Detective On Duty-Chapter 24: Assault

WARNING! THIS CONTENT IS NOT SUITABLE FOR SOME READERS

Driven by a desperate impulse, Ava rushed toward James Anderson’s grand estate. She wasn’t seeking forgiveness, she was seeking an alibi and a scapegoat.

She knew Katherine often worked late into the evening now that she had her promotion, sometimes not getting home until well almost midnight. This knowledge, a detail only a best friend would have, was the key to her plan.

Meanwhile, Adrian, left alone, saw an opportunity too tantalizing to ignore. He took a cab to Katherine Vance’s apartment. He convinced himself it was justified, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Katherine since the awkward double date. Her composure, her quick wit, and her form so perfect, unlike Ava had become an obsession. He knocked, and Katherine, thinking it was her mother or perhaps a late colleague, opened the door.

"Adrian?" she asked, surprised, but stepping back to let him in. "What are you doing here?"

He offered a practiced, charming smile. "I was just driving past and saw your light. Thought I’d drop off some notes Ava wanted you to see." It was a flimsy excuse, but Katherine, ever polite, didn’t question it.

They settled in her small parlor. The initial awkwardness faded as they talked about books, music, and the publishing world. A glass clinging sound punctuated their conversation as Adrian poured them both a drink.

"Excuse me a moment," Adrian said smoothly, rising to his feet. "May I use your bathroom?"

When Adrian returned, Katherine was tidying the coffee table, gathering the empty glasses. She looked up, offering a warm, final smile.

"This has been lovely, Adrian," she said sincerely. "But it’s getting late. Tell Ava I said hello."

He nodded, but he didn’t move toward the door. Instead, his eyes locked with hers, a possessive intensity in his gaze that made her heart flutter with confusion. He took a slow step closer, his hand rising to cup her face, his thumb gently tracing her cheekbone. Before she could process his action, his lips pressed against hers in a kiss that was sudden and deep.

Shock gave way to a fleeting, confusing passion. Katherine, betraying her own sense of loyalty, returned the kiss, a deep-seated loneliness momentarily overriding her judgment.

Adrian took the immediate signal. With a surge of confidence, he grabbed her butt, pulling her tightly against him and pressing her body onto his.

The sudden, physical intimacy shattered the spell. Katherine gasped, the reality of what she had done of what he was doing hitting her like a cold wave. She pushed against his chest, realizing her mistake and desperately trying to break free.

Katherine panicked, shoving and hitting Adrian’s arms, desperate to break free. "Let me go, Adrian! Stop!" she cried out, her voice tight with terror.

But he was far stronger, holding her captive against his body, his lips crushing hers. "Stop fighting me, Kath," Adrian grunted against her mouth, his breath smelling of the liquor they had shared. "You started this!"

He lifted her, throwing her over his shoulder with chilling ease. Katherine began to hit his back and legs, her desperate kicks finding only air. As he carried her toward the bedroom, her eyes darted wildly, catching sight of a small ornamental knife on a nearby shelf. With a final, desperate lunge, she grabbed the knife and, with all her remaining strength, plunged it into Adrian’s arm.

Adrian roared, a sound of pure, savage pain, dropping her onto the hardwood floor. "You little bitch!" he spat, his eyes blazing with shock and rage. He backhanded her across the face with brutal, shocking force, the sharp crack echoing through the silent apartment. He snatched the knife from his bleeding arm and threw it across the room.

He lunged at her, his rage now uncontrollable. He tore at her dress. He shoved her onto the bed, and in a flash of savage motion, ripped the remaining fabric, leaving her exposed save for her undies. Tears streamed down her face, mixing with the bruise already forming on her cheek.

"Please, Adrian, stop!" she pleaded, her voice a raw whisper. "I don’t want this! Don’t do this!"

But a sly, satisfied smile was fixed on Adrian’s lips. He didn’t see her; he saw only the culmination of his obsession. "It’s too late for that, darling," he whispered cruelly, his voice low and devoid of humanity. "You shouldn’t have kissed me back." He quickly stripped the rest of his clothes. Adrian was now fully naked and, with brutal, calculated cunning, went on top of her, pinning her hands hardly to the bed and he immersed his hard pole to her core came in and out of her almost violently, her cries and moans filled the air, with the sound of how he rode her hard.

Adrian lay panting on the bed, his breathing now ragged after the assault. Katherine pulled her knees tightly to her chest, her body shaking with sobs. The silence of the room was oppressive, broken only by his heavy breathing and her quiet cries.

Then, Adrian spoke, his voice low and oddly conversational. "You were the sweetest, Katherine. The sweetest I’ve ever encountered."

Katherine didn’t answer. She just stared at his handsome, devilish face, a face that belonged to a monster. How could someone who looked so charming do this? she wondered numbly. Finally, she managed to speak, her voice raspy. "Why, Adrian? Why did you do this?"

"I like you, Katherine," he said, turning his head to look at her. "I love you." The casual cruelty of his words made her skin crawl.

"If you love me you wouldn’t have done this?"

"Are you serious that’s why I did it," he said still grinning like he has done the best thing.

A desperate, furious energy surged through her. She reached beneath the headboard, where she always kept a small, sharp knife for protection. In a swift move fueled by adrenaline, she tried to strike at his bleeding arm, the spot where she had managed to wound him earlier.

But Adrian was quicker. He caught her wrist, wrenching the knife away. His eyes narrowed, and he bit out a sharp curse, pinning her down again. "What the hell is wrong with you?" He called her a string of vicious names, his handsome face twisted in fury. Then came the threat, cold and calculated. "You don’t tell anyone about this, do you understand? Not a soul. Or I swear, I will leak your naked pictures."

The breath caught in Katherine’s throat. Pictures? She immediately thought of the anonymous letters she had been receiving the ones that had made her skin crawl.

"Are you the person who’s always writing me those letters?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Adrian paused, buckling his belt as he rose from the bed. He pulled on his trousers, regaining his composure. "No," he said dismissively, lying effortlessly. "I never wrote you any letters." He finished dressing, gave her a final, chilling look, and walked out, leaving her shattered and alone in the wreckage of the room.

Katherine lay there for a long time, the tears drying on her face, replaced by a searing anger.

She felt violated, betrayed, and utterly powerless. But the threat of the photos, the mention of another person writing letters it was all too much. She refused to be silenced. She rose, her body aching, and fr

antically pulled her clothes on. She had to tell James. She didn’t believe Adrian had any pictures, but she knew she couldn’t face this alone.