false sense of things. It all made sense now.

He laughed again. “Don’t give me that look. Admit that it made you feel wild and free.”

“I thought I was losing my mind!” She shoved his hand away and tried to scuttle out of his grasp. “Why, Sean? Why did you do this to me?”

“The benefits. I wanted to be the one you turned to. I knew you had trouble coming to grips with what you are. I gave you the smallest dosage, just enough to heighten your senses. I wanted you to see what it was like on the other side. I wanted you to need me—only me.”

“You sick bastard.” Angry tears stung her eyes.

“I figured your body would try to change if you were frightened or turned on. The only problem is that Brody kept sticking his nose into my business. He got you all worked up and I wanted to be the one you ran to, not him. I was supposed to be the hero when Tony and Aaron came after you on the beach.”

Nicole couldn’t form words. She stared up at him, eyes full of anger.

“How do you think Aaron managed to find you? He isn’t smart enough to do any of this on his own.”

"You’re insane!" She shoved at his chest, desperate to get away from him.

He gave the hand in her hair a shake and forced her to cry out in confusion and fear. Some of the hair came away in his hand.

“What’s his secret, Nicole? What attracts you to him?” Sean’s breaths were fast and shallow. His eyes were wide, nostrils flared. “Answer me, damn it!”

"You're hurting me!"

“We could have been happy together. Too bad you messed that up. You should learn to mind your own business. Did you tell Brody what you heard?” He spat the words. “Did you go running to him, just like that bitch Amy did?”

 Molly had insisted that Sean was there the night they were attacked. What happened yesterday confirmed it. But the knowledge that he was the one who inflicted all the pain and damage to Amy made her ill. It had to be all over her face.

His lips pulled back from his teeth and he growled, “What did you hear last night? Tell me what you know.”

Nicole’s roots screamed with pain as his fist tightened in her hair. Her fingers tore at his in an effort to escape. “I didn’t hear anything, Sean. Just let me go.”

Sean yanked her head back to expose her throat. He nipped at the underside of her jaw and smiled. “That beautiful mouth of yours is full of lies.” He ran a finger across her pointed ear. “You belong with me tonight, Nicole. We’ll go to the Wild Hunt together.”

Revulsion left an acidic taste in her mouth. “Fuck off, Sean.”

“After I win the title of Alpha, I’ll announce you as my mate.” His lips brushed against her ear in first a kiss, then a whispered threat. “Be careful how you answer. If you don’t do what I ask, I’ll make sure a certain redhead gets close and personal with Tony. You know how much he despises her.”

“Get away from me!” Nicole brought her knee up and smashed his groin. He doubled at the waist and the air whooshed from his lungs. She wadded the letter of resignation and tossed it in his general direction. It rolled past his left shoe. “Go to hell, Sean. I’m done with you and your job. Don’t you dare come around me or Molly ever again.”

Aaron shoved the door open and poked his head into the office. His brows knitted in irritation. “What the hell?”

Murder darkened Sean’s eyes. Nicole didn’t stick around. Instead, she shoved past Aaron on her way out. She stumbled down the stairwell then pushed through the crowded dance floor and didn’t stop until she reached the parking lot.

Nicole’s chest burned with every breath she dragged into her lungs. It took two tries to get the keys out of her pocket and into the lock. She glanced over her shoulder at the building. Sean might burst through the doors at any moment. Or he might send his new errand boy, Aaron, instead.

The lock disengaged and she dropped inside. She twisted the key in the ignition and tore out of the lot. She rummaged through the open purse on the seat next to her and found her cell phone.

Molly answered on the first ring. “Where’ve you been? I’m worried sick!”

“No time,” she said in a frantic, breathless voice. “Go somewhere safe. Go see your mom or something.”

Molly’s voice rose to a shrill tone infused with fear. “What happened? Tell me what’s going on.”

“Just leave the apartment.” She stared at the curved nails of her left hand.

“I won’t leave without you.” Molly’s voice trembled with emotion.

Nicole wouldn’t allow herself to cry, at least not yet. If she started, she might not be able to stop.

The light turned green and the car behind hers honked. She pushed the accelerator. “Fine. I’ll meet you at your mom’s.”

Molly hesitated on the other end of the line, prompting Nicole to say, “Tonight’s the full moon. It’s not a good idea to ride together. Plus, I’m out of wolfsbane.”

“Nicky…”

"Get out now, Molly. It’s not safe for you to be there alone. I have to stop somewhere first, but I’ll see you soon.”

For the fourth time, Nicole checked the address she’d scribbled out, not quite sure she was at the right house. She took note of the landscaped yard and the delicate rose bush that grew next to the front door. Did she have the wrong house?

Nicole peered up at dark windows. Brody wasn’t home. She fought frustrated tears. Had he gone to the Wild Hunt after all?

She supposed she could always call tomorrow, but apologies were best-served face to face. If she didn’t do this now, she might wimp out and never do it at all. Brody deserved an apology; especially after all she’d done and said. She took a deep breath, shut the Mazda’s door and headed up the narrow walkway.

The quiet street was picturesque. Not quite where she would have expected Brody Dunn to reside. The neighbor’s houses were well-kept, all around the same square footage. All were brick bungalow style. No one was on the street or in their yards. Perhaps they knew it would be foolish to venture out tonight.

Her knocks went unanswered. She rested her forehead against the door and squished her eyes shut. “Where are you, Brody?”