RUSH (City Lights, #3)(94)

“Deacon…”

“When he was around everyone else became invisible. I became invisible. To the managers at PX, always giving him the best assignments. To the women…to Valentina. I met her first. Did you know that? She was supposed to be with me, but no…She took one look at Noah and that was it. And he didn’t even love her. I could have loved her. I could have…”

He moved closer and I darted for the panel of buttons. He blocked the way with his arm, pinning me to the wall, his whiskey breath wafting over me wetly.

“Deacon, I’ll scream…”

The alarm began to sound, ringing over and over; the elevator had been stopped too long. Deacon didn’t even react. He leaned in to me, nuzzled my cheek with his nose. I winced, my skin crawling.

“I thought I was done feeling bad. I thought it would make me feel better to bring him here, and show everyone…See? O, how the mighty have fallen. But no. I still feel bad, Charlotte. I know he’s covered in disgusting scars and he won’t ever be able to see how you look at him, and you love him anyway.”

Deacon’s hand caressed my cheek softly, and then his gentle touch became a painful grip on my chin.

“So I think that if I kiss you, Charlotte, maybe I won’t feel so bad anymore. I think, maybe, if I get a little taste of what he has, I might stop feeling so goddamn bad.”

He leaned in without resistance from me since I was opening my clutch to grab the little canister of pepper spray Ava had given me before we’d left Connecticut.

Just as Deacon’s lips brushed mine, I drove my knee between his legs. It wasn’t very hard, but surprised him, and the weight of him moved off me. I brought my hand up, squeezed my eyes shut, held my breath, and pressed the release. A short, fast blast, as the elevator was so small.

Immediately, my nose stung and my eyes watered under my closed lids. But Deacon fell back with a strangled cry and began to cough as if his lungs were clawing their way out of his chest. The alarm rang and rang…

I slipped around from the wall, toward the panel, blinking hard. Deacon collapsed on his hands and knees on the floor, his face brilliant red and his eyes streaming, his body was wracked with coughs.

I jabbed the door open button, coughing a little myself at the peppery mist that hung in the small space. The doors slid open and I dashed out, crashing straight into Noah.

“Charlotte?” Noah cried, holding me by the shoulders. “Are you okay? What is that smell? Pepper spray?”

“Yes,” I said on a shaky breath. “Deacon…”

I didn’t need to say any more. Noah’s face twisted in a grimace of pain that quickly morphed into rage.

A crowd was gathering to watch. Deacon had crawled halfway out of the elevator and sat slumped just outside. The doors kept trying to close, and then opened, over and over. He coughed, his eyes streaming. Noah moved forward guided by the stinging smell and sound. He bent over his friend, felt for the man’s lapels and lifted him, slammed him against the wall.

“What did you do to her?” he raged. “What did you do to her?”

Deacon’s eyes were squeezed shut, the skin fiery red and wet with tears. He half-laughed, half-coughed. “I just wanted a little taste, buddy,” he snickered. “And I was right. Sweet Charlotte is so very sweet…”

Noah swore and pressed Deacon against the wall by his chin, holding him there, so he could reach back with his right fist and strike him across the face. The crowd that had gathered made a collective “Ohhh!” and somebody snickered.

“Noah, stop!” I rushed over and took his arms. “Please!”

I pulled him away, and Deacon slumped back to the ground.

“Didn’t your mother…ever tell you…not to hit a blind guy?” Deacon chortled weakly.

Noah loomed over his friend, his hands balled into fists. “I’ll kill you. I swear to god, I’ll kill you…”

I kept hold of Noah’s arm. “He didn’t hurt me, Noah. I’m okay.”

Deacon snorted derisively, then coughed. “Kill me. Over a woman? All for show. You’ve only ever given a shit about one person: Noah f*cking Lake. A legend. Ha! Look at you.”

A vein pulsed in Noah’s neck and the only other sound was the footsteps of the security guards trotting down the hall toward us.

Deacon coughed a scratchy laugh. “How’d you like the Observation Deck, good buddy? How’d you like the slideshow? I knew you couldn’t stay away. But it’s too bad you’re blind, Lake, because you can’t see how everyone feels sorry for you. You’re a joke. That’s all you are now. A goddamn joke.”

The crowd around us had gone silent and I was sure Noah was going to fly at Deacon and beat the hell out of him. But he only shook his head, disgusted. He turned to me.

“Did he hurt you? Tell me the truth.”

“No,” I said. All the hurt is on the inside. “I want to go now. Can we go now, please?”

Noah nodded and took my arm, and already if felt different. One night, and it already felt different.





Chapter Thirty-Three


Charlotte

Security took Deacon away, and asked me a bunch of questions I don’t remember answering. I’d have to file charges against him: assault and battery, false imprisonment. I didn’t want to. I wanted to go to sleep for a thousand years and wake up on a sunny day where this night would be just a dim memory. But I might not have been the first woman Deacon cornered. I might not be the last. For that reason only, I went to the station and filed the charges. Noah came with me, saying nothing.