Chapter 3

**Sephie**

After my little break outside, I headed back to work and did my best to pretend nothing had happened. Anthony had apparently gotten a talking-to while I was gone because he actually kept his hands to himself. This was definitely new. Had Mr. Big Shot Boss Adrik threatened him after I first stepped outside? Anthony had never backed off from his childish crap before tonight.

I think I''m starting to like Mr. Big Shot Boss Adrik.

Most of the guys had finished eating but were still deep in conversation. The room felt tense as hell. I was busy clearing empty plates and hauling them back to the kitchen. I grabbed Max to help me out so I wouldn''t have to make a million trips. Just as he was about to walk into the room, one of the bodyguards stopped him.

"Excuse me, sir. Only the lovely lady is allowed in the room," he said, placing his massive hand on Max''s shoulder. Max wasn''t exactly small either—the guy clearly hit the gym regularly and stood well over six feet tall, but he looked tiny next to this absolute mountain of a bodyguard.

I glanced back at Max and smiled. "It''s okay, Max. I''ve got it. Thanks for offering to help though."

I sighed as I walked back into the room. I caught myself looking in Adrik''s direction, only to find those blue eyes locked on me again. I quickly tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear and got busy.

After dumping another load of dirty dishes in the kitchen sinks, I headed back toward the meeting room. In the hallway between the kitchen and the back room, I ran straight into Anthony. He was stumbling out of the restroom, completely wasted, looking like he might face-plant at any second. I tried to hurry past him, but he grabbed my arm and yanked me back in front of him.

"Please let go of my arm. I have work to do," I said, trying to pull away. His grip only tightened. Did bourbon give him some kind of superhuman strength? Seriously, how was his grip so damn strong?

"Come on, you know you''d rather come into the bathroom with me for a quickie," he slurred, leaning in to try to kiss me while pushing me against the wall so I couldn''t escape. God, his breath was absolutely horrific—like he''d drunk the entire bar that night. Honestly, he probably had downed at least half of it. I turned my head to avoid his lips, which only pissed him off more. He said something in Italian that I couldn''t understand through his slurring, then grabbed my other arm with the same iron grip. He stepped even closer, if that was even possible. I could feel his entire body pressed against mine. I could even feel that he was getting turned on just from being this close to me.

He didn''t say anything for a moment. He just looked me up and down, his breathing getting heavier, his pupils dilating. He released one arm and reached up to my face. With the back of his hand, he lightly traced my cheek. I turned my head, trying once again to get away from him. He sighed.

"Do you know who I am? Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your position right now?"

"Then why don''t you go find one of them? I''ll gladly tag her in," I shot back.

"You''ve got a smart mouth. I''ve always heard redheads were firecrackers. Maybe someone needs to teach you a lesson."

"No thanks. School really wasn''t my thing. I probably won''t pay attention if you try to teach me anything." I was hoping to frustrate him enough that he''d back off and I could slip away. Even if he lost focus for just a second, I was ready to deck him and make a run for it. I thought about screaming but didn''t want to cause a scene. The entire back room was armed with enough firepower to level the whole block, so making a scene wasn''t exactly my smartest option. I was also hoping someone would come out of the kitchen, but most of the staff had already left since it was a slow night up front. Max was still at the bar and probably wouldn''t hear me anyway. I had to figure out how to get out of this mess on my own.

"There''s that smart mouth again," he said, running his hand up my arm and slowly wrapping it around my neck. "Do you know what I do to women who don''t know when to shut up?" His grip slowly tightened around my throat. My whole body tensed and my eyes went wide. I knew what was about to happen.

I felt my air being slowly cut off. *Well, shit.* I definitely didn''t expect this to happen tonight. With my one free arm, I tried hitting him, but he had me pinned so tightly against the wall that I couldn''t get any leverage, so my punches were basically useless.

"That''s it. I like it when they struggle. I like it when they beg me to stop."

Maybe my smart mouth wasn''t the asset I thought it was. My mind was racing, trying to figure out how to escape, when I heard the door to the back room open. Footsteps were approaching. No, multiple footsteps. I made one last weak attempt to hit him, and suddenly he wasn''t there anymore and I was on the ground, coughing and gasping for air.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and instantly panicked. I scooted away as fast as I could.

"Whoa, whoa, Persephone. It''s okay. I won''t hurt you. You''re safe now."

I looked up and met those blue eyes again. They were darker in this light but showed nothing but concern as he reached out to me once more. This time, I didn''t pull away. He put one arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into his chest. I realized I was crying. He gently stroked my hair and told me everything was going to be okay.

The next thing I knew, he hooked his other arm under my legs and picked me up, carrying me back to the kitchen. It was empty when we walked in. He went over to one of the prep tables and set me down on it.

Standing in front of me, he pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to me, his hands never leaving my thighs. I stared at his hands while I wiped the tears from my face and tried to pull myself together.

I felt his hand gently under my chin. He lifted my head and tilted it back so he could look at my neck.

"You''re going to have a nasty bruise tomorrow."

"Perks of being a redhead. You can look at me wrong and I''ll bruise."

He chuckled softly and I laughed too. It might not be the healthiest coping mechanism, but humor made everything better for me. I''d been through some rough times and made it because I never lost my sense of humor.

Adrik gently wrapped one of my loose curls around his finger while he studied my face, concern still in his eyes.

"Redheads have a special place in this world. Legend says they stole the fires of hell and carry the mark of Cain."

"It''s all true. I also steal souls, but only on weekends. Work''s been busy lately and I have a surplus of souls with not enough storage space right now."

A wide smile spread across his face as he laughed. Good God, this man was gorgeous. I found myself smiling in response to his laughter, and for that brief moment I''d forgotten the events that led us here.

"You are a unique woman, Persephone."

"Yeah, that''s true too. Redheads are only 2% of the world''s population, and of that 2%, only 2% have an eye color as unique as mine. So basically, I''m a unicorn."

I looked into his eyes as I talked. His smile faded slightly and that intensity returned. He stared into my eyes long enough to make me nervous. I dropped my gaze and started fidgeting with my hands.

My body does this weird thing after trauma. It''s like I''m shivering, but I''m not cold. Of course, this was when it decided to start. My therapist had told me years ago that it was a pretty normal trauma response. It hadn''t happened in years, so I wasn''t expecting it. I couldn''t get away from Adrik fast enough, and he felt my legs shaking.

"Are you cold, solnishko? I can get you my jacket," he said, his hands running up my arms to cover my bare skin.

"No, it''s... I''m fine," I said, hopping off the table. "I should get back to work. Thank you for helping me." I crossed my arms over my chest and walked out of the kitchen without looking back.

The past always has a way of showing up at the worst possible times.