Gentleman Sinner(101)

My eyes close, air burning my empty lungs. I feel defeated. ‘He . . .’ My words are lost on a sob.

Theo reaches and touches my cheek, and I flinch, not because it hurts, but because I can feel his burning anger. ‘Tell me.’

‘He raped me,’ I reply quietly, the words weak and loaded with shame.

Sparks of anger bounce around the room. ‘No,’ Theo whispers. ‘No, no, no.’

I nod, feeling so hopeless, weak, and dirty. I see in my mind’s eye the way he looked at me; I feel the soft touches that turned into hard punches when I dared flinch. The knife he had no control of. I fought his intentions. And I have scars on my stomach to prove it. ‘He used to watch me every day at the club. Then one night he followed me after work. I woke up in a hospital.’

I hear Theo’s inhale. Virtually hear his mind working fast to grasp everything. ‘The police?’

‘The doctor called them.’

‘And?’

‘And I didn’t talk. Refused the internal examination.’ His face bunches, like he doesn’t get it. Doesn’t understand why I wouldn’t talk and accept help. ‘I was a stripper, Theo. The club was nothing like the Playground. The clients were nothing like yours. I was ashamed of myself enough, without having others judge me and tell me that I asked for it. I just needed to get away. I needed to put it behind me and move on, not be dragged through questioning and interrogations.’ I take a breath to finish. ‘And I didn’t have someone like you to protect me, either.’

He swallows, and it’s a hard swallow. ‘The hospital was your safe place. And when I lost you your job, I took that away from you.’

‘You didn’t know.’ I register his increasingly quaking form. ‘Theo.’ I move forward, ready to reason with him, to stop him from doing what he’s already planning in his mind. But he steps away from me, out of reach. He doesn’t trust himself. His control is being hampered by rage. And in this moment, something dawns on me. Something I hate. ‘Where is Trystan now?’ I question. Theo’s men were watching him. They were on the way to the lobby when I passed them.

‘Being held by security.’ He doesn’t hold back. ‘And now after what you’ve told me, what he did to you, he’s a fucking dead man.’ He stalks out, too fast for me to gather myself and make a grab for him.

And I stand there for a moment, staring at the door closing behind him. He’s a fucking dead man. ‘Theo!’ I come to life, racing after him. ‘Theo, no!’ I yell, my distress crippling.

He starts pulling off his suit jacket as he prowls through his club, throwing it into a booth as he passes. Callum catches it out of pure reflex. ‘What the fuck?’ he asks, scrambling out of his seat, leaving Jess looking bewildered.

‘What’s going on?’ Judy asks, approaching, her eyes on her son’s back. People are scurrying out of Theo’s path as he strides through the club, murder etched across his face.

I carry on after him. ‘He’s here.’

‘What?’ Callum shouts, grabbing me and pulling me to a stop. ‘Who’s here?’

‘Trystan,’ I blurt mindlessly, trying to push him away so I can go after Theo.

Callum doesn’t let me. He holds me in place with one punishing hand wrapped around my upper arm, his face coming close, tight with unease. ‘Who’s Trystan, Izzy? And what the fuck did he do to you?’

I swallow, my lips quivering, not prepared to say the words.

I don’t need to. ‘Fuck,’ Callum hisses, dropping me and running through the club in pursuit of his friend.

‘What’s going on?’ Judy whispers, reaching for my arm as she watches Callum go. Turning towards me, she holds me in place with a fierce look. ‘Izzy, tell me.’

‘I was raped,’ I whisper, my throat clogged with apprehension so raw. Judy’s eyes widen. ‘And he’s here.’ In desperation, I pull free of Judy’s grip and go after Callum, coming to a screeching stop by the cage, where he’s standing beside Theo, looking past the bars.

Trystan is inside, being held by Theo’s two men. I become a statue, my feet stuck to the floor, my heart slowing.

‘Theo, don’t do this,’ Callum pleads, keeping his eyes on a bewildered-looking Trystan.

Theo says nothing, joining his hands in front of his groin, getting comfortable in his standing position. I don’t like this. He’s suddenly too calm as he stares at the bastard who destroyed me. Long, painful seconds pass, as I wait with bated breath, silently begging Callum to talk sense into Theo.

‘Theo, walk away.’ Callum turns to his friend. ‘For Izzy, just walk the fuck away.’

‘Never.’ He reaches for the front of his shirt and pulls it open, not bothering with the task of unbuttoning it, and the material falls from his torso like a burning flag. Then he stalks off. And my heart plummets.

‘Callum, do something.’ I grab his arm, shaking him. Theo enters the cage and indicates for his men to leave, locking the metal door behind them. I nearly collapse at the sight of my man in the cage, in only his jeans, muscles pulsing, fists clenching. His torso is rolling, and he’s cracking his neck, his lip curled. I glance around the club, noting everyone looking wary, but I also sense sick excitement, the crowds closing in around the edges.