18 - VIPER STRIKES

I kept my trembling fingers wrapped tightly around the dark fabric of Maximilian's suit sleeve because the sudden sight of my ex-boyfriend on the sidewalk made my blood run cold.

"Oh sh-shit, Max, it's David," I stuttered out while pressing my back firmly against the soft leather passenger seat to put as much distance between myself and the window as possible.

I watched the man who had tormented me for years stumble across the cracked pavement, and a fresh wave of panic tightened my chest until I could barely draw a proper breath.

David kicked a rusted metal trash can into the busy street with a loud shout, and he nearly lost his footing on the uneven curb before catching his balance against the dirty brick wall.

He lifted a cheap brown liquor bottle to his mouth and took a long drink while his bloodshot eyes scanned the empty sidewalk around our apartment building.

"Please, let's just put the car in reverse and drive away right now before he sees us," I begged Maximilian with a desperate shake of my head while my heart hammered against my ribs.

"He is already drunk and angry, so going out there is a terrible idea," I added in a frantic whisper because I knew exactly how mean David got whenever he consumed cheap alcohol.

Maximilian refused to shift the heavy Maybach into reverse, and he kept his gray eyes narrowed into lethal slits as he stared through the tinted windshield at the man who had broken my spirit.

"I am not running away from a pathetic coward, Alexandra," Max stated in a low rumble that vibrated through the quiet cabin of the luxury vehicle.

I looked back out the window and noticed that David was not wearing his usual tailored business suit today.

He wore a wrinkled gray t-shirt and stained denim jeans, and his messy brown hair stuck up in all directions as if he had been running his hands through it all morning.

A sudden realization hit me when I saw the sheer desperation contorting his flushed face.

Max had ordered his executive team to permanently blacklist David from the financial sector earlier this week, and the news must have finally reached my ex-boyfriend's inbox.

David knew his lucrative career was ruined forever, and he had obviously spent the afternoon drinking himself into a violent rage over his massive failure.

"Max, you don't understand how unhinged he gets when he feels like he lost control over a situation," I pleaded while my hands shook so badly that I had to tuck them between my knees to hide the tremors.

"He will try to hurt you if you step onto that sidewalk, and I cannot let you get injured because of my messy past."

Max turned his handsome face toward me, and he reached out to gently cup my jaw with his warm palm.

"You need to stop worrying about my safety and start realizing that I am the one who protects you now," he told me with absolute certainty shining in his eyes.

I wanted to believe him, but years of suffering under David's cruel temper made it impossible for me to just relax and let someone else handle the danger.

"I spent three years tiptoeing around his bad moods, and I know exactly what that angry look on his face means," I tried to explain while staring at David's clenched fists.

"He blames me for losing his job instead of accepting responsibility for his own laziness, and he will use any excuse to start a fight today."

Maximilian scoffed quietly at my fearful words, and he shifted his broad shoulders to face me fully in the driver's seat.

"He blames you because he is a weak man who cannot handle the consequences of his own stupid actions," Max declared with a deep frown pulling at his lips.

"You do not need to tiptoe around anyone ever again, because nobody is allowed to raise their voice at you while I am around."

I looked down at my lap and wiped a nervous bead of sweat from my palms onto my cheap navy blue skirt.

David had always made me feel small and worthless during our arguments, but Max always made me feel protected and valued during our conversations.

The contrast between the two men was staggering, and it made my heart ache with a confusing mixture of profound gratitude and lingering terror.

"What if he has a weapon hidden in his pockets, Max?" I asked in a trembling voice while my imagination conjured up the worst possible scenarios.

"He is too much of a coward to carry a weapon, and my security team would be here in exactly sixty seconds if I pressed the panic button on my dashboard," Max answered calmly.

"I do not want to call security for this, because I want to handle this miserable excuse for a man with my own two hands."

I watched Max flex his large hands over the leather steering wheel, and I realized he was actually eager to confront my abuser.

David had hurt me for years, and Max wanted to balance the scales by delivering his own brand of justice right here on the sidewalk.

"Please promise me you won't do anything that will get you arrested, Max," I begged while reaching out to touch his arm again.

"I promise I will not go to jail over a worthless rat, but I cannot promise I will leave his face intact," Max replied with a cold, terrifying smirk.

Before Max could open his side of the vehicle, the loud sound of a glass bottle shattering against the concrete echoed through the quiet street.

I flinched at the sudden noise and looked through the windshield to see what had happened.

David had stopped pacing back and forth, and he stood perfectly still near the curb with the broken pieces of his liquor bottle scattered around his dirty sneakers.

A sleek, million-dollar Maybach parked outside a rundown apartment building was an incredibly rare sight, and the massive vehicle had finally caught his drunken attention.

He squinted his red eyes against the gloomy afternoon light and took a slow, unsteady step toward the street to get a better look at the luxury car.

My breath hitched in my throat when I realized he was trying to see through the dark tinted windows of the passenger side.

"H-he sees us, Max," I stammered out while covering my mouth with my hand to muffle the terrified sob building in my chest.

"He cannot see through the heavy tint from that distance, so just stay calm and breathe," Max reassured me while keeping his hand resting near the door latch.

David took another step closer to the curb, and he leaned his head forward to peer through the glass.

I forgot to breathe as I watched him stumble closer to the hood of the car.

He walked around the front bumper and stopped right next to my passenger door, placing his dirty hands against the polished black paint to steady himself.

I shrank back against the center console to put as much space between my body and the window as possible.

He locked eyes with me through the tinted window, and his confused expression instantly twisted into a mask of pure, lethal hatred.

The tint was dark, but the ambient lighting inside the car illuminated my face enough for him to recognize my features.

The shock of seeing me sitting inside a billionaire's personal vehicle seemed to sober him up for a brief second, but then his furious rage took over his actions.

"Alexandra!" David shouted at the top of his lungs, and his angry voice carried easily through the thick glass of the car.

He did not wait for me to respond or roll down the window to speak with him.

He pulled his hands back from the door frame and slammed both of his fists violently against my passenger window.

I screamed out loud and pressed my hands over my ears to block out the terrifying noise.

The thick, bulletproof glass shuddered under the heavy impact, and the loud thud made my ears ring in the confined space of the cabin.

He hit the window again and again while his face turned an ugly shade of purple from his exertion.

"I know you are in there with him!" David yelled while pounding his knuckles against the reinforced glass.

I squeezed my eyes shut and started crying because his loud voice transported me straight back to all the horrible nights I spent hiding from him in our small apartment.

I expected the glass to shatter inward and cover my lap with sharp shards at any second.

"Get the f*** out here, you fat b***h!" David screamed while pressing his sweaty face near the glass to glare at my trembling form.

"You ruined my f***ing life, and you are going to pay for this!" he yelled while raising his fist to strike the heavy door panel.

I sobbed loudly and curled my knees up to my chest in a desperate attempt to protect myself from his violent outburst.

The exact second those toxic words left his mouth, a loud click echoed through the quiet interior of the Maybach.

Maximilian had unbuckled his seatbelt, and he threw his driver's side door open before I could even blink.

"Lock the doors right f***ing now, Alexandra," Max growled before stepping out into the cold air to unleash hell.