Chapter 60


    My heart hammering in my chest at being around him again, but I won’t put myself through his kind of


    hell anymore. I don’t get very far when that cruel griptches on to my arm, and I am swung against a


    wall out of the way. Heart sinking that he can never just leave me alone, even when he is the one


    telling me to get out of his life. He’s relentless, like a goddamn dog after a bone, and for someone who


    wanted me gone he isn’t doing a good job of letting me go.


    ‘‘I’ll be there in a few minutes, this is an employee who should be elsewhere right now.’’ He smiles to


    the group I now see are with him, and realise this is a dinner outing of more than just him and needy


    over there. A few sets of upper ss eyes and a sparkling formal dress glint my way before they are


    ushered off by more ck suits.


    Alexi is left gripping me harshly, all smooth, smile and charm until they are out of sight. It drops the


    second we are left alone, and even the concierge had the sense to walk off with a dubious look our


    way. I feel my sanity go with her, so deted and exhausted and I sniff, coughing into my hand as


    another wave of dry convulsions that make me wretch hits me.


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    My throat burns with the effort and I wish I had the sense to just ask for a ss of water at least. Alexi


    turns back on me coldly after watching his party depart, confident they are out of sight and earshot.


    ‘’You were told to stay put, what the hell are you doing here?’’ Same usual hateful tone and detion


    just consumes me. I can’t take this on top of everything else that this man throws at me, and I p his


    hand off me angrily, sick to death of him and finding myst ounce of energy to bark right back.


    ‘’Fuck off. You don’t control me anymore, it’s not like any threat of punishment means anything either.


    I’d happily let you snap my fucking neck the way I am feeling.’’ I turn on my heel to head towards the


    awful elements once again and get yanked back by the back of my jacket abruptly, and pulled into a


    little outer apex of hallway that is shielded from the inner restaurant, by my hood. I struggle and twist to


    yank it free, but he has me dangling like a bratty child.


    ‘’I’m in no fucking mood. You were told to stay put and call Mico if you needed anything; you’re soaked


    through, look like hell and in a ce you shouldn’t be.’’ He rasps at me, losing his famous cool ever so


    quickly.


    ‘’I’m sorry, did I embarrass you while out with your girlfriend? Does Joanne know she’s not your one


    and only?’’ I droll hatefully, silky sweet venom rolling off my tongue. He just looks like he really will


    strangle me this time, but I no longer care, sickness has a way of making everything around you


    unimportant and blurred out because all you can focus on is how close to death you feel.


    I was never good at being sick. I have a shitty reaction to all kinds of bugs and illnesses, and when I


    get them they all go the same way, horrid all-consuming fever and sweats when they hit their peak and


    I can feel that’s where I am heading. Alexi just res at me.


    ‘’You really never know when to just shut up, do you?’’ Alexi snaps at me and this time I am roughly


    grabbed by the top shoulder of my jacket as he marches me outside, not even asking me to walk with


    him. Not that I would go willingly.


    My head swims and I stumble with dizziness for a second, which only gets me lifted by my clothes,


    manhandled aggressively. I am half dragged, half pushed out into the street as one of his familiar


    securitye rushing with an umbre to shield Lord Carrero from the rain.


    Alexi just keeps throwing me forward at speed until I’m ushered to a car, which he opens and


    practically tosses me inside. I don’t even fight or react, there is nothing left of me to do so and I just


    want to lie down. My head''s circling, brain throbbing and vision blotching. I’m close to passing out and I


    need to be alone to get over this. I move over to get away from him when I hit the leather seat,


    expecting him to shut the door and scramble to the other side, surprised when he follows me in.


    What the hell?


    I don’t even care; I gave up trying to work out why this man ever does anything he does anymore. I just


    make sure there is enough distance that he will stop touching me now he has me locked in here with


    him. I think of getting out the other side but one look at the heavens raining down out there and how


    shitty I feel, I just sink back and rest my head back on the rest behind my skull to give myself a few


    seconds respite.


    ‘’Go tell my date and my party I’ll be back, I have been temporarily called away for a moment.’’ He


    orders the driver who immediately dives out of the car and heads to the man with the brolly. I guess it’s


    a game of Chinese whispers and he’s back in a fraction of the time.


    Alexi is smoothing the rain from his coat and just turns to me. I, on the other hand, am far beyond being


    able to wipe water off, and I am already shivering from the effects. My body feels volcanic and yet I’m


    trembling involuntarily now I am off my jelly legs.


    I don’t have any fight in me and I just sink lower into the padded seat and let my throbbing head take


    over.


    ‘‘Pharmacy, then apartment … Now, what’s wrong with you? What do you need?’’ Alexi is back in


    unemotional mode and I wonder if this is because he doesn’t trust me to go home and stay out of his


    way; he’s going to deposit me and probably shackle me to his apartment, just for the hell of it.


    ‘’A morgue maybe, I think I’m dying from Alexi rted diseases.’’ I answer sarcastically. Lifting my


    head, I look his way warily and earn myself another furrowed brow of disdain. He looks like he always


    does, except in a tux and annoyingly groomed. No hints of what’s going on in that brain on the surface.


    ‘’Hardly. I make sure I’m clean on a regr basis. You’re sick; what is it? Flu?’’ He hasn’t got a suave


    bedside manner, despite probably making a hot doctor and I just shrug at him.


    There goes my idea he’s riddled me with sex diseases then.


    ‘‘If you’re lucky maybe it’s the gue.’’ Would probably be a blessing for him if I died of a horrible


    disease suddenly. I jump when he puts a hand on my forehead and p him away again impulsively,


    burning from his touch and the ignition of fury. I am surprised by that gesture but nothing should


    surprise me where he is concerned anymore. Alexi does shit for God knows what reason, and I will


    have an aneurysm if I even begin to dig at theyers and depths of how his mind works.


    ‘‘You have a fever, you’re hot and unwell and you should be in bed.’’


    ‘’No shit, you know I happen to feel it and I don’t need your powers of psychic to tell me I’m running a


    temperature. I weirdly did manage to summarise that I might be sick all on my own.’’ I lose all strength


    in my voice, giving up physically and sink back down again, lowering my chin when the car starts


    moving. I may want to spit and scratch at him but my body is reminding me that I am in no fit state at


    all. I am barely holding on, I just want to go back to bed and a million miles away from him.


    Alexi tells the driver to find a Duane Reade and turns back to me with a concerned look that spikes my


    mistrust and anxiety about this man.


    ‘’Why are you being nice to me?’’ I turn to him with a look of suspicion. Alexi only does what helps


    Alexi, and he’s not known for gantry orpassion, especially when ites to me. After how


    things ended, this is thest thing I expected from him at all.


    He just ignores me and pulls out his phone to answer the vibration it''s making. I leave him to it and turn


    my head to the window to watch the rainsh down on us while we move through the streets. New York


    is a city full of interesting sights and this part of it is both strangely and architecturally pretty yet


    intimidating all the same. People rushing about under umbres and cars whizzing past in the busy


    streets, despite the horrendous weather.


    ‘’Do you have water and food in the apartment, has Mico been checking in?’’ It’s said softly, so much


    so, that at first, I don’t even think he’s talking to me and jump when he touches me. Flinching and


    moving away pathetically, afraid of any contact from him at all.


    ‘’I’m not hungry and it hurts to swallow, I just need some pills and a bed. I’ll sleep it off and sweat it out.


    I’m a big girl … I don’t need anyone to take care of me or check in, I never did.’’ This time I don’t look at


    him, I just continue watching the rain and impulsively trail my finger down the ss to follow a huge


    drop which moves so slowly it seems suspended in time. Focused on the small things to try and block


    him out. I draw a tiny circle around where it hits the outer rubber of the window and then go back up


    midway to trace a new fat drop as it makes the same repetitive path.


    Alexi taps his thumb on his leg and remains silent.