Heartless - Jade West Page 0,43

shoe.

Harriet tried to keep me talking. She failed.

Silas tried to talk with me about what happened with Lucian Morelli at Tinsley’s ball. He failed.

I was in the car and heading back to the city with barely a wave of goodbye to them all, letting out a sigh of relief as I slumped into the backseat.

But there it was again.

That paranoia.

I was stupid. Crazy and stupid.

I glanced through the back window, just to assure myself how stupid I really was . . . but it was there again. That same car was following us back towards the city.

It was then that I realized I wasn’t being stupid at all. Of course I wasn’t being stupid. The Power brothers were coming for me, for real this time. My days of giving them the brush off were coming to an end, and I was done for. This time I’d be truly done for.

I should be happy. Finally. The people who’d end my world.

So why was I terrified? Why was I terrified of giving my last breaths to anyone other than the evil god who should be the last person on earth I wanted to give them to?

I wanted to give them to Lucian.

I dashed out of the car as soon as the driver pulled up outside my tower, not even giving him the time to open the door for me. I was inside and in the elevator up to my suite, barely catching a breath before I was through my front door.

The Power brothers wouldn’t get me in here. Nobody could get me in here, not with all the security on the ground floor.

I checked my diary, and the rest of my week was mostly with Harriet. The Power brothers wouldn’t come after me around Harriet, that would be striking too much of a blow against my family to risk the comeback on that score.

I was so churned up thinking about the Power brothers that I jumped in my seat when my cell sounded out with a ping. Tristan. It was Tristan.

Still coming on Saturday night? Blue Hawk was great in bed, you know. Hope you can meet him again. Want your approval.

I hadn’t actually liked Blue Hawk that much. He was an arrogant little shit, dangling Tristan by a thread. I did like his support act though. That inspired my reply.

Is hot Stephen going to be there?

The response came within seconds.

Sure is. Hopefully he can keep you distracted from your Morelli fantasies.

He shouldn’t have put that in text form. I deleted it before I replied.

I’ll be there.

At least it was something to look forward to. I had no idea if or when I’d ever see Lucian again before I got taken out by the host of other assholes after my blood, so at least I could enjoy staring at a guy who reminded me of him.

Tristan sent me a reminder of where I was going, and I put it in my diary before I could forget it. Spirit Club. Another dive downtown. Another place I wouldn’t be telling anyone I was going to. At least the Power brothers wouldn’t think to find me there.

I got into bed, managing another night with no coke to blot out my self-hate. The scalpel was calling me, the craving for the release of slicing my skin was almost harder to resist than the craving of drugs in my veins. I managed to resist them both. Hell knows how, but I managed to resist them both.

Just a shame I wouldn’t be able to resist Lucian Morelli if he ever came for me again.

I hated myself more than ever as I realized I was praying that he did.

17

Lucian

Slipping the tracker inside Elaine’s purse was a bad decision. The bitch was preoccupying me through every minute. I should’ve been satisfied with having her whereabouts at my fingertips, but I wasn’t. I wanted to be hunting her. Taunting her. Scaring her until she hurt.

I told my chauffeur to keep his mouth shut as to where our journeys were taking me, on pain of death. I didn’t need to convince him; he knew I was serious in my threats. Once he was aware of the severity of my demands, he was mine. Twenty-four hours a day, until I told him otherwise.

I knew I’d need him.

I’d been stalking Elaine from the moment she stepped outside the auction that night, tempting myself with fantasies of her pain and fear. I hadn’t so much as ventured close to the Morelli Holdings headquarters on that