Lies & Temptation

Chapter Five

Bane (Then)

As Constance Ellis walked into my office, I knew that she was different. There weren't very many women who could put together a presentation in the little time that she had and still impressed me. As captivated as I was by her, I couldn't pursue anything further than a business relationship. I couldn't and wouldn't go down that road again. It only takes once for your heart to get utterly crushed to pieces to turn you into a cold man, not capable of caring for anyone again. My brother was the only living thing in my life that I had any semblance of respect for. Everyone else was...disposable.

The moment she left my office for the day, Axel came to me, his eyes glinting with excitement. "I like her a lot, Bane. She is just the kind of expertise we need right now. What did you think and be honest?"

I contemplated answering him honestly because I could clearly see that he had a little crush on this woman. So, it wasn't just me that she had left an impression on. Interesting. Because I wanted to make him jealous, I chose to answer honestly. "She was exceptional. I think we could benefit from having someone like her on our team, but I have my concerns."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Of course you do. Let's hear them then."

"For one, she hasn't stayed at a job for very long and she seems to constantly be moving around. Doesn't that strike you as odd? A woman as intelligent as her should be her own boss. Constance is overqualified for this position and we both know it."

"Then do a further dive into her life. I'm sure whatever it is, she doesn't mind us prying a little, right? It's not like you don't do this with all the new hires anyways or would you have me do it?"

I caught myself smiling, but quickly played it off. "Yes. Look into her past. I want you to go back at least a year and see what you can find. Report it back to me before the day is over."

Axel had emailed me everything that he could find on Constance and at first glance, she was a normal woman moving to the big city to seek a career more fitting to her. However, upon a deep dive, I found something that caught my eye. I knew when someone was running from something else. Whoever or whatever she was running from was serious enough to cause her to move around every few months to escape it. This told me one thing. It wasn't a what but a who. I've met my fair share of bad men, men that would make gangsters on television look like child's play, but in my years of dealing with these men, only one name stuck out because he had changed my life forever. Slade.

What were the chances that she was running from the very man that I spent years trying to track down so that I could kill him? So that I could tear him down the way he did my sister, to take everything he had from him only to crush it in front of him. No. The world was a small place, but it wasn't that small.

Now:

"He said enough, Constance. I will never allow that bastard to ever lay his hands on you ever again. That's all you need to know."

She scoffed, clearly upset with me. I didn't blame her. It was unprofessional of me to walk into her office earlier today and state what I could do to her. My blood boiled the moment she chose my brother over me. I cared deeply for my brother, but this was one battle that he simply would not win. Constance would be mine, but I needed her to feel that way too.

Constance threw her hands up and stalked away from me only to turn around a minute later, pointing her finger in the middle of my chest. "I continue to try and give you the benefit of the doubt, but you can't leave me out when it concerns Slade. I have a right to know what he said. This is my life, Bane. It is my life that he wants to destroy, so I think that I have a right to know what he said!"