Chapter 9

"Anne?" She heard her friend say and almost ran to the door. But the moment she took more than three steps last night's vision roamed in her brain.

I need you, she recalled kissing the vile man and shivered before her knees hit the ground. What I just did? She whispered pulling her hair back. I love you,...Her brain was collecting the last night's events while her friend announced, "Anne,...honey, I am using the key and coming in,"

She looked up to find her blonde friend in a beautiful blue dress but the way Carl dropped her jaw Anne gathered that she was looking like a mess.

"Everything is destroyed. I feel like filth," Anne sobbed with her eyes welling up with tears but was soon engulfed in a tight hug.

"You did nothing wrong. Ok? Forget about it,...Shh,..." Carla said the last part caressing the back of her leather jacket having the viper gang's sign.

Getting into Anne's bedroom Carla arranged the hot bathtub for her and helped her to get in.

"Tyler will never forgive me,..." Anne whispered while Carla added,

"Don't think ok? Don't think..." Carla came to hold her face before whispering, "You had nothing to do with the last night. You got me?" Carla asked making Anne nod.

"I will get some towels for you?" Carla said before leaving her alone. Leaning to her back she tried hard not to think anything. Her shoulders pained like they will come off anytime and she didn't even want to know what exactly they went through last night.

"I,...have accepted you," She recalled his piercing gaze and stoic face before startling to Carl coming in the bathroom.

She silently accepted the towel from Carla and walked out to get into the clean clothes while she heard Carla setting something in the kitchen. Her hair drip and eyes were misty when she came out of her room and walked to the kitchen.

"Take this medicine it will relax you, ok?" Carla passed her a tablet while Anne looked at the sandwiched and bagel before accepting the tablet. She was about to take it when she recalled something.

"You know what? He drugged me," Anne complained making Carla stop in her tracks.

"I...knew but I thought it will help you relax and let you loosen up a little." The words coming out of her friend felt so foreign.

"How could you do this?" Anne asked barely managing a sob that warned to come out.

"I never imagined things turning this way,...I am sorry," Carla whispered,

"You are sorry?...I..." Words seemed to fail her. "I...I agreed to ask for help because you said we can ask for his help...I trusted you...you...you were supposed to stop me."

Biting her lower lip Anne tried not to sob before she managed "...Leave,"

When Anne didn't see any movement from her she got up and walked to the door and opened it for her. "There is nothing that can change it,"

There was firmness in Anne's voice that breaks all of Carla's hopes as she made her way out of Anne's apartment. But soon this hopelessness turned into anger as she dialed for Rick.

"You could have helped her. Then why Rick?... I Hate you,...or will you sell me off too if one of your customers orders someone like me?" She burst out the moment she heard the word, "Hey, honey,"

"Where are you?... I will see you," Rick asked,

"No,...I don't want anything to do with you..."

"I fucking love you, CAR! And, your friend? She is not a kid. She could have said no. It was her choice. You...have done nothing wrong honey,...nothing wrong."

It was as if Carla wanted to hear these words and break into sobs.

"I will pick you up, fine,...and we will see what we can do for your friends," Rick offered but heard,

"Oh thank you so much,...but you need to stay away from my friend. She doesn't need any of your filthy customers."

"No, no, no,...look! I really want to help her. Umm,...can you tell me what was her apartment number?"

"It is 26C. But she...she is so mad. I don't think it's a good idea right now,"

"Is she alone?" Rick asked,

"Yea,...And, I guess it is better. She really needs some time alone." Carla answered,

"Of course,...umm,...so we are good?" Rick asked and Carla was still taking her time when she heard the call going off,

Rick seemed pissed when Chris cut the call but he knew better than to show his attitude here, "You see...I don't even know her. She...she is not even my employee." Rick explained Chris who was sitting across him in the lavish huge room of a private club.

"And, you think we will believe you?" Chris asked,

"I don't have any strings with that woman. All I care about is Carla and my employees of course," Rick explained but Damien who was sitting beside the bar had his back to Rick and still seemed to be interested in his drink. "I...I might not know about...you...but I know enough that lying to you can cost me everything that I hold dear to my life," Rick added looking at Damien this time.

Silence ruled for a few minutes before Chis said, "Leave,"

Seeing that it is his chance he didn't take much time to get up when he finally got to hear Damien, "Stop,"

His heart almost dropped to his stomach. The murderous gaze and pissed face that seem more authoritative with his little subtle was enough to make him still. He is indeed a death angel. Rick thought.

"Have you ever fu*k her?"

Damien shifted his gaze from Damien to Chris and then back to him again, "No,...in fact, she is ma,"

"Leave," Damien said finally and Rick got out without any second thought.

"What's about this girl?" Chris asked once they got alone,

"She is my woman," Damien replied making Chris curse,

"Fuck!"

"Can't you just say?... It was my fling last night. Or I am seeing her. Or be a fucking womanizer...whenever you say my woman I can already see myself digging a grave."

Listening to him Damien gave him a look as if he is thinking over what he said, "Well, you will do what you gotta do" The smirk on Damien's mouth irked Chris,

"You think I didn't notice the spark in your eyes for that blonde. And, you fucking killed her..." The mention of the incident made his jaw tight and made the surrounding drop its temperature. And, this made Chris add,

"I know she was a traitor and had to go. But you could have asked someone else." Chris pointed making Damien say, "And, where was the fun in it?" Damien asked giving him a stare as if he was a kid asking Chris a genuine question.

"You will never change? Will you?" Chris asked making Damien curl up the left corner of his mouth up, "And, you will always be nosy. What could be better than killing the person who is the very cause of your agony? The day your woman will cheat on you! You will kill her and I will see you becoming a man." Damien raised his glass at the end,

"My girlfriend,...this my woman sounds so...barbaric. And if you are forgetting, my ex-girlfriend was seeing someone and I forgive her."

"That's because you were cheating on her too,..."

"I never cheat on her. I was just flirting...and you don't judge me," Chris cut him off,

"It's the same, Chris. You are such a kid..." Damien shook his head as if pitying him,

"At least, I have not killed the woman I was boosting around falling in love a few days ago," Chris said without any filter but then wondered if he had crossed the line.

"Just image one day someone else is sitting here,..." Damien started taking his jacket off the counter and got up before adding, "Talking to me how I killed my best friend," Damien saw how Chris' expressions changed but there was no fear in his eyes. As if he knew Damien Devonte can't kill him. When he didn't reply Damien asked getting into his jacket,

"How does it feel knowing Damien Devonte won't kill you?..."

"I...I am never 100% sure,..."

A chuckle escaped Damien's thin pursed lips before he added, "Listen, my little man, having a girlfriend is different than having a woman. You can't have any ex. And..." Damien gave him a little sarcastic laugh before adding, "...taking the relationship advice from someone who has never killed his any ex is such a disgrace."

This time Chris kept his silence knowing this conversation will lead to nothing.

"Let the staff know to prepare my room. She will stay with me from now on,"

"Of course," Chris' voice came out low.

Damien noticed his lack of excitement but didn't have any time to waste on the person who was always very sheltered and believed in ever after.

Only in his jeans and a leather jacket he got into his Range rover gesturing his security guards to stop them from accompanying him. Though he tried his best to beat around the bush to get the burning lava inside him a little colder he couldn't. The view of his woman hugging another man keeps playing in his mind. She needed to learn who she was real quick or end up having a cold body. He thought racing his car to her apartment building.