Page 2 of Wrecked By You
“Trust me.” Kissing her again, I finally tore myself away. “I love you, Sadie.”
The rain stopped as I alighted from the tube. I strolled along the riverbank toward my hotel, my mind and heart full of Sadie. I missed her already, but once I returned to America and had a chance to discuss my future with my father, I’d come for her. She belonged with me. It didn’t matter that I’d only just turned twenty-three. The heart knew what it desired, and mine had chosen a funny, kind, amazing woman who wanted me for me, not for the riches I brought.
My room was bathed in a soft, golden light. Housekeeping had turned down my bed and set a chocolate on the pillow. I smiled as I picked it up and put it on the nightstand.
The blow to the back of my head caught me unawares. My legs gave way, my knees hitting the thick carpeting. I caught a kick to the kidneys, and I groaned. My arms flailed to stave off the assault, but the blows kept coming. Fists, boots. Multiple assailants. Thick blood filled my mouth. I tried to scream. Nothing came out. I felt myself weakening under the onslaught.
“Get the watch. Hurry.”
“Please,” I rasped. My chest felt tight, and I wheezed, sucking air into my lungs. It hurt to breathe. I coughed. A spray of red dots flew from my mouth. Blood.
“Shut the fuck up.”
I took a fist to the face, another kick to the ribs. I curled into a ball as one of my attackers wrenched my graduation gift from my wrist.
“Grab his wallet, too. And his phone.”
My vision turned red. I peered through the swollen lids. Shapes swam before me. Faceless men dressed in black hoodies and jeans.
“Hurry up.”
A woman’s voice. I squinted. A figure stood in the doorway. A familiar figure.
“Sadie.” I reached out a hand. “Help me.”
She moved toward me and dropped to a crouch. Her fingers brushed damp hair off my forehead. “I had to come,” she murmured. “I had to see it through. I’ve invested too much to miss out on the fun part.”
“Sadie, let’s move.”
She bent her head, pressing her soft lips to my forehead. “Goodbye, Johannes.”
“No, Sadie.” I tried to stand. Another vicious kick to the back sent me sprawling. I hit my head on the corner of the nightstand. White spots danced before my eyes.
“Let’s go. I got what I came for.” She straightened and walked away.
“Sadie,” I croaked, my heart shattering into a thousand pieces, her betrayal a blade to the gut. “Why?”
She glanced over her shoulder, a wintry smile lifting her lips. “You had something I wanted.” She swung my million-dollar watch back and forth. “You should have been more careful who you trusted with the truth.”
Someone grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking my head backward. A searing pain tore through my neck. I slumped on the floor, clasping at the gaping wound in my throat.
As my life slipped away, Sadie turned and blew me a kiss, her tinkling laugh the last sound I’d ever hear.
* * *
The car’s engine emitted a thunderous growl, then fell silent as I cut the power. I parked in the spot reserved for the owner of Level Nine, the jewel in the crown of my growing nightclub empire, and entered the building through the staff entrance. Trekking through to the main area, I flicked the lights on, grabbed a bottle of water from behind the bar, and twisted off the cap, downing half as I took in the room. I normally enjoyed this time of day, before the staff arrived. Empty nightclubs had a strange vibe, an echo of the previous night when clubbers had crammed the dance floor and music had blasted from the DJ booth. The solitude often soothed me.
But not today.
The dream that had woken me lingered, souring my mood. Not that I was the sunniest of people most days, but on the days I dreamed abouther, the flames of fury built within me. The desire to lash out, to make others hurt like I hurt besieged me, driving a wrecking ball through all that was good and replacing it with something rotten.
In the years after it happened, I often heard whispers behind my back, my family’s anguished murmurings of how bitter I’d become, how angry and abrasive I was. Like I gave a fuck. They should try walking in my shoes before leveling any judgment my way. Eventually, they’d stopped and accepted me for the man I now was. Sort of.
I circled the perimeter of the main area of the club, my eyes catching sight of a glass tumbler amid the foliage screen that camouflaged the stairs to the upper level. Irritation pricked at my skin. I had exacting standards for a reason, and when they weren’t met, I fucking hated it. I swiped up the glass and slammed it on the bar. That way, the dirty glass would be the first thing my head bartender, Stan would see when he arrived for work. It crossed my mind to leave a note along the lines of “What the fuck is this?” but often, passive aggressiveness accompanied by a hefty glower sent a clearer message.
I headed to my office and booted up my laptop, shoving one of several piles of paperwork to the side. It might have looked disorganized, but it worked for me. My office was my personal space, the place where I permitted a little chaos to reign, relished it, even. I checked my calendar for the day. Empty except for a liquor delivery that Stan would deal with… and a board meeting from five until six.
God-fucking-dammit.