Chapter 27
Wrapped in a black trash bag like some bizarre Halloween costume, Gage lay on the ground, howling in misery, while Elysia kicked and punched him with all the ferocity of a schoolyard. scuffle. Her blows might not have been heavyweight, but given she was sporting stilettos, they certainly left their mark.
Looking every inch the drunken mess, Gage didn’t seem to have the strength to fight back. After a short–lived thrashing, Elysia, gasping for breath and making a grotesque face at her victim, dramatically collapsed on the floor beside him.
Gage groaned his way upright and yanked the trash bag off his head, cursing like a sailor, “Fucking hell, who the hell thinks they can mess with me and live to tell the tale? I’ll make them pay!”
Elysia, feigning a groggy awakening, clutched her head. “Mr. Slater, what happened? My head’s throbbing like someone clocked me.”
“I fucking got jumped. Did you see who it was?”
“No, I was out cold too.”
“The nerve, messing with my plans and hitting me. Don’t worry, babe, I’m calling the troops to
sniff out this rat.”
Swearing under his breath, Gage reached for his phone to call for backup.
Elysia excused herself to the restroom, her face a picture of innocent alarm. But once out of sight, her expression morphed into a colorful tirade of silent curses.
Tarquin and Lowell could only stare in disbelief.
With a little thought, anyone could piece together what had happened. Gage had tried to force himself on her, and she struck back from the shadows. It was hard to decide whether
to admire
cunning or her courage.
Emerging from the emergency exit with a mix of timidity and inner triumph, Elysia’s heart. stopped when she saw the two men, her eyes wide with shock.
Tarquin regarded her with a disapproving frown, his gaze inscrutable. Lowell, however, greeted her with a smile, “Ms. Thorne, fancy seeing you here again.
Elysia, realizing they must have witnessed her act, swallowed nervously. Before she could speak, Gage’s voice boomed from behind, “Lowell? Hey, man, you’re here too, perfect! Help me find out who sucker–punched me!”
Thanks to Nola’s heroics in saving Elijah, the Slater family was riding high, and Gage was familiar with Tarquin and Lowell. He could only see Lowell from his position, so he sought help without hesitation.
Elysia’s expression twitched manically as she faced an unexpected complication – they
1/2
18-57
knew each other!
Could her luck be any worse?
As Lowell waited for Tarquin’s cue, Elysia desperately whispered into Tarquin’s ear, “He tried to assault me. Don’t rat me out.”
Tarquin, who disliked personal space invasions, pushed her away with visible disgust.
Thinking he wasn’t going to cooperate, Elysia clung to him like an octopus, pleading, “I was just working part–time, and he targeted me. I had no choice but to… It was self–defense.”
“Get off.
“But think of your fifty million. If something happens to me, you can kiss that money goodbye!”
“Are you threatening me?” Tarquin’s voice was icy.
As Elysia recoiled, preparing to explain, Gage approached, “What’s up, Tarquin, you’re…”
Fearing exposure, Elysia pressed her lips to Tarquin’s, silencing him.
All the three men were petrified.
Time seemed to freeze, and no one spoke.
Elysia’s lashes shivered, and her heart pounded, not from the kiss but from sheer panic. She knew Gage was a big shot; if he found out she was the assailant, her night–and possibly much more–was over.
Lowell, sna,ing out of his shock, seemed surprised that Tarquin hadn’t pushed Elysia away. Could it be that their iron–hearted bachelor was finally showing a soft spot?
Excited by the prospect, Lowell quickly ushered Gage away, “Mr. Slater, let’s talk over here…”
“But Tarquin, he…”
Once Tarquin and Elysia were alone, she breathed a sigh of relief, her tense shoulders finally relaxing.
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