Chapter 2

The electronic lock beeped rapidly. Chadwick Kowalski was on the other side, aggressively swiping a forged keycard against the reader. The shrill sound pierced the quiet of the penthouse.

Dalton didn't back away. He reached out, his large hand wrapping around the cold metal of the door handle. He yanked it inward with brutal force.

The heavy door swung wide open.

Alex Jennings, a notorious gossip reporter, was standing right there. He shoved his massive camera lens straight into the doorway.

Blinding white flashes erupted like a violent storm. The strobe lights fired continuously, desperate to capture a scandalous scene.

Dalton stepped directly into the center of the doorframe. His massive frame formed an impenetrable wall, completely blocking any angle into the bedroom behind him.

He narrowed his dark eyes. The sheer, suffocating authority radiating from him made the reporters in the front row physically flinch. The air in the hallway turned to ice.

Chadwick pushed his way to the front. He pointed a trembling finger right at Dalton's face.

"You forced her!" Chadwick yelled, his voice echoing off the walls. "You took my girlfriend!"

Dalton stared at the man who had ruined Audriana in his past life. His expression was completely dead, looking at Chadwick as if he were already a corpse.

Alex Jennings tried to sidestep Dalton, lifting his camera high to shoot over Dalton's shoulder.

Dalton's hand shot out. His fingers clamped down on the edge of the camera lens with terrifying precision.

A loud, sickening crack echoed in the hallway. The ten-thousand-dollar professional lens shattered under the crushing grip of Dalton's single hand. Glass splintered onto the carpet.

The hallway went dead silent. The reporters stopped breathing, their eyes wide with shock at the casual display of violence.

Inside the bedroom, the commotion finally pierced through Audriana's drug-addled brain. A splitting headache hammered against her skull.

She clutched the oversized cashmere coat tightly around her body. Her legs shook as she stumbled out of the bedroom, leaning heavily against the wall for support.

The moment she appeared, the flashes erupted again.

The harsh light stabbed Audriana's eyes. She gasped, her body flinching backward in sheer terror.

Dalton's chest tightened painfully. He spun around, his long legs closing the distance between them in two strides.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her hard against his chest. He grabbed the wide lapel of the cashmere coat and pulled it up, completely shielding her face from the cameras.

Audriana panicked. The smell of cedar and male aggression surrounded her. She struggled, pushing against his chest, but Dalton's arm wrapped around her waist like a band of solid steel.

Chadwick saw her. He immediately contorted his face into a mask of agony.

"Audriana!" Chadwick cried out, his voice cracking with fake devastation.

Audriana's body went completely rigid. That voice. She knew that voice. She tried to poke her head out from under the coat.

Dalton's large palm clamped down on the back of her head, pressing her face firmly into his chest.

"Don't look," Dalton ordered, his voice a low, vibrating rumble against her ear.

Chadwick turned to the cameras, tears streaming down his face. He accused Dalton of using his Wall Street billions to prey on innocent college girls.

The cameras clicked frantically, eating up every second of Chadwick's performance. A massive media storm was brewing right in front of them.

Audriana shifted her head just enough to peek through the gap in the coat. The blinding flashes illuminated the hallway.

Her brain stuttered to a halt.

She didn't see a heartbroken boyfriend. She saw the ugly, unfiltered greed shining in Chadwick's eyes.

The fog of the drug cleared for a split second. A block of ice dropped into her stomach. Chadwick had handed her the drink. Chadwick had brought her here.

The sheer weight of the betrayal hit her nervous system. Her knees buckled. All the strength drained from her legs.

Dalton caught her immediately. He braced his stance, taking her entire body weight against his side without shifting an inch.

He lifted his chin. His dark eyes swept over the cluster of cameras and reporters, looking at them like a tyrant surveying a rebellion.

He pulled his phone from his pocket with his free hand. He hit the speed dial for his executive assistant, Simon Fletcher.

"Clear the floor," Dalton said. Two words. He hung up.

He looked back down at Chadwick, who was still rambling to the cameras. Dalton's lips parted slightly, ready to drop the match on the gasoline.