9 Chapter 9

Daniel should have warned her.

If she ran, he would hunt.

He turned from her empty apartment, closed and locked the door behind him. She had several hours head start on him, assuming she left the moment his back was turned. He strode toward the elevator, but stopped before he reached it, turning instead into the stairwell. She wouldn't have taken the elevator down to the lobby, knowing her familiar route was blocked to her.

Entering the stairwell, he stopped. Every fibre of his being told him she had been there. He could almost smell her delicate flowery scent imprinting in the air, calling to him.

He was tempted to follow her steps down, tracing each footfall with his heavier ones. His brain worked swiftly through each of her steps, having come to know her well enough over the past months to understand how her clever mind would have worked once she forced herself to calm down. It was part of the reason she was more than a passing attraction for him. Her weakness combined with her strength and perseverance made her the perfect prey for his twisted mind.

Instead he forced himself to take the concrete steps up into the farthest reaches of the tower, climbing two at a time with militaristic precision. His apartment was on the 25th floor, right beneath King's parking garage. The entire 25th floor was technically storage for the security equipment and training for the security unit, but Daniel preferred it to a traditional living space. The rest of the security team shared the 24th floor or lived off property. King and his woman used the top two floors of the penthouse.

Daniel reached the 25th floor in minutes, his heart rate completely normal despite the gruelling climb. He punched in the code, releasing the door to his sanctuary. He strode toward the surveillance section, swiped his security card and entered another code, releasing the door to the locked cage. He sat down at the terminal and brought up the camera system.

It was easy for Daniel to track the woman once she left the building. King's influence opened the entire city to his fingertips. He watched through the building's surveillance system as she subtly and deliberately seduced a young police officer into finding her a ride. As the vehicle rounded the corner, Daniel brought up the city's surveillance system, entered the passcode and timestamp and tracked the vehicle to its destination. It pulled up outside of a bar on the outskirts of downtown toward the river district, entering into the trendier business area. Daniel watched as Addison stepped out of the cab, resting her hand on the cab driver's arm as she paid her fare, and walked inside.

Daniel carefully catalogued each infraction. He had staked his claim. She clearly hadn't taken him seriously, but she would.

He reached for his leather coat and swiftly exited the security room.

* * *

Addison curled tighter onto her side and tried harder to generate more heat on the tiny couch Chris had let her borrow. His snores from the bed filled the room. It was her own fault for not accepting his invitation for joining him on the bed. She'd known it wasn't an innocent invitation and if it had been another night, perhaps she might have accepted. They had been lovers before, off and on over the years. Something didn't feel right about jumping into bed with Chris tonight though. Which is how she found herself on a lumpy, cold couch listening to his snores in the small hours of the morning, wishing she had just paid for a hotel room.

Addison shifted and tried to roll over in the limited space. Daniel's voice filled her mind, the way he'd insisted she stay in her apartment. She wanted to be annoyed with his high-handedness, but something inside her insisted he was a different sort of man than any other she'd known. He expected obedience.

She had done the right thing in leaving. If he went back to her apartment to find her, he would find it empty and maybe take the hint and leave her alone. Addison had many friends, but few she would trust enough to spend the night with. She had to be completely trusting of a person in order to allow her mind to shut down in their presence. Chris was one of the few. Probably because she'd had sex with him before and fallen asleep in his presence. He owned the bar below the tiny apartment. He played trumpet in a jazz band and she would occasionally join them for a set.

When she showed up in the bar, clearly shaken from the days events he'd immediately had his bartender take over and, giving Addison his arm, led her to a table where he poured them each a drink. She explained to him about the shooting in her lobby and then about Daniel, leaving nothing out. Chris quietly took her feelings into consideration, as he always did, and offered her a safe place for the night.

Addison had gratefully accepted and laughingly insisted on taking the couch. She had told him he could return to his bar if he wanted, but he'd insisted on staying with her in case she woke up and needed anything. That had been an hour ago and Addison had yet to fall asleep. She wished life could be easier and she could just fall in love with someone like Chris. She giggled a little. He would probably be horrified by the the idea, he liked to think of himself as a player.

Addison was in the process of rolling over again when an arm reached under her head from the back of the couch and covered her nose and and mouth in a crushing grip. Another arm reached over her hips and yanked her hard into the back of the couch. She tried to struggle but the incredibly tight hold combined with lack of air made it impossible. A whimper of fear was all she could manage.

"I'll move my hand off your nose in three seconds," a voice whispered close to her ear, "struggle and I'll cover your nose again."

Addison counted the seconds in her brain. On three, the hand slipped down from her nose, but still covered her lips. She sucked in air until her head stopped swimming. Every instinct in her body wanted to fight the person holding her, but she forced herself to lay still under his hold.

"Good girl," came the whispered voice next to her ear. "I'm going to lift you now and set you on your feet. Do nothing except stand still. If you move, I will hurt you. If you scream, I'll kill your friend."

It frightened her that he didn't ask her if she understood, he didn't ask her to nod or anything. He meant every word he said. She was lifted over the back of the couch as though she weighed nothing. She fought back the instinct to struggle against her attacker, only reaching out to grip the arm that held her waist. It was so much thicker than hers, definitely a man's.

Her feet touched the ground and her long skirt swished down to cover her legs. She shivered in cold and fear. Her bare feet curled against the wood floor. She wore the same white sleeveless tank top she'd put on that morning. He shifted his hand off her mouth and wrapped his arm around her neck. She sucked in air through her lips and brought her hand up to grip his arm. It was like steel wrapped around her vulnerable neck.?

He leaned down and placed his lips against the skin behind her ear, she felt the slightly rougher hair of a beard and shivered. Daniel! She gasped when she recognized the man that held her. She should have realized, his subtle scent filled her now that she wasn't as terrified for her life.

"Where are your shoes and jacket, Addison?" he asked.

Her voice shook as she whispered back, "By the door."

He pulled her over to the door and helped her pull on her jacket and then her ballet flats. Still shaking, she reached for the door. His hand landed on top of hers, stopping her. She stiffened, waiting.

"Do I need to kill him, Addison?"

She gasped, "What?"

"Did you fuck him?"

She whirled around. Daniel was standing so close she bumped into his chest. "What kind of question is that?" she asked furiously.

"I'm paid to be observant, Addison. I know you've gone to bed with this guy before, so don't play games with me right now. Did you fuck him tonight, after I made it clear you're mine?"