CHAPTER FIVE
The next day started normal enough, though Jake couldn’t help but be pissed off at the situation he’d gotten himself into. First off, he never should have spoken, even while Gabby was clearly, obviously goading him last night with her insulting words.
Second off, he should have just let her be when she obviously thought she’d played the wrong game and he was a player, too. It was clear in her eyes that she underestimated him and had realized it the moment he didn’t back off from her little seduction. She’d been willing to do so first to save herself the embarrassment, and he should have let it alone.
Instead, he pulled her towards him and kissed her.
He’d done it to prove a point. He’d done it to make her regret starting the game in the first place, and had continued to do it so she would never, ever play with him again. But in the few moments between their kisses, something transformed, and he found himself more invested in it than most.
To his surprise, he tasted innocence that she couldn’t quite hide. To his shock, he also tasted the loneliness she talked about and knew she’d been telling the truth in that aspect, at least. Then shock had turned to mad desire as he realized he wanted to taste every bit of her and not stop in just a kiss, and his hands had been so close to touching her core and making her come right then and there.
And that was when he finally pushed her off.
It was a hell of a kiss and a hell of a dilemma, and what pissed Jake off even more was how she apologized after and turned so quiet that he had to wonder where the bold woman had gone. Then the limousine ride was over, and she was practically flying out of there, leaving him alone in his own thoughts and his own self-derision.
During breakfast, there was no mention of that event again, and Gabby was back to ignoring him. If he hadn’t felt the realness of her kiss, he’d have thought it had all been in his imagination.
Today, Gabby was wearing yet another one of her bright outfits—an orange block dress that hid the fantastic figure he felt last night. She partnered it with gold heels and gold jewelry, and sunglasses that hid whatever expression her eyes might have had. She looked chic and untouchable as she did some shopping, reminding him again of the difference between them and why he should never, ever get involved with yet another heiress.
Day turned to night soon enough, and he accompanied her to a high-class restaurant where Raz was already waiting for her. They were given a private space in the corner, and Jake stood at a certain distance where he could still see them. He watched as Gabby proceeded to smile, laugh and be playful with the vampire all over again, and last night’s words washed over him once more. Was this pretend, too? Was she doing this for her so-called responsibility?
She was certainly a good actress, and Raz was responding very well to her ministrations. Jake caught the murmur of joint business every now and then before they leaned their heads more intimately and he couldn’t hear anymore.
After a while, she excused herself to go to the restroom, shooting him a look that said not to follow. He followed her still but settled for staying just in the hallway outside the restroom area. Her heels clicked on the tiled floor as she moved, and he gave in and watched the back of her figure as she disappeared inside.
Out of the corner of his eye, he also observed Raz, who was sitting so still and unperturbed that Jake was pretty sure he could last like that for hours on end. Vampires were so odd.
He detected a few more supernatural presences in the restaurant, but nothing threatening enough. The most notable was still Raz, who didn’t bring his assistant today.
Because he was busy looking around, it took Jake a while to realize that time had passed, and Gabby had been inside the restroom for quite a while now. Getting impatient, thinking this was yet another elaborate scheme to get him annoyed, he strode over to directly outside the restroom door and knocked.
When she didn’t respond, he went ahead and opened the door, not really caring if she was going to get mad or reprimand him. But surprise filtered in when he found the restroom quiet. Then surprise turned to wariness when Jake realized the restroom was empty.
To be sure, he gave it a once-over before deducing that he couldn’t even detect her presence inside. But he could smell her—at least the traces of her presence when she’d still been here a few minutes ago. Since yesterday, Gabby had smelled distinct—a combination of something earthy and an apple scent that he would never have associated with her had he not scented it. But the smell was slowly vanishing, and he detected something else: smoke and rust, just like blood. There were no windows around, which meant there had to be only one explanation.
This was an inside job.
With a curse, he made his way back outside the restroom. He saw a flash of a shadow appear in front of him and detected a dark presence. Without thought, he moved to the side and took out a knife, one that was charged with electricity with just one press. He bumped into something hard and grappled for a bit before he was outmaneuvered and thrown on his back against the wall.
Jake pressed the knife against Raz’s stomach, snarling and daring him to move.
“Where is Gabby?” Raz asked in a calm voice.
“I was about to ask you the same question,” Jake replied just as calmly, pressing the knife deeper. “Also, why were you trying to attack me?”
Raz gave him a cold look. “You attacked me first. And I smelled blood.” He pushed Jake away with minimal strength, and Jake followed as he entered the restroom. A few seconds later, Raz came out in a blur, his aura now more sinister as he gave Jake a deadly look. His fangs slowly started coming out.
“A portal was opened inside. Where is she?”
Jake would have retorted back with the impatience he was trying to hold in wanting to unleash itself. He looked into the vampire’s so-called hypnotic brown eyes, trying to find the words that would make it sink through that he meant business.
“Probably kidnapped by some elaborate setup you’ve constructed,” Jake responded. “You realize you will be hunted down by every shifter leader on earth once word gets out? She’s an important part of our society.”
“I’m not scared of your kind,” Raz said coolly.
“You should be,” Jake murmured.
They stared at each other in open hostility, though neither made a move to attack. Still, Jake kept his body tense and ready to shift at any second.
“I’m not,” Raz repeated. “But my master Lucinda will have my head if anything happens to Gabby, which is why I think we’re wasting time standing here.”
Jake tried to detect any hint of slyness in the vampire’s tone and found none. While their kind was good at hiding so many emotions, Jake was also good at reading them. Slowly, he began to realize that the other was telling the truth.
And he began to realize that Gabby was really in trouble.
“Damn it,” he finally cursed out, no longer able to stop himself.
“Instead of cursing, you really should be doing something,” Raz admonished haughtily. “You’re her bodyguard.”
Jake glared at him. Raz merely stared back. Then he walked to the front as casually as he could, leaving Jake alone.
“Damn it,” Jake grumbled. He made a move to leave using the back exit, though he wasn’t really sure where he was going. Jake didn’t like portals and made it a point to avoid using them, hence he wasn’t very familiar with what they smelled like. If Raz was telling the truth about the portal, then Gabby could be anywhere.
He opened the door to the back. Dimly, he felt someone following him and turned to look at the vampire again.
“Stay here,” Jake growled.
“No,” Raz clipped out, using those eyes to peer at him. “I’m going with you.”
“Then what the hell were you doing walking out earlier?”
Raz lifted his chin. “I was paying for our bill. Now, I’m second-in-line, and I’m important in my world. Miss Montgomery getting kidnapped will risk that job, and hell will break loose if that happens.”
Arrogant cad. Jake glared again.
Then with a sigh, he let Raz follow him.