Chapter 49

Forty-Nine

TOM

I stormeddown the hall of the dance company, hunting for Alexei’s office. Every muscle in my body tensed, ready to confront the motherfucker. If I remembered Alexei well, it was going to be no effort at all to give the prick a lesson. I rolled up my sleeves. Face tense with anger, my teeth almost cracked from the tightness of my clenched jaw.

The hallways were dark, but like a beacon, the dim light from his office guided me right to my prey. I barged in without warning, startling the creep.

“What the— How the hell did you get in here?” Alexei demanded.

“You don’t remember me?” I snarled.

“Do I need to?”

I slammed the door closed behind me.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Alexei asked, standing up from his chair, his gaze trembling with fear.

“We need to have a little chat,” I growled, cracking my knuckles and trying not to dash toward the vermin to crush it under my boot until all that remained was its pulp.

Alexei reached for the desk phone.

“I checked. Security is gone for the night.”

“I’m calling the police.”

“By the time you hit the first number, I’ll be done with you already.”

Alexei pulled his hand away from the receiver. “What do you want?”

“I’m here to deliver a message from Sara.”

Recognition swiftly came back into Alexei’s eyes. The tension in his neck relaxed. He smiled at me mockingly and sat back on his leather chair. “Oh, now I remember you. You’re the boyfriend. The little bitch thinks she can send her bulldog to intimidate me?”

“Watch your fucking mouth, Alexei.”

“Or what?”

“Or you’ll be needing a new set of teeth.”

“You don’t frighten me.”

“You like preying on young girls and their dreams?”

“Is that what this is about?” Alexei laughed, placing his feet up on his desk. “Please, Sara’s dreams were over four years ago when she decided to give up on them.”

“That gave you the right to steal her routine?”

The jerk scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Is that what she thinks I did?” He sighed as he stood and stalked toward me.

Bad idea.

“I gave it life,” he continued. “Sara knows she will never perform on a real stage again. The people she’d be competing against have been training rigorously for years. She wouldn’t stand a chance as a professional dancer out here in this city. She should be thanking me for putting her measly routine up on display for people to see .”

I didn’t move, but my body vibrated with anger. “You didn’t tell her you were planning on making it a number in your production.”

The idiot continued to draw closer. “She wants me to tell everyone she’s responsible for the choreography, is that it?”

I clenched my fists. “She doesn’t want anything from you.”

Alexei’s gaze drifted to my hands, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why are you here?”

My lips twitched with a humorless smile, my eyes sharp as razors.

Seeming to sense my intensions, he began to back away from me. “Hmm, as I see it, all you’ve done is cost Sara her job.”

I cocked my head as I took one step toward him. “Firing her?”

He sucked in a deep breath, puffing his chest. “Gone. That little cunt is never going to find another job working in this city for any dance company. You can tell her that’s my personal parting gift.”

In one breath, I rushed toward him, grabbing him by his shirt, and hauling him off his feet. Still holding on to him, I pushed him backward before slamming his spine onto the wooden desk. Alexei let out a grunt of pain as his bones cracked. His feet tangled beneath him as he struggled to break free. My adrenaline spiked, pushing my anger past the boiling point as I stared at the quivering worm beneath me.

“Let go of me,” Alexei shouted.

“I told you to watch your fucking mouth.”

“Fuck you, asshole.”

“You think you are so slick, don’t you?” I said, gritting my teeth. “Walking around here like you’re big shit, like you’re somebody who should be worshipped or feared. I’ll give you something to fear.” I coiled my right arm and jabbed a fist into Alexei’s face three times before finishing him off with a hook.

By the fourth punch, Alexei’s left eye was swollen shut and bleeding. Several teeth fell from his mouth. I’d busted his nose too.

“You’re gonna pay for that…” he mumbled out of his broken lips.

I grinned and delivered another blow, knocking him out momentarily. Then gripping him by the collar, I lifted the asshole to his feet, his head wobbling. My breath inches from his bloodied face, I said, “Looks like you’re going to need a new set of teeth after all. How’s that for a parting gift.” I let go of him then shoved him back against the desk.

I opened the door to the office, but before leaving, I looked back at the slumped form hunched over the desk. All Alexei could to do was hold his broken face. “One more thing, Alexei. If you ever lay your hands on her again, I’ll kill you. That’s a fucking promise.”

* * *

I jumped back into the car and quickly put it in drive then peeled off. When I arrived back at the apartment, adrenaline still raced through my veins. Sara screeched when she saw my bloodied hand.

“You’re done with that place,” I told her as I plopped on her couch.

She sat next to me, her hands on her forehead. “Oh, my God. What did you do?”

“I handed in your resignation.”

“With your fist? Christ, Tom.”

“He hurt you. He’s lucky he’s still breathing.”

“What if he decides to report this to the police?”

“He won’t if he knows what’s good for him.”

“But what if he does?”

“He does. I don’t care. Not the first time I’ve punched a guy. He deserved it. I’ll do it again if I have to.”

Sara’s body trembled, her eyes wide with dread. “I’m worried about you. What if he retaliates against us? Against you?”

Seeing her so shaken made me realize I hadn’t given the situation much thought. There could be repercussions to my actions, and I didn’t think about how this could affect her. I leaned closer, letting the fire in my blood simmer down. “Baby,” I said, caressing her cheek with the fingers on my uninjured hand, “there’s nothing to be frightened about. I will make sure nothing happens to you.”

She took my bloodied hand and cradled it in hers. “Look at your knuckles. You could have been seriously hurt.”

I chuckled. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

She peered up at me. “What about Alexei?”

“He’ll need to see a plastic surgeon. Probably won’t be showing up to work for a couple of weeks.”

Sara shook her head, puffing out a breath. “I guess now I have a bigger problem.”

I leaned back on her couch. “What’s that?”

She shrugged. “Finding a new job.”