Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 483

"Ah!"

Another agonized scream tore through the air.

Edmond clutched the side of his face, thick blood spilling through his fingers.

Hudson gripped the bloodied dagger, stepping forward to finish the job...

"Hudson!"

Nora finally snapped out of her shock. She lunged forward, throwing her arms around his waist to hold him back.

Hudson went completely rigid.

He looked down at the slender arms wrapped tightly around him. His pupils constricted. It was as if something shattered in his predatory gaze, and the violent, surging rage that possessed him was suddenly smoothed over by an invisible hand, slowly ebbing away.

Right then, Edmond struggled to drag himself up from the floor. "Nora! You can't be with him! He... he's a complete psycho! He's going to hurt you... Ugh!"

Before he could finish, a brutal punch slammed into his gut.

Edmond doubled over, letting out a stifled groan of agony. Before he could even process the hit, a strong hand grabbed him by the back of his collar and hoisted him up.

Grant scowled, his expression dangerously dark as he hauled the man off the ground. "Are you a damn cockroach? Why the hell are you everywhere?"

"You..."

Edmond choked out, trying to form a sentence, but Grant silenced him with a vicious backhand across the face.

"You what? Do you have a death wish, asshole? Coming to my place to start a scene?"

He waved over two bouncers, jerking his chin toward the mess. "Gag him and throw him out. If he ever steps foot on my property again, break his legs!"

The bodyguards hoisted Edmond up by his arms. He thrashed wildly, desperately trying to get the last word in, but one of the guards quickly clamped a hand over his mouth.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

His muffled protests faded down the hallway, quickly disappearing at the end of the corridor.

Grant glanced down at the puddle of blood on the floor, his brow furrowing in deep disgust. "What a buzzkill."

He nodded toward the staff. "Get someone to clean this up. We don't need to spook the guests."

The interior of the car was submerged in darkness, save for the occasional flash of a streetlamp slipping through the windows, casting a sharp glow over the tense line of Hudson's jaw.

Arthur raised the privacy partition, sealing the back seat into an intimate, isolated world.

Sitting beside him, Nora noticed his fingers trembling slightly from the sheer effort of restraining himself. She reached out and wrapped both hands around his.

His palm was burning hot, searing enough to make her fingertips tingle.

"Does it still hurt?"

Hudson didn't answer. He just turned his head to look at her. "Earlier... did I scare you?"

Nora quickly shook her head.

A low, self-deprecating chuckle escaped him. He brushed his thumb gently across her cheek, marveling at her luminous, silk-soft skin.

"I'm sorry..."

But before he could finish, Nora reached up and cupped his face in her hands. "Hudson, listen to me..."