Lethal Obsession

27.

"The greater the power, the more dangerous the abuse. ― Edmund Burke

"To lie a little is not possible: he who lies, lies the whole lie." ― Victor Hugo

A healthy relationship will never require you to sacrifice your friends, your dreams or your dignity ― Mandy Hale

Chapter 27

I didn't get far before I bumped into the strongest moving wall I've ever seen. I let out a yelp due to the force of the blow and at the same time lost my balance. I would, undoubtedly, have collapsed on the floor if strong arms had not wrapped around my waist, preventing me from falling. I soon found myself pinned to someone's body, my head resting on the chest of the person who had saved me. The scent of a well-known perfume reached my nostrils, successfully calming my crazy heart. I immediately wrapped my arms around Mateo, because of the fear I had just suffered, but also because of the indescribable need to get lost in his touch.

"Where have you been, Tara?" He asked, moving my head from his chest so he could leave a gentle kiss on my forehead.

I shook my head, saying nothing, and buried my face in the crook of his neck. I had to stand on my tippy toes so I could at least have a shot at succeeding, and even then it was hard. Noticing my intentions, he lifted me and put his hands under my ass so he could hold me since I couldn't wrap my legs around his waist. The dress was way too tight for that.

We stood like that, embraced and in total silence, for a while. I didn't even notice that I could no longer hear music, coming from the hall, or any other sound for that matter. The difference between the deafening silence and the previous combination of screaming and a deadly boring song that, apparently, the local elite considered suitable for a party, was quite creepy, I was confused for a moment and stepped back a little to look at him.

"What happened in there?" I asked him quietly. My voice was still a little shaky and a bit hoarse. Of course, Mateo noticed and narrowed his eyes.

"It doesn't matter, we're going home," he replied in a harsh voice. I looked at him, feeling confused and started squirming in his arms, wanting him to put me down, which he did.

"What do you mean it doesn't matter? I heard someone screaming," I attempted to go around him, but he grabbed my wrist and stopped my further progress. I tried to prevent the cry that had every intention of coming out of my mouth but I failed. Mateo's grip was not exactly strong, but he hit the place that Adam had previously held in a tight grip, thus making the pain worse.

Of course, he noticed that too. His gaze instantly shifted to where he was holding me. I tried to remove my hand from his, but that movement didn't bring me any good. I closed my eyes tightly when I realized that Mateo had seen redness around my wrist that would in no time surely turn into an ugly bruise. He didn't stop there. Gently and somewhat slowly, he took my other hand and brought it closer to him. I opened my eyes uncertainly, but he wasn't looking at me. His gaze was fixed on my wrists and as if some shadow passed over his face, it suddenly turned monstrous one. The chill ran through my body as if the room temperature had dropped below zero.

"Who did this to you?" He asked me coldly, still not taking his eyes off the bruises. I tried to remove my hands from his grip again and this time he allowed it. Frighteningly slow, he looked up and fixed his eyes directly on mine. His voice may have been ice cold, but his eyes... His eyes were fiery, with as much fervor as if they craved blood.

"Mateo, it doesn't-" I didn't even know what I was about to say. I was probably ready to do whatever it takes to distract him, however, a loud gasp coming from somewhere behind me prevented me from doing so. I turned around at the same time as Mateo shifted his sharp gaze to the unfortunate guest, which very quickly turned out to be the correct description of the person in question.