Chapter 6 - The Monster's Heart
The black town car sped through the iron gates of the estate and slammed into park.
Kayla practically fell out of the backseat, her legs completely numb from shock.
Gunther was already standing on the front steps, his face pale and terrifyingly calm.
He bypassed Marcus entirely and pulled Kayla into his chest.
It was the first time he had truly held her, and the impact was staggering.
His arms wrapped around her tightly, crushing her against his tailored suit.
Kayla buried her face in his neck, finally allowing herself to break down and cry.
"I've got you," Gunther whispered fiercely against her hair.
"You are safe."
"Nobody is ever going to touch you again."
He carried her inside and carried her all the way up the grand staircase.
He bypassed the study and took her directly to the master suite.
He set her gently on the edge of the bed and knelt in front of her.
He carefully checked her arms for bruises, his thumbs gently brushing over the red marks left by the Russian thugs.
His dark eyes burned with a violence that terrified her, but none of it was directed at her.
"Why are they doing this?" Kayla cried softly.
"They want my territory," Gunther explained, his voice low and dangerous.
"And they realized that you are the only thing in this world that I care about."
Kayla stopped crying, her breath hitching in her throat.
She looked down at the ruthless mob boss kneeling at her feet.
"Why do you care about me, Gunther?" she asked, her voice a desperate whisper.
"I am just a maid."
"I am a nobody."
Gunther reached up and framed her face with his large, warm hands.
"You are the only real thing in a world full of liars," Gunther said fiercely.
"I have spent my entire life surrounded by darkness."
"Then I walked into my bedroom and found a tired girl sleeping in my bed, completely trusting the space she was in."
"You brought light into my house, Kayla."
"And I will burn the entire city to the ground before I let anyone extinguish it."
Kayla looked into his eyes and saw the absolute truth in his words.
She did not see a monster.
She saw a man who was desperately, entirely in love with her.
She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his.
Gunther groaned, entirely abandoning his restraint.
He stood up, pulling her with him, and kissed her with a passion that felt like a localized earthquake.
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It was a desperate, hungry kiss, a collision of two worlds that should never have met.
But as he held her against him, Kayla knew she could never go back to being invisible.
