Control (23 page)

“Fuck!” 
Alex’s face twisted in rage and he pulled at his hair from the frustration.

Detective
Troy didn’t react to Alex’s outburst, except to turn her head slightly in his
direction and state, “Mr. Simmons, I’m going to need for you to contain your
composure while I speak with Ms. Stone.  If you continue exhibiting
excitable behavior, I will have you escorted out of here.”

Alex
stilled.  I was most impressed with Detective Troy’s authoritative
demeanor and I regretted that I didn’t have paper and pen easily accessible at
the moment so that I could take notes.  Unfortunately, I had bigger issues
to worry about at the moment; like the fact that I was being cornered into
staying with Daemon.

Keeping
his temper under control, Alex turned to Detective Troy. “How do you know my
name?”

“It’s my
job to know the name of every person who contacts Ms. Stone until Mr. Baxter is
caught.”  Detective Troy eyed Alex, daring him to retort.  I was
really starting to like her.  If the circumstances were any different, I
believe Detective Troy and I could have been good friends.  She was calm,
collected, and didn’t put up with any person’s drama.  Those were
admirable attributes.

Alex
stepped away from the bedside and began to quietly pace the back of the
room.  Detective Troy and Daemon stared down at me awaiting my response as
to what I planned to do.  I wrestled with indecision and it irritated me
to no end that Daemon was correct in what he had said.  It would be stupid
of me to return to my apartment while Chris was running around free.  I
contemplated whether I could go to the Center, but quickly dismissed the idea
when I realized it could possibly be dangerous for the people that stayed
there.  My only option was to stay with Daemon. The idea of allowing him
to win this argument was grating on my nerves.

“Fine,
I’ll stay with Daemon until Chris is caught.”  Alex ceased his pacing at
my words.  His gaze remained trained to the ground and his jaw continued
to work over itself as he considered his next words.

“Paige,
I’ll see you around.  I’m going to go check on Annie and David and
go.”  Alex didn’t look at anyone as he strode out of the room.  I
wanted to call after him, but I couldn’t talk to him with the audience
currently standing in my room.

I
returned my attention to Daemon. “Like I said, I’ll agree to stay at your
place. But I have conditions that I will speak to you about in private.”

Detective
Troy must have taken the hint because she nodded once and said, “Good. Now that
we have that issue resolved, I’m going to return to searching for Mr. Baxter. 
If you see him, or he contacts you in any way, you are to contact me
immediately.”  She reached into her folder to pull out a card to hand to
me.  “There are three numbers on that card where I can be reached. 
If none of those work and you are in immediate need of help, I encourage you to
call the emergency line.  This is a serious situation, Ms. Stone, and I
hope that you will conduct yourself appropriately in light of the
circumstances.”

I
nodded my head in understanding before Detective Troy turned to leave. 
“Have a good day, Mr. Pierce and Ms. Stone.  I’ll be in contact if I
discover any additional information regarding Mr. Baxter.  I must warn
you, sometimes finding people can take time.  It will be best for you to
secure Ms. Stone’s apartment and gather as much of her things as you can to
take with you.”

She
exited the room without waiting for a response. 

“Conditions?”

Daemon
gazed down at me with amusement in his eyes.  My shock at his sudden
change in demeanor was evident and he chuckled.  Once again, the bastard
chuckled.  His inability to hide his enjoyment of having won that battle
was annoying.  I wasn’t going to make this easy on him.  My
determination to remain independent of him was fierce, but I had to succumb to
the fact that he succeeded in getting his way.  And damn if he didn’t have
that arrogant smirk back on his face.  I was torn between slapping away
the expression and grabbing his face to crash my lips against his.  The
odd lighting in the room caressed his face in such a way that every smooth edge
of his cheekbones and strong jaw was accentuated and defined.  My desire
to reach out and run my palms against the stubble on his skin was almost
irrepressible.

“Yes. 
Conditions.”  My sigh was heavy and I stated my demands. “I won’t stay in
your room, number one.  I’ll stay there as a guest, but we’re not playing
house or anything like that.  I’ll also be paying you rent for the time
period that I remain there.  I don’t take handouts, so I want to
contribute to any added expenses.” Daemon opened his mouth to argue, but I cut
him off. “Also, I’m not agreeing to stay there because
you
told me I
have to. You’d better get the idea out of your head that you have any say in my
decisions.”  I glared up at him at that last part.  There was no way
I would allow him to think that he had any authority over my life.

Daemon
remained quiet and still for a few moments.  His eyes never left mine and
his expression openly challenged what I had just stated.  His lips began
to curl at one side and a dimple popped out on his cheek.  The crystal
blue orbs that stared back at me twinkled with his mischief and he leaned down
closely to whisper in my ear.  His hands came up to brush down the
traitorous bumps that gave away his effect on me.  My heart pounded and
the increased tempo of the beeping machine behind me caused my cheeks to
redden.  His eyes flashed to mine as his body shook from his silent
laugh.  He knew exactly what he was doing to me and it irritated me
greatly that I couldn’t hide it better.

His
voice took on a seductive and low timbered quality as he whispered, “Think what
you want, Damsel.  The end result is that I’ll have you at my place and I
get to watch over you.  I’ve achieved what I wanted.  But don’t think
that I couldn’t have convinced you otherwise…” His lips were dangerously close
to mine.  My body trembled at his proximity.  The feeling was
staggering considering I was still sitting in a hospital room.  No matter
how I tried, I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his sculpted mouth. 
Memories of the things those lips had done to me was heating my body and
tightening my muscles.  When his scent hit me, I was almost completely
undone. I leaned forward to kiss him, but when my lips had only slightly
brushed his, he pulled back just out of my reach.

His
eyebrow smugly cocked over one eye and a sly smile played over his face. “You
can stay in one of the guest rooms and I accept your challenge at not
playing
house
.  I think it will be fun to see who can resist who longer. 
I know how stubborn you are, Paige.  But I also know your weaknesses. Can
you say the same thing about me?”

My
heart felt like it would come through my chest.  Astonishment coursed
through me at how his words both angered me and excited me at the same
time.  How can this man have such a hold over me?  It wasn’t in my
nature to be vulnerable to any person, yet even his words caused my breathing
to labor and my body to still.  My eyes swept over the impression of his
muscular body that was revealed by the thin material of his shirt.  My tongue
darted out to wet my lips and I couldn’t stop myself from reacting at the sight
of him.  He was masculinity exemplified and his body exuded a carnal power
from within.  I wanted so badly to reach out and touch him, but couldn’t
due to this challenge I had inadvertently demanded.  How in the hell was I
supposed to live with him and control myself enough not to tackle him to a bed?
 I was a frenzied ball of hormones any time he was around and now I was
supposed to be living with him?  My frustration increased and I refused to
respond to what he’d implied.  I’d forgotten that while I had been busy
stubbornly asserting my autonomy, he had been studying me, determining my
triggers and dissecting my weaknesses.  I had not been a worthy opponent in
this control game he was playing.  But that was about to change.

“I’ll
go have your door fixed to close up your apartment.  When you are
released, we will go together to get your things. I appreciate that you have
heeded
Detective Troy’s
warning.”  His smile grew brighter and his
eyes crinkled from the movement.  I was fuming.  Daemon had managed
to shift this power struggle to his favor and I had no choice but to go along
with what he was saying.  I knew better than to be ignorant of my safety
and staying at my apartment was out of the question.  The utter suckage of
this situation was bitter on my tongue.

“Fine. 
We’ll discuss rent when we get back to your place.  It’s probably best
that you also see to your bike while you are at my apartment.  The keys
should be in my purse if you are able to find it.”

His
smirk never left his face. He was enjoying this victory and I rolled my eyes
causing him to laugh.  My blood boiled some more.

“I’m
glad you find this amusing Daemon.  You’ll find it a lot less funny when
I’m better healed and I can kick your ass for laughing at me.”  I gave him
my best pointed glare.

Daemon
smiled a heart stopping smile and my breath caught at his bemused gaze. 

His
body shook with his silent laugh.  “Can’t wait”

~

I
packed what little belongings I had with me into the bag.  I was finally
being released from the hospital and Daemon stood silently waiting for me to
gather my things.  After zipping up my bag, I turned to Daemon and nodded
my head towards the door.  He took the bag from my arm and placed his hand
on the small of my back to lead me out of the room.

“I need
to see Annie and David before we leave.”  My voice gave away my
trepidation at seeing my friends.

Daemon’s
expression remained stoic as he led me to Annie’s room.  He leaned against
the wall beside her door as I took a deep breath and pushed my way in. 
The room was barely lit when I entered.  The ambiance was thick and
sorrowful as if Annie herself was projecting her inner turmoil out into this
room. 

She sat
on her bed with her legs bent and held to her chest by her arms.  Her gaze
barely made its way to mine as I crossed the room to sit next to her.  I
was saddened by the lifeless look in her emerald green eyes and the rage that
had been smoldering within began to spark and grow.  Even though I was
also a victim to Chris’ attack, my fury didn’t burn as hot as it did when I
remembered what he had done to my friends.  I embraced the anger, wrapping
it around me like a blanket that would only serve to remind me that I could not
sit idle while Chris was still running free.

“Hey
Annie.”  My voice was whisper soft.  Anything louder would have felt
forced and foreign in the quiet solitude of this room.  “I was released
today and I wanted to stop by and see you before I left.”  It felt lame that
I could not think of more to say to her, but her condition was so fragile, so
unbalanced, that I felt like the wrong word or phrase would be enough to push
her over the edge.

Her
eyes blinked slowly as she processed what I was saying.  Her posture was
defensive and her lack of expression left me wondering if she was mentally with
me in this room.  I placed my hand on hers and wanted to cry when she
immediately pulled away.  Did she blame me?  Had this been my
fault?  Had I been a catalyst for the level of violence exacted against my
friends?

My
heart dropped when Annie neglected to respond.  I feared my presence at
this moment was too much for her, that she wasn’t ready to step back into life
as it had been.  “I love you Annie. I know it’s hard to talk now, but I’ll
keep visiting.  I’ll be here when you are ready.  I won’t leave you
alone in this.”  My voice croaked as I forced back my tears.  She
didn’t need to see me cry.  She needed my strength more than anything
else.  Having nothing left to say, I slowly got up and left the room.

The
rage that had started to come alive and spark at the sight of Annie grew into a
torrid inferno when I walked into David’s room.  His swollen and bruised
face was barely recognizable.  Multiple tubes and cords ran from his body
while his eyes remained closed.  I was nervous that he had yet to regain
consciousness. It was as if the light that animated him had been all but
smothered by the acts of a depraved man.  As I stood staring at David’s
still body, and as images of Annie, huddled and lonely, played through my mind,
a righteous anger built within me.  It was giving me purpose and strength,
a calm and controlled resolve to set things back to right.  I welcomed
this animosity growing within me, it would drive me in my hunt for the man that
hurt my friends.

Despite
the warnings voiced by Detective Troy; despite the watchful eye of an
overprotective Daemon; despite each and every road block that was being erected
before me; I would find Chris and I would deliver him to justice.  Hunting
Chris while living with Daemon wouldn’t be easy.  Daemon had me where he
wanted me and it would take finesse, it would take time, and it would take a
resolute determination to achieve what I had planned.  But I would
succeed.  I had to; there was no other choice.

Daemon
silently walked me out of David’s room and towards the elevator to leave the
hospital. My heart raced anxiously at the thought of what it would be like
staying with Daemon.  I have never lived with a love interest.  I’d
never given up even the smallest part of my freedom to a man; especially not
one as strong-willed as him.  Although he agreed to the conditions I
required as part of my stay in his home, I picked up on an underlying and
unspoken intent on his part to not make it easy on me.  I worried that we
would constantly be bumping heads and stepping on each other’s toes.  I
knew I was walking into a battle that I wasn’t sure I could win.  Daemon
succeeded in our previous battle, but I was determined to be victorious in the
next phase of this game.  I was aware I was at a disadvantage. He knew
more about me than I did about him; but that would soon change.