Shadow Wolves: His Black Rose (Book 6)

Chapter 3 - Capturing a crook!

Elizabeth

I TURNED AROUND, taking a sip of the bubbling liquid, nearly spitting it right back into the glass. Why do people like champagne?! It tasted awful! Carefully letting it slide down the back of my throat, I quickly placed the glass back onto the tray of one of the waiters walking around with drinks. So, that move didn’t go off as sexy and smoothly as I had planned, making me look around to see if anyone had noticed me.

I quickly move to another spot and order a sparkling apple juice from the bar, requesting it in a champagne glass. The bartender winks at me when he hands me my drink and I just smile at him. I had to think fast, okay! Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, I once again took a sip of my “champagne”, giving me a chance to take a look around without being noticed too much.

The room was very crowded, and I hadn’t spotted him anywhere, yet. I knew for a fact that he was supposed to be there tonight, and if there was one thing aunt Meg drilled into my head it was that this job required patience.

Turning back to face the bar, I kept my eye on the movement behind me through the mirror behind the bar. The music was loud and the beat pumping, making most of the guests rush to the dance floor with every second song. It was a charity event raising funds for some small country that had been through a tragedy of some sort, and now required funds to rebuild. Strange how you never really saw how the funds changed those people’s lives. I felt a cold hand in the small of my back and looked up quickly, seeing a pair of amber eyes smiling at me.

“Now, what is a pretty little thing like you doing, sitting here all alone? Surely, you didn’t come to the event unescorted.” Damian smiled. How did I not see him walk up to me?!

“Well, I did, actually.” I turned around in the swivel chair, locking eyes with his. Specs of dark chocolate brown were on the inside of his eyes, and they caught me slightly off guard. This wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be.

“That is a problem. You see this is actually my charity event and I sent out the invitations… Meaning I would have known if there was a young unescorted lady coming tonight. So, who are you and what are you doing here?!” His smooth silky voice turned angry and raspy in a split-second.

“Okay, okay, there is no need to get all hot and bothered. I heard about the party from a girlfriend. Thought I would crash it. I didn’t mean any harm.” I got ready to leave. He looks at me with suspicion, sizing me up from his body language.

“Then, I will be your date for the night. I can’t have a vulnerable young lady like yourself wandering around this lot, without proper protection.” He smiled at me, and something told me that it was too easy. He held out his arm for me. I hooked in and followed his lead. It was sort of what I planned, but not completely. I might have misjudged him a little.

We went around the room, and he introduced me to all his friends. My powder blue silk dress floated around my body like a soft cloud just touching the sky. The slit on the right leg showed enough of my milky white skin to make you wonder if I was wearing anything underneath, but not enough to actually see. The low flowing, revealing back accentuated the curve of my spine and the front V-cut showed off my delicate cleavage. Rounded off with a Topaz in the shape of a teardrop, hanging off a delicate silver chain around my neck.

I planned every feature of my outfit around what I read about him. What he liked. His favourite colour, gem, even shapes. Anything that could give me an edge. That exact edge might just have landed me in the position aunt Meg warned me about. I politely greeted his guests and floated at his side as if I belonged there. I’ve had experience in this regard already. When the night started coming to a close, I started “getting ready to leave”, but one of his guards asked me to stay.

“Mr. Griffin wants to speak to you.” He grabbed me by my upper arm and dragged me without ceremony down a passage and into a study where he slammed the door shut and locked it from the outside.

“That wasn’t necessary, you know!! I would have come with you willingly if you had just asked!” I shouted at the locked door, furious that he didn’t even try to be polite. What if one of the guests saw how I was treated? What would they think about his “Mr. Griffin” then?!

Turning around to look at the room I was in and to find an exit strategy. It was your typical male study. Dark wood shelves filled with books from the roof to the floor, that he probably had never read, or even knew were in his collection. A huge solid wooden desk almost in the center of the room, with one of those executive leather chairs behind it.

Behind the desk were wooden windows looking outside. I made my way there to take a look at the view that would be so captivating to this man that he would sit and stare at it when I heard the door being unlocked. Rushing back to where the guard left me standing, I was just in time before he walked in.

“Ah, finally we have time alone. Did you have fun tonight?” Damian poured himself a drink.

“Yes, thank you, but I must get back home. My roommate will be getting worried.” I tried to escape, but his hand gripped my upper arm.

“Oh, I’m sure she knows that you are a big girl, and can take care of yourself. Besides, I expect p*****t for my generosity tonight.” His eyes moved from the papers he was shoving around his desk up to me.

“p*****t? You are insane! You didn’t do anything. In fact, it was I that was doing you the favour. Seeing as you also didn’t have a date tonight.” I didn’t smile.

“Oh, sweetheart, you are so mistaken!” He walked up to me and I stepped back. My legs pushed up against the couch, and I lost my balance, falling backwards. “See, now isn’t that more comfortable? It would be even better if you took off that silly piece of cloth you call a dress. I know you were here to seduce one of my friends tonight, but I made it clear to all of them, that they weren’t to touch you.” The way he looked at me sent a shiver down the back of my spine. I felt confused. What was going on?

“Oh yes, you probably didn’t hear, but you have been outed as the escort you are. All of society saw you in action tonight. I merely introduced you to all my friends to make sure they knew of your services.” He smiled.

“I don’t understand what you are talking about. I’m just a college student who decided to crash a fancy party.” I held up my hands in surrender. I knew I just gave away too much information, but I either had to do it now, or I was not going to get this chance again. I was planning on working my way into his life a little over the next week to gather the proof needed to have him locked up for good. He stepped forward, and in one swift move, grabbed hold of my throat. His teeth gritted together as he smiled, seemingly happy with his capture.

“What do you take me for? A fool? You are too old to be a college student. Besides, I bet nobody even knows that you are here…” He hissed. I felt the pressure of his grip on my throat and grabbed for his hands, struggling to catch my breath. I should have listened! Panicked, I started looking around the room for anything, any way of escaping! “There is no use in trying to escape. You will belong to me now and once I’m done I’ll decide what to do with you.” He pulled me right up close to him. His body warm compared to his cold hand previously, he brought his lips down on mine hard, demanding entrance and receiving punishment when I bit down on his bottom lip and drew blood.

I felt the burn of the slap on my cheek as I went flying clear across the room and heard the words flowing like poison from his mouth as he tried to demean me, but I didn’t fall to the floor. I kept my balance, and turned back to look at him. Having decided, I have had enough of this game. He laughed at me as if my response meant nothing to him. The bruise on my cheek is probably already starting to show.

“You are right Damian, I’m not a college student. I’m a Black Rose.” I started walking up to him, one foot in front of the other. A smile formed on my face. So, I didn’t leave him a rose to warn him. He didn’t even deserve that courtesy! He looked at me with confusion. It took a moment before what I said started to register. “Oh, never heard of a Black Rose before? Well, that is because we are so good at what we do. Nobody even knows that we did it.” I started a slow walk, circling him, my voice calm and steady as I talked. The only other sound was the tap of my stiletto heels on the wooden floor.

“Let me explain, you won’t talk after tonight in any case. Usually, I would leave you a beautiful black rose with a note saying that I know what you did. Then I would watch to see if you change your ways. After two weeks if you don’t. Well, I think you get the point.” I saw his fists balling by his sides and ducked as soon as he moved.

“You little B!tch!! What kind of game do you think you are playing?? Do you know who I am and who you are messing with?” We faced each other and his amber eyes burned with anger.

“Oh, I know who you are.” I rolled my eyes. He stepped forward, aiming to punch, but I stepped aside, grabbing his wrist and twisting his arm around behind his back. He might be heavier than me, but as many of the big guys have learned over time. It was not about how big you are! Little girls like me could be big bottles of poison.

He tried to turn, but my grip was firm, and I was fast in my movement to grab his other arm, tying them together with a rope. The rope was from his elaborate emerald green velvet curtains he had in his office. He squirmed and struggled to try to get out of my knots, but I was trained well. Using a bit of magic, I made him lie face-down on the floor to help make things easier while I searched for the proof I needed. You didn’t think I was going to give up that easily, did you? Having made sure he couldn’t alert his guards to what was happening, I went through his office. Where would I hide evidence if I was Damian? Well, I wouldn’t hide it.

“You don’t hide it, do you? You are so arrogant that you leave it open in plain sight, that is why law enforcement can never find it!” The slight panic in his expression gave away that I was on the right track. It would probably be electronic. No. I looked at him from his desk chair. “You would go old school.” I started going through cabinets, finding the files I was looking for. Yes! “Now Damian, you have to be a good little boy and play along when the police arrive. I’m going to make my emergency call and tell them that you kidnapped me and I escaped to your study. You will need to play your part.” I laughed at him and made the call.

I HUGGED THE BLANKET TIGHTLY around me and smiled in victory when he looked my way before he was loaded into the police vehicle. My tracks were covered, but he didn’t know that yet. He would find out soon enough when the trial started that I was in fact the goddaughter of one of his “business partners”. Uncle Ant had done business with him in the past for security reasons. I was a guest, the representative for Shadow International.