Chapter 32

Kali

Finishing up in the restrooms, hands washed, I reapply my lipstick in the mirror.

Satisfied, I clip my clutch shut, then exit the restroom, desperate to get back to Wade so I can press myself against his strong body. He makes me feel safe. I'd happily stay in those arms for as long as he'd let me.

Walking along the empty hallway, the muffled sounds of the jazz band plays off in the distance from the ballroom, when an unfamiliar voice from behind me penetrates the air. "Hey."

I stop walking and turn around to be met by Wade's nemesis.

Zane.

Great.

"Having a good night?" I ask, pretending to give a shit, when in fact, I don't care.

"I was until you arrived."

Looks like I've made an enemy. He's not exactly one of my favorite people, but his father pays me well. Very well.

I should apologize.

I don't want to.

Not after he greeted Wade earlier by calling him fuckface, which was rather crass given the elitist company and five-star venue we are in this evening. Not one to judge, I only know Zane from the things I've been told. He's nothing like his father, who is a gentleman in every sense of the word.

When I sent him a message the other night asking for a photo of him as a child in his hockey gear, he instantly replied a yes and then proceeded to ask me out on a date.

Declining, I kept that one to myself. The last thing Wade needs is another reason to break his nose again.

Looking at him now, the surgeons did a good job.

Helps when Daddy has lots of money to make all your problems disappear.

Hands in his pockets, Zane moves in my direction. Face twisted, he's annoyed and obviously drunk. Not a good combination.

"You think you're so fucking clever, don't you?" Slurring words, I can tell he's had more than a couple of drinks.

"I don't think I am. I know I am."

It all happens so fast. He grabs me by the throat, shoving me against the nearest wall, restricting my breathing.

Panicked, struggling to fill my lungs, I drop my clutch to the floor as my fingers clawing at his hands in a desperate attempt to get him to release me.

I try to scream for help, but his grip is too tight, stealing my voice. Black spots dance around the edge of my vision as I fight to get him off me.

"What the fuck do you see in him?" He sprays spit in my face, his breath stinking of liquor.

My pulse takes on a life of its own, adrenaline thrumming through my body.

Wade, please help me.

"I could make you come better than him." He presses himself against me, his hard cock digging into my hip has bile rising in my throat.

I feel like I'm going to pass out, or be sick, as he tries to crush my larynx.

Knowing I'm all alone and have to be my own savior, self-doubt slides in, but I know I have to fight back.

"You think you're so smart but you're not," he sneers. "You might have everyone fooled, but I think you'd like to be Wade's little whore. Am I right?"

I try to shake my head but his grip is too tight.

"I know who you are and what you want." In a moment of insanity, he smashes his lips against my mouth, and I take my shot.

I pull his bottom lip between my teeth and bite down. Hard. I pierce his flesh, the metallic taste of blood flooding my mouth, and he roars out in pain as I hold him there, refusing to let go until he releases his tight grip.

Finally, as he unclenches his hand from around my throat, I let go of his lip, spitting his blood in his face. "I'll tell you who I am." My voice is scratchy, my neck throbbing.

"I am Kali…" I bend my leg and knee him in the balls, making him fold in two. "… Fucking…" I hit under his nose using the palm of my hand and hear a crunch, making him roar out in pain again, howling. "… Roth." I push him over and he falls in a heap to the ground.

"You motherfucking piece of shit." Wade's voice pierces the air as he races over to me, his heavy steps thundering through the corridor.

Wrapping my hand around my tender neck, which I know will be bruised tomorrow, I push out my words to Wade. "You're late. That was six minutes."

"What the hell happened?" Cupping my cheeks with his big hands, his wild eyes roaming my face. "What did he do to you?"

"He made a pass… and he… tried to kiss me… and… he attacked me… my neck." Gasping for air, I'm sobbing now. It's too painful to talk and I crash from the adrenaline rush. I feel vulnerable.

"Where's the blood coming from? Are you hurt?" He thumbs my bottom lip gently, while his nostrils flare, telling me that he's seething.

"It's not mine."

"You broke my fucking nose. My mouth." Zane rolls about on the floor, cupping his hand over his nose, groaning, and crying like a baby.

"She should have fucking killed you." Wade pulls me into his arms, not caring I'm soaking his virgin white shirt in Zane's blood, as he holds me close to his chest. "You're safe now. I'm so sorry I wasn't here." His heart racing in his chest, I use the beat as an anchor to reassure me that I am safe.

Tears run down my face with relief. "I'm okay. You're here now." Snuggling into him, I feel like a mess.

"I'll kill him."

I grab onto his suit jacket to stop him. "Don't leave me."

"What the hell is going on?" Marcus appears, bellowing, witnessing a snapshot of what he thinks happened. "Did you do this, Wade?" He storms the hall, pointing at Zane.

"I wish I had, but I'm not responsible." He peels me away from his chest, revealing the damage his son did. I must look a sight, made worse because I'm covered in Zane's blood. "Your son attacked Kali. She fought back."

Marcus' eyes grow hot with hate that I know is for his son. "You need immediate medical attention, Kali."

"I'm okay," I lie, feeling more than a little sorry for myself. I don't want to go to the hospital. "I just want to go home." And forget about this evening.

"He tried to strangle you." Wade gently brushes the skin over the areas Zane dug his fingertips into.

Looking down at his son, balled up in the fetal position, Marcus's voice sounds sharper than a scalpel when he announces, "I've had it with you. You're off the team for the rest of the season."

"You're lying." Zane's voice is muffled behind his hands.

"It's done. I'm done with you," he roars back.

I gasp. "Marcus, please, you don't have to do that." I clutch onto Wade's bicep to keep me upright. I need to sit down; I feel like I might pass out.

"Don't listen to her. He deserves it. And she'll be pressing charges." Wade looks down at me, checking me over, concern wrinkling the edges of his eyes.

"I'm not pressing charges," I argue.

"You cannot let him get away with this, Kali. What if that were someone who couldn't defend themselves?"

I'm praying I am the only woman Zane has ever done this to. I shake my head, not wanting to discuss it further, and Wade seems to understand.

"We'll talk about this tomorrow. I'm taking you home." In an unexpected move, Wade scoops me into his arms in a bride over the threshold style. The relief from no longer standing washes over me and I drop my head into the nook of his neck.

Panic rolls my stomach. "We need to leave through the back door," I say softly. The thought of anyone seeing me like this is unimaginable. There are reporters here tonight. They'd have a field day if they saw me or knew what Zane had done.

Marcus pulls out his phone from his pocket, and within minutes security is ushering us through the kitchen and out the service entrance of the hotel. Marcus owning the hotel we're in tonight has its perks.

An awaiting limo greets us outside where Wade carefully places me onto the back seat and slides in beside me. Closing my eyes, I curl into him, body shaking.

"I'll call you first thing tomorrow morning." I pry my eyes open to discover Marcus peering through the open door. Worry lining his brow, he addresses Wade, "Please text me when she's home." Then asks me, "Can you call someone to come stay with you tonight?"

"I'll stay with her." Wade whips his dress jacket off to cover me up, swaddling me. He holds me close to his side as if I'm going to disappear into a puff of smoke.

"I bought a house across the street from Kali. I don't have the keys for it yet, but I know the area and the street. She's safe with me." He fusses with his jacket, tucking me in.

A worrisome thought swoops through my brain as quick as a swift bird; has Marcus already worked out we are dating? Wade may not agree with me, but we need to speak to him soon.

Marcus ping-pongs his gaze between us. I wish he'd say what he's thinking. A small smile makes the little lines crinkle around the edges of his eyes. This close to him, I'm only just noticing he wears contact lenses, although he'd look much better in black rimmed spectacles. They would match his black suits he wears daily and accentuate his silver hair and skin tone.

"He's off the team. I am deadly serious about that," Marcus announces, laying his hand on Wade's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. "Look after her. She's my secret weapon."

"Trust me, I know, she just KO'd Zane." Wade sounds amused about that.

"I need to watch the security footage back of you whooping the little shit's ass. Something I should have done myself a long time ago. You have no idea what he's put me through. I've protected him for too long. You're nothing like him, Wade."

He's not. Wade's more special than he gives himself credit for.

Marcus clears his throat and sends us on our way with some parting words, "You may have caused me worry and stress this past year, Wade, but Zane has been a thorn in my side his entire life. Unlike him, you listen to me. I'm so sorry about this evening, Kali."

We don't speak for the rest of the drive home, but Wade holds me, dropping kisses on top of my head every now and again until we arrive at my house where he carries me up the path, through the door and into the shower.

With tenderness, like handling a newborn baby, he helps me undress, stepping into the shower with me, washing the rotten memories of the evening down the drain where they belong.

Afterward, he dries my body, then my hair. Stylists aside, no man has ever done that for me before. In silence, he cares for me, tucks me into bed and slips beneath the sheets, cocooning me with his strong body, protecting me from the outside world.

Realization hits me as I drift off to sleep; I'm not as scared as I was about stepping into the unknown with him.

In fact, I'm not scared at all.