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  Immediately she turned to face the stairs and screamed, “DRAKEN!”

  Nikolai was on her in an instant and clamped a large hand over her mouth as she attempted to scream again for the elder of the brothers.

  With her plea muffled, Nikolai spun her to face him, one hand covering her mouth while the other again searched for the slit in her skirt as he roughly forced her back on the stairs. His angry lips were now ravenously kissing her tear-soaked face.

  Horrified, she struggled knowing she was no match for Nikolai’s strength or size. Just when she thought that there would be no rescue, Nikolai’s body was violently ripped from atop her. Rolling to her side and wiping blood from her lip where Nikolai’s forceful mouth had cut her own, Lucia looked up to see Draken in a rage. The monstrous Nikolai from moments earlier was now a cowering little boy.

  “Brother please! She asked for it,” Nikolai pleaded as he tried to scramble from his brother’s reach.

  Grabbing Nikolai by the front of his shirt, Draken slammed him against the wall and wrapped a vice-like grip around his throat.

  Nikolai attempted to plead his case before giving up on the futile effort in exchange for attempting to suck in gulps of air.

  Hearing Nikolai’s desperate gasps, Lucia rose from the steps and stumbled her way to where the men stood. Draken in a silent rage was slowly squeezing the life from his brother.

  Nikolai’s eyes were blood shot and bulging from lack of oxygen. He frantically gasped for air while kicking and trying to pry Draken’s hands loose.

  Lucia grabbed Draken’s arm, “Draken, stop! You’ll kill him, STOP!”

  Draken released his grip on his brother and spun on Lucia with the same vehemence. His eyes locked on her throat and he reached for her.

  Lucia gasped and flinched in fear as her hand rushed to cover her throat.

  When Draken froze, Lucia shook her head. “What is wrong with you people?”

  Draken was motionless for a moment before his shoulders slumped and he crossed to sit on the bottom stair as Nikolai floundered, coughing on the floor.

  Lucia trembled in disbelief. Silently she turned her back on the brothers. Slowly and painfully she climbed the stairs as quickly as she could, desperately needing the safety of her room.

  Just as she crested the first landing, she heard Draken tell Nikolai, “That is the last time you make a mutiny among my guests. Tonight you leave and if you ever return Nikolai I’ll make you wish you hadn’t.”

  Once in her room, Lucia tried to control her breathing as she leaned against the door. Looking at her reflection from across the room in the dressing table mirror, she saw that her lips were bright red where blood seeped from the cut Nikolai had caused on her lip. Her hair was disheveled, and she stood holding the front of her gown as it had been ripped during the struggle and the only thing holding it in place was her hand. Still shaking, she crossed to the dressing table where she grabbed a tissue and wiped the blood from her lips. Using the same tissue, she rubbed her tear stained face in an attempt to regain her composure. Her heart nearly stopped when she heard her door open.

  Afraid it was Nikolai, her body tensed preventing her from spinning in her chair. Relief eased her tension when she saw Draken enter.

  He crossed to the dressing table as Lucia rose and turned to face him. With concern, etched on his face, he peered down into her eyes as he gently grabbed her shoulders, “Are you alright?” he whispered.

  She opened her mouth but no words came. Instead, she simply leaned into the safety of his arms and wept, and he held her without saying a word. Lucia reveled in the safe harbor of his embrace, listening to the steady beating of his heart.

  After what seemed an eternity, she pulled back slightly and looked up at him. She attempted to slow her breathing so she could say something but never got the chance.

  Draken bent and kissed her softly on the lips tenderly pulling her closer to the warmth of his body. She didn’t fight relenting to his gentle assault. After several minutes, Draken was the one to pull away his look changing from desire to anger. “You’ve made me question my hate even though you are the lover of my enemy, and now you’ve cost me my only brother. You’ve become more trouble than your worth. I think it’s time you leave.” Pushing her away, he strode from the room without another word.

  ***

  What in the hell is wrong with me? Draken stormed into his office and slammed the door behind him. He was still shaking with rage. He should have known better than to invited Nikolai home with Lucia on the estate. He knew his brother well and he cursed himself for having left Lucia alone for even a moment while Nikolai had been home. His jaw ached from clenching his teeth so tightly together. He drew in a sharp breath and expelled it just as quickly, spearing a hand into his dark hair.

  His brother had been deplorable at dinner…downright embarrassing. Worse, his interest in Lucia had Draken burning with a jealous rage all through dinner. When he’d found Nikolai actually assaulting Lucia, he’d lost all control. How dare he touch what’s mine!

  The thought was sobering. Lucia wasn’t his, yet he’d reacted as if she had been. Damn woman. She was playing with his head and it was having dire consequences on his heart. He wanted her and he knew he shouldn’t. She belongs to Warren. Funny though, she didn’t seem the type to tolerate the absurdity and self-conceit that was Warren Reed.

  It had been weeks and Warren hadn’t come for Lucia; worse, he hadn’t sent anyone else for her either. His plan of using her to get information from Warren obviously wasn’t going to work. Now, she was just confusing matters and putting him off balance.

  Guilt tore through him when he remembered how he’d nearly crushed Nikolai’s wind pipe. He’d sent him away and threatened him not to return. Draken’s head fell back as he frowned at the ceiling. For someone who didn’t enjoy being alone, he sure knew how to end up that way often. He let his head fall forward. She’s gotta go.

  Chapter 8

  Early the next morning, Lucia sat on the bed in her room. She had bathed the night before to rinse the stench of Nikolai’s whiskey breath from her skin, but that didn’t deter her from indulging in a warm morning shower.

  Wearing a bathrobe and brushing her wet hair while staring aimlessly into the distance, she barely heard the knock that rapped lightly on her door. The door opened before Lucia could say anything. Her stomach ached with eager anticipation to see Draken. She wanted to discuss the kiss they’d shared.

  Patrick entered the room in his typical somber style. Clearing his throat as he usually did before he turned toward Lucia, “Mr. Shatan has arranged for your return home this afternoon. The car will be round to pick you up at 11:30. Mr. Shatan welcomes you to take the clothing and personal articles that were purchased for you during your stay with us. I’ll leave you now to dress and I shall send the maids to assist you with your packing and to serve a light breakfast.”

  Lucia didn’t move from her original position on the bed, disappointment settling like a stone in her belly. She wondered how and when she had changed her mind about wanting to go home. Leaving now with so many questions left unanswered was something she wasn’t prepared to do. Her fingers came up to her mouth and traced her lips as she remembered Draken’s kiss.

  Three and a half hours later she was escorted into the back seat of a sleek black sedan. She had no luggage as she opted to take none of the items that Draken had purchased for her during her stay.

  She settled into the back seat and Patrick bid her a stoic farewell then closed the door. As the sedan pulled away, Lucia was oblivious to Draken standing behind the curtains in her room watching her depart.

  ***

  Sitting on her plain blue sofa with a glass of iced tea in her hands, she gave Warren a disgusted look. “Warren, what I’m saying is that if you cared so much about me you would have come for me. You claim not to know where Draken lives, but he’s your rival and I know for a fact that you have Kennedy keep track of your opponent’s whereabouts.”

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p; Exasperated, Warren continued his nonsensical line of logic, “So maybe I do know the whereabouts of his estate, but it was probably safer for you that I didn’t try to rescue you. He would have probably killed us both. The important thing is that you made him believe we were more than friends. You did, didn’t you?”

  Lucia’s look turned from one of annoyance to one of hurt.

  Seeing the change in her expression Warren continued, “Lucia,” he pleaded as he sat down next to her and grabbed her hand, “You’re right I should have come”. He backtracked, “I’m sorry I didn’t, I’m sorry about the accident, I’m sorry about a lot of things, but you know you are like a sister to me and I love you.”

  During her stay at Shatan Manor, Draken had planted seeds of doubt in regards to Warren’s character, now Lucia was beginning to see Warren’s true nature for herself. “Why is it so important that Draken believe we’re lovers? You said he’d probably kill us both, but I was there for weeks and I honestly don’t believe he’s that type of person. None of this makes any sense.”

  Now it was Warren’s turn to look hurt, “Did you fall in love with him?” Warren stood and walked to the window.

  Grateful for his turned back, Lucia was relieved the flush that crept to her cheeks quickly disappeared, “Of course I didn’t. I was held against my will. He treated me well in regards to assisting with my wounds from the accident, but I was literally locked in my room and they refused to let me leave.”

  Turning from the window, Warren gave her a doubtful look, “Why did he let you go? What happened to change his mind?”

  Not wanting to go into the details of the night prior to her arrival back home, Lucia changed the subject, “What happened? The wreck I mean…why…how did it happen? I’ve been going over it and over it in my head and it doesn’t make sense. Kennedy hit her brakes on purpose. Directly in front of me she intentionally stopped. It was like she wanted me to wreck.”

  Immediately Warren looked down at his watch as he made for the door, “We’ll discuss this some other time; I’ve got a business meeting.”

  Lucia stood to protest, “Warren! Wait, I need answ…” Her words were cut off as Warren closed the door behind him.

  The next few days were a blur of activity for Lucia. She spent days getting her affairs in order and tending to all that had been ignored during her several weeks at Shatan Manor. She paid a visit to her landlord to discuss her missed rent payments, but was relieved to discover that Draken had paid three months rent and made arrangements to have her landlady check on her apartment weekly.

  “That nice gentleman informed us of your accident dear,” her landlady confessed. “We’re glad you’re okay. If you need anything just let us know.”

  Lucia also visited The Firm, a pub where she tended bar for extra cash when she wasn’t racing. They too were informed of her accident and weren’t holding her accountable for missing any shifts.

  Returning to her apartment she opted to call Warren straight away. She still wanted answers about the wreck and Warren’s need for Draken to believe that she and Warren shared an intimate relationship.

  During their previous conversation, Warren had only succeeded in leaving her with more questions than she’d already had. She quickly dialed his number, but was disappointed to hear the ‘This phone is out of the calling area’ message. She wondered where Warren could have gone that would put his phone out of service.

  Alone in her apartment, her thoughts shifted to where she ought to begin to re-claim her life that had been placed on hold for the past several weeks.

  Flopping down on the couch, she stretched out in her black lounge pants, faded white t-shirt, and socked feet. Her thoughts crept back to the kiss with Draken. She quickly jumped up and busied herself with straightening her apartment in an effort to shake the thoughts from her memory. It seemed that every free moment she had, her mind went back to that kiss and the memory excited and unnerved her. Then an idea struck her.

  Lucia crossed her small living room to pick up the black cordless phone she had placed on an end-table only moments earlier. She dialed Kennedy’s number, resolved to get answers to some of her questions once and for all. After several rings, the operator informed Lucia that the number was no longer in service. Thinking she’d dialed the wrong number, she dialed again more carefully and received the same message.

  Confused, Lucia quickly dialed the number to the Crazy Eights Club, an underground gambling establishment that Kennedy owned. The operator came on-line with the same message, “We’re sorry, the number you dialed is no longer in service.” Perplexed, Lucia grabbed her sweater from the back of the couch, slid on her black tennis shoes, and made her way down her apartment stairs to the street below. Her mobility was much improved, and while she wasn’t as quick as she would have liked, she was relieved to now be able to walk without use of her cane.

  Hailing a cab, she was anxious as the cab traveled the seven blocks to the Crazy Eights Club. As the taxi pulled up in front of a professional building several stories high, Lucia paid the fare and exited the cab. Waiting until the taxi pulled away, she strolled the length of the building until she came to the alley, then she quickly walked down it to the filthy red door at the back of the building.

  She knocked and turned to face the camera that was on an opposite wall. The red light, usually aglow to indicate operation was dim and no answer came to her knock. Pounding harder, Lucia listened to see if she could hear the bump of the music usually played loudly within. Her fist pounding was greeted with silence.

  She pulled her cell phone from her sweater pocket and quickly dialed Vinnie’s number. Vinnie was the fourth member of Team Cutlass. Vinnie’s number was also no longer in service.

  Lucia attempted to twist the doorknob, but was disappointed to find the door securely locked. Frustrated, she pounded the door hard before the pain to her hand finally forced her to stop.

  Stuffing her hands into her pockets, she opted to walk the seven blocks back to her apartment giving her time to think things over, and giving her body some much-needed exercise.

  Where the hell is everyone? When she’d returned from Shatan Manor, there were no messages on her cell phone or on her home's answering machine, which wasn’t unusual, but she wondered why Kennedy and Vinnie hadn’t called if they were leaving town, or at least to check on her welfare. Vinnie and Kennedy were a couple when Lucia had first met them. Warren had recruited them shortly after he’d decided to start team Cutlass. She wasn’t friends with either of them. Instead, the relationship was more of a business venture. They would call each other to share ideas about upcoming races or to inform each other of issued challenges, but aside from racing together, they spent little time socializing.

  Warren was the exception; he often called Lucia or stopped by her flat to check on her. He was her closest friend. Her admiration and affection for him blossomed into what they both described as a brother/sister relationship. Perhaps that’s why she was so disturbed by his wanting her to make Draken believe that they were lovers. Honestly, she’d never thought of Warren in that manner…well, maybe she’d crushed on him a little at first.

  Warren’s reasoning was that Draken believing they were lovers would keep her safe. But why? She’d come to her own conclusion that Draken wasn’t the dangerous monster that Warren wanted her to believe. While at the manor, Lucia made no comments that would lead Draken to believe that she and Warren were an item. He already had that idea in his head when she’d awaken from her drug-induced sleep the first night. She wondered now if she should have corrected his assumption.

  Turning the corner on her block, Lucia’s thoughts were rattled back to the present as she spied Warren’s car parked in front of her building. She quickly walked the length of the sidewalk to her apartment.

  Chapter 9

  Warren wasn’t in his usual spot sitting on the stairs waiting for her, so she pulled her keys from her pocket to see if he’d let himself in with her hide-a-key. She was disappointed to discove
r he wasn’t in her apartment either. She left her apartment to climb the stairs to the second floor then the roof garden, but Warren was nowhere to be found.

  Annoyed, she went back down to her apartment and closed the door, leaving it unlocked in case he showed up.

  Kicking off her shoes, she threw her sweater on the back of the couch, and stretched out on the couch with a magazine while she waited for Warren. She lay on the couch in silence for an hour before she finally dozed off.

  Lucia woke to the sound of a siren passing outside her window in the street below. Looking over at the clock on the microwave in the kitchen, she saw that it was four in the morning. She stood and stretched as the magazine that was lying on her chest dropped to the floor.

  She scanned her apartment in the darkness, but there was no sign that Warren had been there. She crossed to the large picture window of her living room that faced the street and looked down below to see that Warren’s car was still parked outside. Not sure where he could be and no longer caring, she bolted the front door before going to her tiny bedroom where she changed into her satin nightgown and climbed between the warm flannel sheets of her bed where she quickly drifted back to sleep.

  She was startled from her dreams by pounding on her front door. Her heart in her throat, she quickly glanced at her clock as she sprang from the bed. 5:15am! Who would be banging on my door at this hour? Her thoughts were interrupted by a second round of impatient banging.

  Frightened and with a thousand thoughts racing through her mind she quickly retrieved the wooden Louisville slugger she kept behind her bedroom door as she stumbled through her darkened room and into the living room.

  Without turning on the lights, she tip-toed to quietly peek through the peep hole. Her heart began racing when she saw Draken Shatan on the other side of the door.

  Nervously, she ran a shaking hand over her hair as she contemplated her next move. Her thoughts were prompted on by Draken’s incessant third round of pounding on the door.