Free Destroy Me by Laura Bailey Page A

departure.”
    The implication from the tone of his voice was obvious. Tara knew it was time to leave.
    “I really should go now.”
    She was already standing, pushing back her chair as he rose quickly to assist her.
    Standing too close to her now, she moved aside. “Thank you for the drink, but there is something I need to see to. I’ve got to go I’m afraid.”
    “I’ll drive you; we can’t have you walking around on your own at this time of night.”
    There was a fixed determination in his eyes.
    She hadn’t anticipated this. “No, it’s fine, thank you, really, it’s not far at all, and the Metro is so close.”
    As she walked away from him, she typed a txt to Damien.
    ‘Call me.’
    Perhaps he was just running late; he’d been late the first time they had met. If he did come, she wanted him to know she had left, that she could come back.
    She passed through the entrance doors and went down the steps. It was dark outside now. She heard the footsteps behind her.
    “Tara, my car is here, on the left.”
    She heard the beep of an alarm and turned to see the car, a Ferrari. It was a nice car, but she had no intention of getting in.
    “Get in Tara.”
    What was it with the men in this place? Did none of them ever take no for an answer? She stood still, annoyed at the man’s persistence.
“I’m spoken for Marc. It’s really not appropriate.”
“I’m merely offering you a lift. You don’t seem to appreciate how dangerous this City can be, particularly at night. It’s pointless to put yourself at risk when I’m on my way out now anyway. It’s no trouble to drive you.”
He had a point. Yes, he had been chatting her up, but, unlike Damien, he hadn’t dragged her off and sexually assaulted her, so he was behaving far more gentlemanly, although he had now moved in front of her to block her path. Another arrogant rich alpha male. It seemed that was the speciality here at this Club.
    She couldn’t see what else she could do short of kicking him. Damien wasn’t calling her back; he obviously didn’t care. Hell, why not enjoy the ride.
    He steered her to the passenger side. “In you get.”
    She got in and he started up the car; the hum of the engine so distinctive.
    “I’m up by Pennsylvania Avenue.”
    “Ok.”
    He drove in silence, which surprised her but she didn’t try to encourage conversation with him.
    It was not a long drive, only a few blocks away.
    As they reached Pennsylvania Avenue, he turned off into a side street before she had the chance to tell him where to go. To her utter astonishment, he drove straight up to the three storey house her ground floor apartment was situated in.
    “I didn’t tell you where I lived!”
    “I know.”
    Baffled, she sat as he came around to open her door for her. This was peculiar. He was standing too close to her, giving her little room to get out of the car without coming into contact with his chest.
    “Enjoy your evening Tara. And be careful.”
    The expression on his face was unreadable but she didn’t like it.
    He moved aside to let her pass by him.
    Fishing frantically in her handbag for her keys, she walked hurriedly up the short path to the front door of the house, quickly letting herself in. She didn’t turn back around. Stepping inside quickly, she leant against the door as her heartbeat thudded. There had been menace in his voice as he had spoken. She hadn’t imagined it. He had issued her with some kind of warning; a threat. How the hell had he known where she lived?
She took the steps down to her basement apartment. Going straight to the back door in the kitchen she checked that it was locked. It had never bothered her before, and yet now she realised how vulnerable the back entrance was to intruders, just a single lock protecting it. Alone and unprotected with Mike gone, and Damien ignoring her, she felt completely defenceless. She didn’t fancy her chances against someone like Marc Chambers. In a country where it was legal to own a gun,