4. Lev

4

LEV

I hate the sound of Elle sobbing almost as much as I hate myself.

I let my anger get the better of me, and it almost cost Elle her life.

If I had never followed that asshole into the bathroom, none of this would have ever happened. I would have caught the fake uber immediately and intervened before she even had a chance to get in the car.

This is what happens. I get so consumed in my own thoughts of Elle that I lose all sense of reason. The desire to keep her safe was so strong that I didn’t consider what would happen if I left her alone at the bar.

I was reckless, and I should have known better.

But then you wouldn’t get to be alone with her.

The thought catches me off guard, and I tighten my fingers on the steering wheel as I try to drown out the sound of Elle softly crying in the back seat of the car.

For so long, I’ve wanted nothing more than to feel her warm body against mine, to hear the soft sounds of her breathing as she seeks comfort in my touches. But never at the cost of her safety.

When I saw that man on top of her, something in me snapped, and I thought nothing of firing my gun. Not that I ever feel remorse when I take a life. I long ago became numb to death. If anything, it thrills me.

After all, I am my father’s son.

But that man never should have been allowed to get so close to her, to put his hands on her bare skin, to feel the soft swell of her breasts with his fingertips.

My jaw aches as I clench it, trying not to picture Elle lying on the bed, half naked and sobbing.

For a split second, I considered putting a bullet straight in his spine the moment I entered the room, but I didn’t want him collapsing on top of Elle and scaring her even more. I had to be methodical in my attack, despite my rage.

He deserved to suffer for what he did, but time is not a luxury I have right now.

Elle sniffs loudly, and my chest tightens.

“You’re safe,” I promise her. “I have no intention of hurting you.”

She’s quiet for a moment, and I fight the urge to reach into the back to take her hand, to offer her some form of comfort.

“Who are you?” she whispers.

No one worth knowing.

“That’s not important. What is important is getting you off the grid.”

“O-off the g-grid?”

I rake my fingers through my hair as I try to think of a response that won’t freak Elle out.

She needs to know the severity of the situation in order to be prepared, but I also don’t want her to frighten her more than necessary.

“Those men were dangerous.” I keep my eyes on the road as I talk. “But not nearly as dangerous as the ones that will be sent out to clean up the mess left behind.”

“Who are you? How do I know I can trust you?”

You can’t .

“You don’t have a choice.”

We’re both silent for a moment. The only sound is the roaring of the engine as I speed toward a cabin near Rye Lake. It’s the only place I can guarantee she won’t be found.

I should know, I’ve been living there for years.

I turn off the interstate. “Do you have a phone or a watch on you? Anything that can be used to track your location?”

“I left my phone at the bar. That’s how I knew something was wrong.”

I frown. “What do you mean?”

“The uber driver… Well, the fake one at least, refused to go back to get it even though we were barely a block away from the bar.”

“Makes sense.”

“Did you know them? Those men?”

“Not personally. What I do know is that they’ve been following you for a while now.”

She gasps. “How do you know that?”

“Because I’ve been following you too.” The words come tumbling out of my mouth before I have a chance to stop myself.

Maybe I shouldn’t have divulged such information, but Elle deserves to know the truth. She shouldn’t paint me as a hero, as a knight in shining armor .

I am nothing but darkness, and she deserves so much more than me.

“W-why?”

I don’t answer, and Elle drops the subject.

We drive the rest of the way to Rye Lake in silence, though my mind is anything but quiet. It’s one of the reasons why I chose to live off the grid for so many years. Being alone in nature is one of the few things that bring me a sense of peace. That and seeing Elle.

It’s why I also keep an apartment in the city, for when I need to stay close by. But all the noise and people put me on edge.

I prefer to be alone, to lose myself in my own darkness, because that way I know I won’t hurt anyone.

I’ve proven that I can’t trust myself one too many times. Yet, I’m asking Elle to put her trust in me.

If I were to hurt her…

I clear my throat. “We’re almost there.”

As I take the hidden turn in the dense forest that leads to the cabin, the sun is just starting to rise. It won’t be long until the mornings are pitch black and ice covers the ground.

If I had my way, Elle and I would still be out here when the seasons eventually change from fall to winter. The cabin is stocked with enough supplies for us to stay out here for weeks, and I would be more than willing to go to the city for extra supplies if she was desperately in need of something.

I would do anything for her.

I put the car in park. “I need you to keep the blindfold on.”

“Why?”

“I’m not going to hurt you. But it’s important you keep it on. ”

“I-I don’t understand. If you’re not going to hurt me, why do I need to keep it on?”

“It’s for your own safety.”

Unbuckling my seatbelt, I climb out of the car and walk around to the passenger side door.

Elle has curled herself up on the leather seat, the black tie still around her eyes as she stares straight ahead. Her arms are wrapped around her body, holding her blouse in place as the buttons were all torn off by that piece of shit?—

“I don’t get it.” She makes no move to exit the car. “If you’re not going to hurt me, why have you been watching me?”

I brace my hand against the hood of the car and bow my head, exhaling deeply.

Elle stays quiet, but I catch her throat bobbing.

I’ve told her enough of the truth. Any more might have her ripping off the blindfold and running into the trees. If she knew how deep my obsession runs, how I’ve been stalking her every move for years, she would never trust me enough to keep her safe.

“You should sleep.” I bend down, reaching around Elle to unbuckle her seatbelt.

Her body tenses as I move closer, but I make sure not to touch her, no matter how much I want to.

Her sweet scent hits my nose, and I bite back a moan as her hair tickles my nose.

“Let me help you.” My voice is thick with need as I gently guide her out of the car. The air is crisp, and Elle shivers as she adjusts her blouse.

I waste no time shrugging out of my jacket and wrapping it around her shoulders. It swamps her, but it’s enough to keep her warm until I can get a fire going inside the cabin.

“I should have offered it to you sooner, I apologize.”

Elle bites her lip as she turns in the direction of my voice.

For a second, I let myself admire her delicate features. The rosebud mouth, the slight dimple in her right cheek.

My fingers twitch with the urge to reach out and cup her face, to trace my thumb over her plump bottom lip.

She shivers, snapping me out of my prolonged gaze.

“Take my hand.”

She gingerly holds up her hand, and I interlace it with my left, trying not to cringe as her fingers brush over the raised scarring.

She makes no indication that she’s noticed, and I exhale.

My body is littered with scars, both on the inside and out. I couldn’t tell the stories behind each and every one even if I wanted to. Igor made sure of that.

Elle tightens her hold on my hand, and I focus on the feeling of her warm skin against mine as I carefully lead her up the steps to the cabin.

There’s a covered porch that wraps around the entire cabin, and I often sit in one of the rocking chairs when it storms, listening to the sound of the rain hitting the roof.

After unlocking the door, I guide Elle inside and close it behind us.

I’ve not been here for longer than a few hours in the past month, but the cabin still smells faintly of burned firewood.

It’s a small space, with a combined living and eating area, with one bedroom and adjoining bathroom beyond the kitchen.

Despite the lack of personal effects, this small cabin has become more of a home to me in the past few years than the enormous mansion I grew up in.

I thought it would feel strange having another person in the cabin, but having Elle here feels so right . It’s as if we’re the only two people in the world, and for a while at least, I can live out such a fantasy.

“The bedroom is just through here,” I explain, even though she can’t see. But I want to keep talking in the hopes of easing her fear.

I carefully lead her across the living area, making sure she doesn’t catch herself on the corner of any furniture.

Elle is quiet as I push open the bedroom door and lead her over to the bed where she perches on the end.

This is just a hiding place. There is no overflowing bookcase or walls covered with pictures of friends and family like there is at Elle’s apartment.

But I don’t need much. Only her.

And now she’s here.

“You can remove the blindfold once I’m out of the room. Not before.”

“Okay,” she whispers, chewing on her bottom lip.

“I’m going to lock you in this room, but I need you to understand that it’s for your own safety. You can trust me. Do you understand?”

She nods, her lips pressed together in a thin line as she sits completely still on the edge of the bed, my jacket pulled tightly around her.

I should leave her to it, but I can’t help taking a second to admire her. I’ve dreamed about having her this close for so long. To have her sleeping in my bed, wearing my clothes…

My hand moves to adjust myself as my cock starts to stiffen in my pants, and I take that as my cue to leave before I make any more stupid decisions.

“Sleep well,” I murmur before slipping out of the room and turning the key in the lock .

Holding my breath, I lean forward to rest my forehead against the door, listening to the sound of Elle finally removing the blindfold.

I want nothing more than to be in there with her, but it’s for the best that I put as much distance as I can between us despite the small cabin.

When she’s close, I lose the ability to think rationally, and I can’t risk her life because of my own selfish need to be near her.

What began as curiosity has turned into something much more serious, to the point where she consumes my every thought. Days go by without me even sleeping because I’m so afraid if I take my eyes off her, something bad might happen.

Tonight is proof of that, and I won’t make the same mistake again.