11. Surprise Visit
Silence. That was all I could hear. Not even one creak, nothing but the soft breathing coming from my chest. It was near midnight. I was curled up on the couch, staring at the moon hovering hear one of the skyscrapers in the distance. It was bright white and glowing, with no visible stars for company. Empty and desolate, reigning a vast darkness with light. Alone like I was.
All of the lights were turned off, even in the kitchen. There was no one here but me. I was supposed to be across the street, safe and sound in the apartment. My parents were there. Sleeping right now, not bothering to stay up to worry about me since I was close by even if I wasn't in the same building. A few blocks down, Clancy was in her home, probably reading a mystery late into the quiet night. She liked to read. We had that in common.
I don't know what I was doing or why I was here. Sitting alone in the friendly darkness of the coffee shop, doing nothing but breathing. I liked the quiet. It was peaceful. We didn't get much of peace in Brooklyn. This was New York City, after all. Quiet didn't happen unless quiet was enforced, and that didn't happen often either. Most people that lived here liked the noise, or had gotten used to it by now. I know I had. Noises didn't catch my ears but they were always there, a background hum. Take that away and I was left with an awkward shroud of quiet I didn't know what to do with.
That was when Wolfe decided to make an appearance, in the asshole way that he is.
Anyways, when Wolfe stopped by, he didn't politely knock or anything like that. He didn't even knock rudely, either. He just strolled in through the basement door, obviously coming from the tunnels in the cellar. I guess they had a specific route to take through the maze down there now.
I didn't hear him come in (too fascinated by the moon to take in my surroundings) and when I did become aware of his presence, it was because Wolfe clamped down one huge, veiny paw on my shoulder.
"What the heck?" I shouted, taken by surprise. Upon instinct, I launched the object I had in my hands right at his face, which unfortunately was my set of keys. I don't know, it was a defense mechanism. This was the second time I had thrown something in Wolfe Sterling's face. Unlike before, however, he dodged it just in time. My heart pounding, I scrambled up. "What?! What are you doing here, Wolfe? You can't just sneak up on people like that- I could've died!"
"Oh, you could have died?" He growled angrily, glancing back to where my keys lay on the floor a few feet away from the bookshelf. "Don't throw things, Florence! You're going to maim someone one of these days."
I couldn't resist. "Hopefully, it's going to be you."
He rolled his eyes. "I appreciate the sentiment."
I hadn't seen Wolfe all day, much to my surprise. After my little tattletale trip to the police precinct, I was absolutely sure that he was going to show up this morning and kill me. Clancy had been my panic attack reducer this entire day, forcing me to keep busy with customers to worry too much about my impending death. I hadn't seen any of the Crowns, in fact. For two days, the Espresso House was criminal-free. Why would Wolfe show up now, alone, of all places and times? It was midnight. He had no purpose here. No one to bother. Except for me, of course.
Biting my nails nervously, I stayed standing as Wolfe made his way around the couch. To my annoyance, he plopped down right next to where I had been sitting. The lights were still turned off, the moon still bright, the Espresso House still empty. Nothing had changed, except for the uneasy presence of Brooklyn's most beloved criminal.
He looked good, though. I couldn't deny that. A pretty navy blue suit that conformed to his muscular body, shiny black shoes, and the unmistakable lump of (not his dick) his gun under the blazer, clipped somewhere to his belt. Wolfe did that really annoying male thing where he extended one arm across the top of the couch like boys do when they're at the movies on a date. It really bothered me, for some reason. Probably because it hinted he was here to stay. Wolfe patted the seat beside him nicely. "Sit down, Florence."
I frowned. "I'd rather stick pins in my eyes."
Wolfe raised his eyebrows and then his whole face brightened with a smile. It wasn't a nice smile, though. More like a...smile that a predator might do before swallowing their prey whole. He chuckled pleasantly, as if we were having a nice conversation and I was totally not trying to inch my way to the door.
"I did that once." He said.
"You sat down?" I questioned, opening my eyes wide to look as bewildered as I felt.
"No, stuck pins in someone's eyes." Wolfe replied casually.
My mouth dropped open. "You're lying."
Wolfe began to stand up, so I instantly corrected my statement. "You're not lying." I said quickly. He glanced at me and settled back down.
"Come sit." He said again.
"Wolfe-"
"Florence, sit." Wolfe's tone changed from pleasant to threatening in a matter of seconds. He fixed me with an icy glare. He leaned forward and clasped his hands together, a manner that terrified me enough to stop moving towards my escape. In the silence, each sound was magnified. I could hear my own heavy breathing, Wolfe's steady breaths, and the hum of the refrigerator in the kitchen. His voice was soft and weary, like he had just woken up from sleeping. "There's something we need to talk about."
I stayed standing, ready to bolt for the door. How the hell did he find out? Clancy would never rat me out and I certainly hadn't said anything...so how? It was impossible! But Wolfe Sterling was one of those criminals that knew everything about everyone. He had to, to maintain the level of power he had. But this...this was too much information. I was so sure no one would ever find out about Clancy and I's little adventure. It was supposed to be hush-hush but the hush-hushes must have escaped.
Dread instantly clenched the pit of my stomach when he said that. "We need to talk." No other phrase in the English language could strike as much fear into a person's heart as those words could. The second worst phrase in the English language was "We are all out of Twizzlers." and the third was "Wal-Mart doesn't have any more bags of Twizzlers left in stock, ma'am, now please leave before I call the cops."
"No, we don't." I shook my head furiously. "That's alright, I don't want to bother you. In fact, I'll just do you a favor and go right over to that door-"
I began to move towards the coffee shop doors when suddenly, Wolfe once again clamped his hand around my wrist and forcibly dragged me back like he had back in the cellar. Oh geez, I don't need to think of that right now. Not when his hands were...
"Would you like to tell me what happened yesterday afternoon?" Wolfe said quietly, shoving me down onto the couch beside him. Before I could scramble out of his reach and get away, he slammed one rock hard (and nicely muscled) arm over my stomach like a seatbelt, effectively keeping me in place. "From what I heard, you and your little friend had quite the little meltdown at one of Brooklyn's police precincts."
I stopped struggling to remove his arm at that and stared impressively. As creepy as it was that he'd know that, it was also kind of jarring to realize how much Wolfe Sterling was actually capable of. I couldn't take the route of denial so I gave up. "How did you find out?"
"Answer the question, Florence." His fingers found their way to my thigh and squeezed hard as a warning.
And, as always, my mouth got the best of me. "Answer mine first." I mumbled angrily, going back to trying to pry his fingers off.
His eyes flashed dangerously. In the moonlight, Wolfe's features were both highlighted and shadowed. Since we were sitting side by side, I could only see half his face. It was a nice half, no doubt as attractive as the other side. He was pretty. Like, really pretty. Magazine model-worthy pretty. He could have made millions becoming an international sex symbol. Wolfe had the bad boy profile down on lock, with his sharp cut features and eyes as blue as innocence. In another time, in another place, he could have been more than this. He could have lived a life worth...living.
"What did you plan to accomplish by going to the police, Florence?" Wolfe asked quietly. His voice was expressionless and calm, with no hint of anger, and that terrified me. I would have much rather faced the destructive storm than the electric air that fills the atmosphere before one. "Did you think they'd stop me? That they'd help you? Protect you from the big, bad men? What, were you going to play hero and take credit for putting away the notorious Brooklyn Crowns? Come on, doll. You have a better head on your shoulders to think silly things like that."
"I'm not trying to play hero. I just want to protect my family."
"I am not interested in the nuances of the situation." His fingers bit down again. "I am more concerned with the thought process behind your decision to even go there in the first place. Have I not made myself clear in terms of privacy? Would you like some incentive to keep your mouth shut? I would be more than happy to provide you with one, starting with the woman you asked to accompany you on that fucking trip. Clancy Devans was her name, I believe-"
"Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you, fuc-"
"Watch your mouth, Florence-"
"Or what?"
Wolfe turned his head to pin me with a cold glare. "Or I will make sure your parents pay for your mistakes."
He was real handsome, but he was one major dickhead. Just like that, my fear was replaced with seething hatred and fury. That conniving smirk, that condescending nobody-can-touch me attitude, that dark and dangerous bad boy mentality. I was so tired of it. Suddenly, my well-being didn't matter to me anymore. I wanted to cause him just a fraction of the suffering he caused for my parents.
My heart was beating fast enough to make me want to turn back around and hide under the covers for the rest of my life. I shouldn't be doing this, sitting here in the dark with Wolfe Sterling and deciding whether or not a little fun was worth my death. This was the very last thing I should have ever been involved with. People like Wolfe and people like me don't mix. Incompatible was too weak of a word to describe us. We were...opposites. In every sense, we were the exact different beings of each other.
Shoving Wolfe's arm off my legs, I stood up. He was taken by surprise to react as quickly, and I didn't give him a chance to take back the sudden shift in power. Leaning closer, I nestled my knee in between his legs. In an instant, one of his hands came to rest on my thigh again, this time pushing it back to keep it away from that place.
Rage. Raw, untampered anger. That's how I was feeling right now. Wolfe Sterling. God, how I hated that name. I hated the man it belonged to even more. What justification did Wolfe have for this? Corrupting innocent lives for his gain? What exactly went through that terrible mind of his? Even Wolfe's actions had consequences. He needed to learn that just as much as I did. It was just that Wolfe never had to face those consequences. Was it because people were too afraid to enforce those consequences? Maybe. But it was also because a part of Wolfe believed he didn't have to lower himself down to the satisfaction of others.
The warning in Wolfe's eyes were clear. Tentative. Wary of my actions. I guess Wolfe didn't know what to expect from me either. Unfortunately, that feeling was mutual.
Wolfe craned his neck to meet my eyes. His Adam's apple bobbed with the movements of his throat and his jawline stood out, sharp and prominent and covered with stubble. I felt a strange pull in my stomach, almost like a dangerous temptation, to run my fingers along his skin.
A biting hurt clenched my chest. I wanted Wolfe out of my life. It was so frustrating! He wouldn't leave. He was adamant to stay and I was helpless to do anything about it. I couldn't make Wolfe do anything. I couldn't force him to, not without leverage on my part. And for Wolfe, it had to be a big advantage. But I could find nothing but myself to offer, and I didn't even want to do that. No, I wanted to keep myself intact, safe from the hurt that came along with Wolfe Sterling like a twisted bonus.
Wolfe moved his hand up my leg, forcing it away from between his. He tittered at the merest hint of the power balance when it was not for him. He wanted the dominance. I knew, of all people, that I was the last person to ever take that power from him. Many had tried and failed....what made me so different? Because I was a teenage girl? Because my innocence, which I didn't even have much of to begin with, kept Wolfe from killing me? What innocence? That's what the real question was.
He watched me. Said nothing, but just watched. Careful and guarded, cold blue eyes trained on mine, never breaking and never looking away. Oh, those eyes. Even if I forgot Wolfe, which wasn't likely, I'd never forget his eyes. So manipulative and...emotionless. I didn't know how he did it. He was still human. At what point did that humanity overcome its...humanity?
Bending down, I rested one hand on Wolfe's shoulder and the other on his collarbone. I traced my fingers up, feeling the contours and indents of the skin on his throat. His stubble was rough and unforgiving, but his skin was cold and soft underneath. Moving my hand to the side of his neck, I leaned down until my lips rested just beneath his ear. Cologne tickled my nose and his breathing was heavy but controlled. Being this close, I could feel each strange quirk and movement his body did beneath me.
With my heart pounding, I closed my eyes. Wolfe's hands, restless from just being there, suddenly went to my waist. He didn't push me away like I thought he would, but instead, did the opposite. Wolfe pulled me closer gently until his lips occasionally brushed against my skin. The way he held me was so careful...I'd believe he really did care for me if I didn't know any better.
I kissed the bottom of his earlobe, pushing his hands off me because I knew what was about to happen next would require me to make a hasty exit. I couldn't really do much if Wolfe managed to pin me down and play this out how he pleased. Making sure I had a safe stance, I tugged Wolfe closer to whisper my words directly into his ear. "Fuck you."
That did it.
Wolfe, taking a moment to comprehend my words, lunged forward. Before I could dash away like I had planned, his arms roped around my waist and tugged me closer until I really did fall on top of him this time. No longer supported by my own body, Wolfe found it easy to make me do anything he wanted. And what he wanted were things I could not give him.
He hated the balance change. All of a sudden, someone other than him had the courage to do the unthinkable, which was to stand against Wolfe Sterling, even if that person stood alone. Granted, my words weren't such a retaliation, but they were something. They were a something that Wolfe hated, and that knowledge was enough for me. To him, dominance was everything. If that was to ever shift, he would snap. A terrible way to live, really.
Fingers slipped through my hair, tugging sharply and holding me in place. I felt his hands where they shouldn't be, skin touching where desires lay. Dangerous dangerous desires. Where they one-sided? No. I couldn't lie about my attraction to Wolfe, but that was purely based on looks. Wolfe was much more than just a pretty face, but I had no intention of finding out the man he really was beneath the protection of money and power and dominance. His actions spoke enough of who he possibly could be, and I wanted to stay far, far away from the true nature of the infamous Wolfe Sterling.
Lips pressed against my neck, gentle kisses that I hated. Wolfe was not gentle. That was the last thing he could ever be. No, Wolfe was all aggression and roughness, his skin thick enough to withstand what consequences he got from living the life he did. His fingers were rough but his touch was gentle. Little pecking kisses made their way up my neck and to my ear. His arms were still around me, an effective cage that I could not fight my way out of.
"No, I'd rather fuck you." He said softly.
"Oh!" I shoved him hard, trying to wiggle myself out of the mess I had created in the first place. I'd had enough of his manipulations, I was tired of the torment and the constricting feeling in my chest whenever he came near me. I wanted him gone from my life, with absolutely no regrets if that really were to happen. But that was all wishful thinking.
He pushed my hands away and wrestled me back into submission. "What do you want from me, Florence?" Wolfe murmured against my ear. His voice was tired and almost...defeated, in a way. Tears itched the corners of my eyes, but I stared hard at the ground, willing myself to regain the courage that slipped through my fingers in a matter of seconds. Strength always beat out intelligence, in the long run. No matter how smart you could be, an iron fist would always stop you in your tracks. Unless you found a way to defeat that iron fist in the first place, but I could find none at the moment.
"I want you to leave-"
"That's not going to happen." He growled.
"Why not?" I had to force the words out because I just noticed I was sitting in his lap. What an awkward position to be in. For me, at least. I don't know how comfortable this was for Wolfe, but he wasn't going to move either way so I couldn't have cared less for the comfort of Wolfe Sterling.
"Because."
"That's not an answer- let me go!"
"Because-" Wolfe fought another compliance out of me. He blocked every move I made, countered every attempt of my weak punches, and forced me down into his lap every time I tried to get up. He was so much stronger than I was. Sometimes that was a good thing. Sometimes...most times...it was not. "-I'm not leaving until you do."
I stopped fighting for a moment to spit out, "What does that mean?"
"Stop!" Wolfe snapped, forcing my arms down by my sides as I tried to punch him again. He quickly twisted his fingers through my own, an action more out of keeping me calm than anything else. Wolfe pulled me close, holding my hands hostage to his chest. "Florence, stop. You're not going to win. I don't know why you even try.''
Breathing heavily, I calmed down at his words. He was right. I was never going to win in a physical fight. I'd have to find another way to beat him. Merely holding a conversation with Wolfe drained me of all my energy. For him, I could see the same thing also held true. Wolfe was just as wary of me as I was of him, perhaps even more so because we were so out of our element with each other. He wasn't used to dealing with squealing teenage girls and I wasn't used to dealing with big, scary men.
Seeing my retaliations die, Wolfe leaned back. I was still sitting in his lap and his hands were still holding my own. He watched me carefully for a second and then sighed softly. "Will you behave if I let you go?"
Behave, my little butt.
I nodded, desperate to get off him. Straddling Wolfe Sterling wasn't as nice as it sounded. Well, maybe it did sound nice. It didn't feel so nice though. Wolfe uncurled his fingers from my own. Grateful, I slid off his lap and onto the couch. When I saw that he wasn't going to start another struggle, I scooted far off to the other end of the couch. The distance between where Wolfe sat and where I was bought a huge wave of relief.
"So did you do it?" Wolfe spoke up. His voice was unusually casual, but I could see the tightening of his hands.
I took a deep breath. "Do what?"
"Did you do what you went to the precinct to do? Or did you realize what the best choice would be to protect your friends and family?"
"Why ask when you already know the answer?" I smarted back, gritting my teeth. God, he was infuriating. "You know what? I'm not doing this. I'm not going to sit here and argue with you." I stood up, straightening my clothes from our little tussle. "It's midnight, I'm going to bed. Humans- you know, like...normal people...we need sleep to survive. Not that you would know anything about that, right? You goddamn inhumane robotic alien, Mr. Oh-I-Have-No-Feelings-I'm-Invincible. Have fun setting fire to turtles or whatever it is you do in the wee hours of the night. Goodnight."
The shortest path to the door was on Wolfe's side, meaning I had to walk in front of him to leave. The table that was in front of us was a few feet away, so it appeared there was adequate room for me to leave, but of course, that was not the case.
As I moved to leave, my feet caught on the edge of the carpet and with a little scream, I went tumbling down right over his legs. Wolfe made a half-hearted attempt to catch me, but momentum had carried me too far and down I came crashing with nothing but exhaustion and humiliation left in me. Pain flowered through my butt, and I sat there like an idiot, glowering. A perfect end to a perfect day.
"You are something else." Wolfe muttered. He didn't make a move to come for me, allowed me to sit in peace with my cheeks flushed and dignity torn. "I've never met someone so hopelessly uncoordinated or absolutely as ridiculous as you. I've never met anyone I couldn't intimidate. You really don't think about your actions before you do them, Florence. It's reckless and it's going to get you hurt. And I promise, it won't be by me. I want to kill you for many reasons, one of them being your knack of always pushing things past the limit, but never for being yourself. Your weird, clumsy, dorky, stupid self-"
"Is this supposed to make me feel better? You're a real dick, Wolfe."
"Thank you, Florence."
"It wasn't a compliment."
"I didn't mean it for your words."
Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro