9. Meet Cute

I prod my finger into it and pull it out.

My jaw goes slack when I see what’s inside. It’s a small gun drawer. There are two handguns and an assault rifle. There are some files too. A small laptop along with two hard disks. A fancy looking flash drive grabs my attention. It’s tiny.

Do people still use that? I think to myself and pick it up.

“WHAT THE FU-K ARE YOU DOING?” A voice roars behind me and I flinch.

….

I think I peed a little. I put the pen drive back and shut the drawer close. When I turn, I see an angry man striding towards me. He is in a freaking towel. Where the hell are his clothes?

He covers the distance in 2 seconds. I yelp and step back in surprise. My back hits the wall.

“I… I am sorry.. I shouldn’t have…” I tilt my head to look at his raging face.

My first realization. It’s Mikolaj Josef. He is tall and my head barely reaches his shoulders.

My second realization. I fucked up bad. Such a terrible first impression.

Little did I imagine, it was only the start of a worse evening.

“I shouldn’t have touched that. I am sorry.”

I try to move away from him. He grabs me by my throat and pushes me back. My head hits the wall hard, and I look at him in shock.

He keeps his fingers wrapped around my throat and opens the drawer again. I blink. Unable to process what is happening. A very familiar sense of panic rises inside me.

Breathe. Fuckin breathe, Riley.

But it's hard to do with his fingers wrapped around my throat tightly.

“You are suffocating me..” I whisper, trying to pull his hand away. He is way taller and stronger than me. I don’t stand a chance. He can easily crush me. The thought doesn’t make me feel better, and I yank his hand away. He doesn’t bulge but to my relief, he loosens his grip a little.

Focus on something. Don’t panic, I tell myself. I look at his black messy hair. It’s still wet. Did he come out of the shower? That explains the lack of clothes.

“How did you manage this?” He growls.

He notices something and his angry face turns furious.

“What did you take?”

“N–nothing.. I took nothing!” I say firmly, but my voice comes out a squeak.

“Oh really… you little liar.” He brings his face closer to mine. “I will ruin you and burn your family into ground for this little stunt,“ he says, tightening the fingers around my neck again.

“Oh my God, Miko. What is happening?” A woman comes out of a private gym.

Her expression is frantic.

“Leave her. She will faint.”

Then finally he lets my throat go and I drop to my knees. I cough profusely while I rubbing my neck.

This man is a psychopath.

“Canopy’s Intranet drive is missing,” he says, in a thick voice.

“WHAT?” the women exclaim and looks at me wide eyed. He grabs my bag and throws it towards the woman. “Check it.”

“I came here with Jonas,” I whisper. “I took nothing,” I add, still trying to catch a breath.

He pulls me up by the arm and presses my back against the wall. I feel like a little child in front of him.

He jerks my arm up in T-pose, and I yelp.

“Wh– what are you doing?”

I barely have time to understand, but he vets my pockets like a freaking TSA agent.

“I– I didn’t take anything…” I squeak again.

“Shut your mouth!” he snarls at me. I flinch and not a word comes out of my mouth. Not even when he feels the outline of my bra. His hands trail around my waist. Then finally my ass cheeks. I try to focus on something else to bear the shame and suppress the panic. He is not wearing anything, and it’s making me feel confused and conflicted.

I keep my eyes low, hoping for this to get over. My heart is racing. Focus. Don’t think too much. I tell myself again. There is a thin long scar below his ribs. I would love to sink a knife at same spot. He bends to vet my legs and I see his naked back. There is a round scar below his shoulder blade. A bullet wound? I am sure he deserved it. He gets up and gives an irritated sigh.

He steps back, still keeping his piercing blue gaze at me. “Camilla, did you find anything?” he asks the woman.

My eyes go towards her and she has spread all my belongings on the table.

“No.. I am checking her laptop.”

I look at Mikołaj again. I cannot tear my gaze from his bare chest and tight muscles. My brain is a jumbled mess. How can I be at the verge of a panic attack at a minute and be hot and bothered a minute later?

He looks at me and orders, ”Remove your clothes.”

My eyes widen at realization. “Excuse me?”

“You are not leaving until I find what you stole from here. Get naked right now.”

A wave of anger rises inside me. Does he think I am his personal slave so he can order me around without asking for my fucking consent? I step closer and slap his face hard.