Indebted - Piper Stone Page 0,44

of my office, heading in the direction of the stairs, my mind still foggy. I had to give the girl credit. She’d managed to make it down and was headed into the main portion of the house, her long legs allowing her to get a significant head start.

As she flew down the long corridor, she looked back only once. Sadly, she should have known there was no chance for escape, every door and window wired with a specially designed security system.

“Alessandra. Stop. Now.”

She ignored my command, darting through one of the rooms in an effort to dodge me. She’d obviously paid attention to the layout of the house when she’d been brought in, the shortcut leading her straight to the front door.

I slowed down, sneering as I heard her frustrated voice only seconds later as she attempted to make her way outside.

“There is nowhere for you to go, my sweet girl,” I said, my tone huskier than normal. Her actions had aroused me, much more than I would have thought. As I entered the foyer, she took off running away, the quick glance in my direction full of anger as well as trepidation. I could tell she was headed for the kitchen, likely in an attempt to secure a weapon.

I slowed down even more, running my hands through my hair. She was a definite handful, in need of significant training, which would require extensive time. Time I didn’t have if I wanted to keep my proposed schedule.

“I will give you one opportunity to come to me. If you do not, your punishment will be much more severe.” I heard nothing for a few seconds. When her cry of pain filtered into my ears, I took off running once again, scooping her into my arms. “Are you all right?”

Alessandra winced, immediately struggling although blood trickled from a cut in her foot. I stormed out of the room, stomping on remnants of the broken glass. She pushed her hand against me, her breathing shallow. “Let me go. Please.”

“You are hurt.” A wave of anger blasted through me. I’d been a stupid fool to leave the glass unattended.

“I’m sorry, sir. She jumped me as soon as I entered the room.” Mandy’s expression was one of horror, her face pale as she wrung her hands. The girl had worked with me for years, yet I know little about her.

“It’s fine. I’ll take care of this.”

Mandy nodded, staring down at the trailing blood as I passed. “I’ll clean everything up, sir.”

“No need. Just take the rest of the day off. Have the others leave as well, with the exception of Kito. Ask him to remain at the front.” I rubbed Alessandra’s head, finally tangling my fingers in her hair when she refused to stop fighting me. The security I used was well trained; those who’d spent time in the military or Special Forces. Kito was the best, a man I knew I could trust not only with my life but with keeping secrets.

I could see the heavy anxiety filtering into Mandy’s mind, the hard questions she refused to ask. Her mouth twisted in frustration.

“It’s fine, Mandy. I can handle things today.”

“Just go, Mandy. He wouldn’t want you to see what he does to me,” Alessandra chided.

I tightened my hold on Alessandra’s hair, yanking just enough to grab her attention. “Please go, Mandy.”

“Yes... Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. See you tomorrow.”

Sighing, I didn’t bother waiting as she walked away before heading toward the stairs leading to my room. I kicked open the partially closed bathroom door, easing her onto the counter before slapping on the light. As I slammed my hands on either side of her, forcing her to lean backwards, her lower lip quivered.

“You were a very naughty girl,” I huffed. “We will deal with that later.” I yanked a towel off the rack, turning on the water and shifting her body until I was able to pull her foot onto the counter.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, one hand slapping the mirror while she fisted the other. “Ouch.”

I gave her a stern look as I lowered my head, studying the injury. While there’d been a significant amount of blood, it didn’t appear the cut was substantial. “Stay still or this will hurt worse.” There was no need for tweezers, the broken piece easy to remove with my fingers, the wound superficial. I continued to chastise my stupidity. I certainly didn’t want members of my staff questioning my sanity or injuring themselves either. “You are lucky. This