Devil's Desire {A BWLM Novella}

5

Chapter 5

I couldn't take it anymore. I was unraveling, and it was starting to show in every part of my life. Twice tonight, I screwed up simple dishes I'd made a thousand times before. Me, the one who prided herself on precision and getting it right. But not tonight. Tonight, I was a mess.

"Athena! What's your deal?" My boss's voice snapped me out of my fog. He wasn't happy, and I couldn't blame him. Usually, I was on top of my game, but tonight? Tonight, I was thrown off balance, and it was all because of Alex.

"I think I need a break to pull myself together," I said, trying to sound more composed than I felt.

He looked at me for a long moment before nodding. "Alright, five minutes. That's all I can spare right now." He was being generous, especially during the dinner rush. Normally, he wouldn't give anyone a break during peak hours, but ever since my panic attack had been documented, he'd been more lenient. Probably to avoid a lawsuit, but I wasn't about to question his motives.

I bolted out the back of the building, heading for the alley. I knew it wasn't the safest place to be, especially with the way crime had been creeping into the neighborhood, but I needed the air, the space. I needed to feel something other than the suffocating walls of the kitchen closing in on me.

As the cool night air hit my skin, I tried to calm my racing thoughts. Alex had wormed his way into my life, and now he was messing with my head. I didn't know anything real about him—just that he had to be wealthy enough to throw around money like it was nothing. Paying off my parents' mortgage, clearing my student loans... what kind of job lets you do that? Most people are struggling to pay rent, and he's out here playing sugar daddy without batting an eye.

Something about Alex was off, lurking beneath the surface, waiting to pounce. But was it just a feeling? Was I overreacting? Maybe getting to know him would help me figure it out. Clearly, he wasn't going to leave me alone.

Before I could make up my mind, a rough voice shattered my thoughts. "Give me your fucking wallet, bitch!"

A cold hand grabbed the back of my neck, slamming me against the brick wall. The impact knocked the breath out of me, and before I could scream, another hand clamped around my throat, squeezing until black dots danced in my vision. The smell of sweat and filth assaulted my senses. My attacker was one of the many homeless people who hung around the area. "I said, give it up!" another voice snarled from behind me. There were two of them.

I felt the sharp press of a blade against my skin, and panic surged through me. But before I could process what was happening, a large shadow loomed over us, moving with a terrifying speed. The shadow—no, a man—grabbed the two attackers by their collars and dragged them into the deeper shadows of the alley.

For a second, I didn't understand what I was seeing. It was like one of those action movies my dad loved, where the hero takes down the bad guys in a matter of seconds. The next thing I knew, the two men were slumped on the ground, unconscious or worse.

And then the shadow turned toward me.

Every instinct screamed at me to run, but my legs refused to move. I was frozen, watching as the figure stepped into the light.

"Baby, don't run from me," a deep, familiar voice said.

"Alex?" My voice trembled, and I wasn't sure if I was shaking from fear or relief. Maybe both.

"In the flesh," he replied, his tone calm, as if he hadn't just taken down two men like it was nothing. He walked toward me, concern etched on his face, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from the still forms of my attackers.