Temptation: a billionaire erotic romance (14 page)

“Val,” Serena cried, leaping up from her seat.

Before Ellen could grab her, Serena darted out of the room through the still open door, heading towards the ballroom as fast as her feet would take her.  She flew past the rushing crowds, keeping her mind open and her eyes forward, looking for any sign of Val.  She had to find him.  She had to make sure he was okay. 

She heard the sound of Ellen’s feet behind her and her voice calling after her, but after a few moments, they slowed.  Ellen seemed to realize that there was no way to stop her. 

“Serena, please!”

“Where is she?” she shouted over her shoulder.

“He’s in the garden,” Ellen called, her voice resigned as if she knew there really was no stopping Serena’s run.

Serena wanted to thank her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do anything more than run as fast as she could towards Val to make sure that he was still alive.  She pushed her legs faster and faster, running to the garden as swiftly as possible. 

She pushed through the crowds, finally reaching the entrance to the garden.  There was Val, standing on the grand terrace, surrounded by flames.  Men in fire-safe suits stood around him, working furiously to put out the flames with their fire hoses and anything else they could grab.  People had started crowding around the edges of the garden as the fire was being put out now that the danger was past.

Only half of Val’s face was visible, but when Serena saw it, her breath stopped.  His expression was grim and dangerous, but what she saw when she followed his gaze was even worse.

The flames had started to go down, revealing the fact that the explosions had not been random at all.  Rather, they had been placed carefully around the lawn so that the mansion would remain unharmed but the garden would be burned to a crisp.  Then, trails of what smelled like gasoline had been poured with care into a design. 

As the smoke cleared away and Serena approached, the design became more apparent.  It wasn’t a design, it was a message.  She felt her body go cold.

Burned into the lawn of the garden were three words:

7 DAYS.  --- HARLOW

*****

Val caught sight of her, his grim expression turning to one of concerned worry.

“Serena,” he bellowed, throwing his hand back to shield her against the heat of the roaring flames.  Her wide eyes stayed fixed on the words burning into his lawn, the previously lush greenery browning and curling into a dead warning.

“Val, I had to,” she cried.  “I didn’t know if you were lost or hurt or—”  She was about to say dead, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.  The idea was too painful.  “I had to know!”

“I ordered you to go with Ellen,” he said, his voice furious.  “And you disobeyed me, despite my direct commands.”

“But Val—”

“Serena,” Val growled.  “I told you to stay away.”

“I can’t!  Not with you in danger like—”

“Serena, you are
not
to disobey me.” 

He grabbed her arm then, shoving her back. 

Serena’s eyes widened at first, shocked that he would be so violent towards her with no warning.  She grabbed her wrist, rubbing the red spot that had been left by his strong grip.

But then her head turned and she saw it: he had shoved her away from the flames that were slowly creeping towards her through the wooden gate that surrounded one of the pathways.

Her breath caught.

“I’m sorry, Val,” she murmured.

“Sorry isn’t going to save your life if you walk straight into something like this,” Val roared.  “I told you to stay away!”

He threw his arms up, his wide eyes looking out into the flames.  He pointed at them, barely suppressed even by the army of firemen that were gathering.

“Do you have any idea how dangerous it is here?” he said, whirling on her.  “What if those had been real, deadly bombs instead  of just a threat?  What if they had decided you were a good target?  For fuck’s sake, Serena, do you realize how much danger you’re in when you act like this?”

“Please, Val,” she said in a small voice.

“Ellen!” he called.  “Take Serena to my room.  Do not let her out until I arrive.”

Val turned to the guards who were rapidly collecting with firemen and other emergency services, ordering them from place to place.  Serena wanted to reach forward and touch him, to ask if he really was furious with her, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. 

She wrapped her arms around her chest, suddenly cold despite the heat of the flames.  It was a coldness deep within her chest, something that chilled her to the bone no matter how hot it was outside.

“Come, Ms. Nicoletti,” Ellen said softly, touching her shoulder.  “I think it’s best you come with me, dear.”

“But is he—”

“He’s safe,” she said, pulling her away.  “Now come.  He’ll be with you in a few moments, and you’ll be able to speak then.”

Ellen took her to Val’s room.  She pulled her out of her singed clothes, finding her the black silk robe that Val had worn earlier.  Serena slipped it on numbly, unable to enjoy the delicious feel of the silk against her skin.  Val’s face haunted her.  His grim expression remained in her mind even now that she was safe in his bedroom, away from the flames.

An hour later, the doors opened quietly.  Val walked in, his tuxedo still smelling of smoke.  Serena watched him silently as he poured himself a drink, swallowed it in one gulp, shivered, and then poured another.  She tightened the fleece robe around herself, the cold still chilling her even with the constantly smoldering presence of Val right in front of her.

After a few moments, Val turned to her, his expression soft.

“Serena.”

“Val, I’m so sorry,” she babbled, her emotions pouring out of her like the scotch that Val was constantly pouring into his glass.  “Please, I was so worried about you.  I know it’s stupid, I know that I shouldn’t have done it.  But when I knew you were still out there near the explosions—”

“Hush,” he said.  It was an order, but a soft one.  She closed her mouth, glad that he had interrupted her stream of nonsense before she said something truly dangerous.

Val walked to her and knelt down on one knee.  He held her chin in his hand, tilting her head so that he could inspect it.  He took one of her trembling hands in his, turning it over to examine that one too.

“Are you hurt?” he asked softly.

“No,” she answered.

He continued his examination.  He made sure that every inch of her skin was still unblemished and not a single hair was singed, and when he was finally sure that he was alright, he put her hands down in her lap.

“You shouldn’t have come outside,” he said, standing up.  She could feel it now.  The lecture was coming.  She straightened herself up, bracing for it. 

“I had to,” she said in a small voice.

“And you still shouldn’t have,” he said, his voice louder and sharper.  He loosened his tie, watching himself in the mirror so that his glare wouldn’t go to her.  She saw his jaw clench.

“But I had to,” she answered, her voice’s pitch rising and becoming more urgent.  “I didn’t know if you were dead or alive.  I didn’t know if Harlow—”

“What do
you
know about Harlow?” Val growled.

“I know he’s trying to kill you, and that’s enough.  I know he’s dangerous.  I know that I’ll never forgive myself if I let him hurt you.”

Val sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Serena, there is no way that Harlow is going to hurt me, alright?  And even less of a way that you’d be able to stop him even if he tried.  You need to quit trying to be a hero!  What you need to do is stop putting yourself in danger like this.”

“I just thought….” she said, trailing off as she felt tears well up in her eyes.  Val caught sight of it and winced, suddenly pained, his lips opening to say something but stopping. 

Serena ducked her head and Val sighed. 

“You don’t even know what they want from me.”

“They want you to give up your business,” Serena said.

Val shot her a look, something in his expression changing.  It was suspicion, like Jacques had had, but something more.  And not dangerous, like Jacques.  It was worried.

“How do you know that?”

Serena shrugged, drawing the blankets tighter around her shoulders.  “It was a guess.  It made sense.  Why else would they be after you?  What else would they extort you for?”

“I suppose,” he said, shaking his head.  “But listen, Serena.  This isn’t a game anymore.  Harlow has made that abundantly clear.”  He paused, looking at her once more before turning and around and going to the window.  “I need you to leave.”

Serena’s stomach dropped.

“No,” she whispered.

“This is not a request.  You’re leaving in the morning.  Every second you stay here is another second you’re in danger, and I can’t have that.  I will not have you dying because of me.”

“I can’t!”

“Serena,” he said, rubbing his temples.  “Why on earth do you want to stay here?  Why would you stay, knowing what you know about how dangerous this is?  How dangerous
I
am?”

“You’re not dangerous,” Serena whispered, not quite sure if even she believed the words coming out of her mouth.

Val groaned, turning away from her.  “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

She wanted to protest that she did, that she knew exactly what.  That she knew about his criminal past, that she knew who Harlow was and what he was planning to do.  That she also knew he had changed, and that she didn’t care what he used to be because she loved who he was now.

But she shut her mouth.  She remembered what Jacques had said: if she breathed a word about his past, she would be gone faster than the blink of an eye. 

She didn’t think she could handle that.  Not now.

Instead, she said the next thing that popped into her head:

“Ellen told me about the girl.”

Val furrowed his brow, confused. 

“What?” he said, his tone irritated. 

He took a seat in a nearby armchair, rubbing his temples.  “You’re not making any sense.”

“Ellen told me about the girl with the kidnapped brother.  The one from five years ago.”  She paused, unsure if she wanted to go this far.  But she had to.  “The one you loved.”

Val froze. 

“What?”

Serena crossed her arms over herself, shaking under his heavy gaze.  “Ellen told me about her.  And I’m starting to think that there’s more to what’s going on here than you want to let on.  I don’t think you’re dangerous, Val, but I think you’re complicated.  And I want answers.  I’m not leaving until I get them.”

“Serena,” he growled.  “Unless you’ve forgotten, you are my
slave
, not my therapist.  I’ve given you an order and I expect you to follow it.”

She felt her heartbeat speed up, almost unable to believe her boldness.  But she couldn’t obey him.  Not now.

She tipped her chin up and gave him an even gaze.

“I’m not leaving until you give me answers.”

Val sighed.  He leaned his head back, squeezing his eyes shut. 

“You never make this easy for me, Serena.”

She shrugged.  “You could make it easy on yourself by just telling me already.”

Val stared at her for a few moments, then threw his hands up and his head back, in a sigh of exasperation and giving up.  “Fine.  Fine, Serena.  For fuck’s sake, you’re the most demanding slave I’ve ever had.  Sometimes I wonder which one of us is the master here.”

That made her a little proud, but she’d never let that on.  She struggled with her next question in her mind, trying to figure out how she could word it.  But instead, something more pressing kept insisting itself upon her.  She couldn’t avoid it.

“You loved her,” she said, unsure why that sentence made such an impression on her.

“I didn’t love her,” Val said, rubbing his temples. 

“Then what?”

“I was obsessed with her.”

Serena gave him a look, and he sighed again.

“Not like that,” Val said, standing up.  He went to her and sat down on the bed beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder.  His touch was electric, causing invisible sparks wherever his flesh made contact with hers.  “I was obsessed with her because Harlow was obsessed with her.  He wanted her, and she didn’t want him.”

“Back when you were partners?”

He snorted.  “I suppose you could call it that.”

“And then what happened?”

“She came to me for help, and I agreed.  When Harlow took her brother—as I presume Ellen told you—she couldn’t just leave him behind.  She tried to save him, and she failed.  Harlow murdered the both of them.  I couldn’t forgive myself for failing to stop him, and I became obsessed.”

The last sentence hung in the air for a few moments, growing between them.  Serena resisted the push she felt to the truth, but it came ever stronger, and soon she knew she couldn’t avoid it any longer.  She had to bring it out.

“I have a kidnapped brother,” Serena said softly, feeling as if she knew exactly what was coming next.

Val’s face was unreadable.

“I know,” he whispered.

The night was dark, clear, and silent between them, leaving nothing to hide behind.