MAD LOVE

Chapter 21

I looked up at Jess and, judging by the disgruntled expression on her face, I knew I had heard right. Slowly, like in a movie, I began to turn toward the painfully familiar voice, and our eyes finally met.

"You shouldn't arouse suspicion," I repeated to myself, as if I were reading a mantra. But how, when my whole body was tingling and my stomach was twisted into a knot? My lungs seemed to deflate to the size of an acorn and I urgently needed to get some air.

He stood one step away from me, and in the intense atmosphere I could hear nothing but my own frenzied heartbeat. Wood kept his creepy gaze on me, his eyes slithering all over my body, before finally locking again with mine. I instinctively retreated closer to the guys, as if trying to hide behind them.

"Alana, do you remember Mark? He's my cousin, and he's talked a lot about you," the brown-haired woman said purposefully.

"Really?" I strained through my teeth as my heart pounded my eardrums.

I was suddenly overcome with anger, but after a second I wanted to cry. I had never experienced such an emotional merry-go-round, and it was very difficult for me to keep my mask of indifference in place. It felt like everything was written on my face.

"Surprised to meet you here," he said as a smirk touched his lips, and that voice... that voice stirred every cell in my body, and I trembled. He tried to take my hand, but I jerked it to the side as if I had gotten an electric shock.

"Don't you dare. Touch. Me," I said, articulating each word clearly. His eyes filled with fire and excitement, like a predator before the hunt.

He took a step in my direction again, but this time someone stepped between us. Mike. Everyone here understood my reaction to meeting Wood, except for Norton and Farrell.

"The girl seems to have clearly stated her position. Or should I give you a fuller explanation?" My savior said calmly but menacingly.

"Are you her boyfriend? If not, then stand aside. I need to talk to my ex-girlfriend." That's it, curtains. I covered my eyes with my palm the moment Mike turned to me.

"Lay even a finger on her and I'll personally rip out your throat," Jess hissed as she grabbed me by the elbow and pushed me behind her back.

"Milton." Wood held out, flashing in a disgusting smile. "Are you among the chosen ones?" He clearly did not address this question to her, as the jerk tilted his head to the side and looked at me mockingly.

"You're a moral freak, Wood – I've known this for a long time. But it turns out the depths of depravity you're capable of are a revelation even to me."

Jessica grabbed my arm and dragged me towards another room to avoid a major conflict.

"See you again, mouse," was the last thing I heard behind me.

We walked up to a makeshift bar to relieve our stress. A few shots of tequila later, my sense of anxiety started fading. I was grateful to my friend because she did not ask any questions. She only helped me get rid of my bad thoughts in every possible way. I never had so much to drink as I had that day. I was so far gone, I agreed to the reckless act of helping Norton drink 'cactus vodka' properly.

He sat me down on the table and stood between my legs. Laying me down on my back, he rolled my t-shirt up my chest, exposing my bare waist. With great care, he lay out the components of the ritual and then, counting down from three, started.

With sensual slowness, Mike licked the thin trail of salt upward from my navel. As he got to the base of my bra, he started thrusting his hips in slow, deliberate movements. Reaching for the shot of tequila tucked into my cleavage, he wrapped his lips around the glass, then threw his head back to swallow the contents.