The Billionaire’s Hidden Heiress
[Book 2] Chapter 41

Knox POV

I hadn't expected Lorelai to live in such a dingy and damp building with apartments. I had the driver and my bodyguard accompany me up the stairs as we located the apartment she lived in, a frown on my face. If I had known she lived in such paltry conditions, I would have insisted on giving her a raise or maybe even offered to replace her better accommodation. This place wasn't fit for habitation and should be condemned, I thought wrinkling my nose. It was hard to picture such a beautiful woman like Lorelai forced to live in squalid conditions like these.

I stood outside the door. My hand reached up to knock but something made me pause.

"Do you hear that" Damien whispered behind me.

I did. It sounded like there was a fight going on. I could hear Lorelai's voice, barely, and the sound of a man shouting inside. Something came over me. Something reckless. Instinctively I knew she was in trouble. This had to be the boyfriend. Was he angry because she had slept with me or was this more than that? It sounded like he was hurting her. I stood back and motioned for Damien and my driver to get out of the way. I put all my strength into my shoulder and tackled the door, confident that such a weak-looking door would break open with one shove. It did.

I halted inside. There was a handsome-looking man, kneeling over Lorelai. I drew in a shocked breath. Her face was bruised and battered. His hands moved away from her throat as I fought back the urge to kill the son of a b***h. He slowly got to his feet to face me while I glanced toward her, my eyes assessing the damage he'd done to her. From the way she was gripping her side, I had no doubts she had a few broken ribs or so or badly bruised them, not to mention the strangulation and the bruises on her face. Rage swept over me. Only cowards raised a hand towards a woman. He'd hurt Lorelai. My Lorelai. I was going to kill him, slowly and painfully. I was going to make him pay for what he had done.

The cocky bastard had the nerve to laugh and taunt me, expecting my bodyguard to fight him instead. I gave him a malicious grin.

"I'll let you take the first shot" I invited viciously.

He moved too sloppily, punching with his body showing clearly what move he was about to make. I caught his hand in mid-air, yanking it upwards harshly, cracking and breaking his wrist nonchalantly, and punching him in the nose, breaking it. Blood began to spurt out everywhere as he cried out and I let him stagger backwards. He didn't look so cocky now. Instead he had the sense to look frightened. I began to shrug my jacket off and handed it to my driver who meticulously folded it over his arm looking nonchalant. "Now see here" the boyfriend began as I rolled up my sleeves in preparation.

I c****d my head at him, keeping a close watch on Lorelai, who I realized now was unconscious. "I thought you said that I wasn't going to be any good at fighting?" I mocked "What happened to all the boasting you were doing a minute ago?" I growled.

He let out another growl and rushed me. I swiftly kicked out and hit him in his midsection, before punching him in the jaw and then following it with a hard elbow to the back of his neck as he dropped to the floor swearing and cursing a blue streak. I was enjoying myself immensely. I wanted to make this as painful as possible for the bastard. I wanted him to hurt.

"Bastard" the boyfriend hissed, getting back to his feet slowly and eyeing me warily now.

"The only bastard I see here is you" I snap, gesturing to Lorelai "How long have you been beating her for?" The question hangs in the air. He smirks at me "Since we got together, does that answer your question?"

I suck in a breath. It answers so many unanswered questions or observations about Lorelai. Like the cramp she claimed to have in her side, the odd bruises littered here or there on her body. The bastard had been hurting her and I'd been oblivious to it all. Why hadn't she told me? I would have helped her. I would have organized for this scumbag to disappear off the face of the earth without a second thought and the world would have been a better place. She would have been safe. I was so furious that I was fighting the urge to kill him right there and then. I let out another low growl, wishing I could nail this bastard to the floor and leave him to die.

"You take pleasure in beating an innocent woman?" my voice is filled with disgust.

He sneers "Lorelai is mine. She knows that. You need to learn that" he snarls and tackles me.

I dislodge him, sweep out his legs from under him and stomp on his side, causing several ribs to break as he lets out a howl of pain.

"Is that painful?" my voice is chilling "Imagine how painful it's been for Lorelai."

I deliberately stand on them and push hard with my foot, causing him to gasp and struggle to push me off before moving. I'm still not finished. He rolls over, breathing heavily and gets to his feet. I see him shoot a desperate glance towards the doorway. My bodyguard stands between him and it. I c**k my head and silently communicate with Damien.

"You can try, but Damien will take you out before you make it."

My voice is nonchalant. He glares at me as he turns back to face me. "Bastard, why do you care so much about her anyway? You're nothing but a damn playboy. It's not like you're interested in her" he shouts, frustrated.

He lunges at me. I jab him under his arm and headbutt him in the nose, causing him to howl and stagger back, clutching desperately at his nose and panting.

"You're wrong" I tell him, glancing down at my shirt which is littered with droplets of blood with distaste "I care about Lorelai a lot. More than I've cared about anyone" I shout "and I should kill you for what you've done."

His eyes widen. Panic begins to set in. He glances around with desperation. There's a knife on the kitchen counter and he grabs it, before swiftly backing towards Lorelia as I inhale sharply and move towards him. He kneels and places the knife at her throat. "Make one more move towards me and I swear I'll slit her throat" he rasps, his hand shaking violently.

I eye him "You do that and you're a dead man. There's no way you'll be walking out of here alive."

My tone is casual. Inside I'm secretly afraid he'll go through with his threat. I glance over my shoulder. I have to contain the situation. Lorelai is still unconscious and unaware of the knife at her throat, thank goodness. The last thing I need is for her to wake up and become panicked.

"Just let me go" his voice quivers "You want this girl so badly, you let me go free and you can have her."

The bastard thought he could negotiate. I almost want to laugh incredulously. As if I'm about to let him go after everything he's done to the woman I love. He's delusional.

"You would have to get through three of us to make it through the front door," I told him evenly.

He presses the knife against her throat harder. A small sliver of blood appears and I give a low growl.

"You were saying" he snaps.

I move out of the way and gesture for my men to do the same. He hesitates. My driver is the closest one to the doorway but Jackson doesn't see him as a threat. Nobody ever sees the driver as a threat. I suppose it has something to do with the uniform that they are wearing or maybe it's the occupation that seems unthreatening. I'm not sure. But Jackson doesn't deem Gyles as a threat at all, slowly getting to his feet with the knife still in hand. I have no doubts he'll use it in his attempt to get away. I lock eyes with Gyles who merely gives me a subtle nod.

Jackson moves. He makes a mad dash for the door. Gyles moves, tackling him to the ground and I step on his hand, forcing him to release the knife, kicking it away as Damien picks it up. I glare down at the man and then grip the back of his hair and yank his head up as he lays there wincing, winded. "Bastard" he wheezes.

I smile. It's not a nice smile. My eyes are hard as I stare down at him. "You're going to wish I had killed you by the time I'm through with you," I tell him pleasantly "I am going to delve so deep into your background and I'm certain that somebody is going to want your information. If not, well I happen to know of several places where scumbags like you deserve to go."

His eyes widen as I tighten my grip and then I deliberately bang his head on the ground, once, twice, and then thrice before he slumps and his body flops to the floor. He's unconscious. I straighten back up, eyeing him coldly. "Find something to restrain him and get him in the trunk" I say icily.

They nod and begin to search the small apartment. I turn and stride back to Lorelai, gathering her up in my arms and feeling how slight her body is. She's limp in my arms, her head flopping backward. I feel wretched. I should have gotten here sooner. I should have been here for her before she got so badly hurt.

I kiss her tenderly on the head. "You won't ever have to worry about that man again" I whisper to her as I begin to carry her toward the door "I'm so sorry my love" I murmured, holding her tight.

I sense Damien and Gyes eyes on me as I slowly make my way out of the apartment and towards the stairs. I was never going to let Lorelai out of my sight again. My decision had been made. But would she respect the choice I had chosen and would she willingly accept what I sought to do, or would she awaken and fight me even though I had her best interests and my own in mind. There was only one way to replace out.