Craving My Ruthless Ceo novel Chapter 28

Chapter 28: Trailing My Assistant

Roman’s POV

I checked my watch for the third time in five minutes. 12:47 a.m. Thomas had been gone too long.

I sat in the back seat of my car, parked two blocks from the place where he had gone to meet Anna. My knee bounced before I could stop it.

My suspicion started back at the restaurant. The text she read in the middle of our argument. The way the color drained from her face. Then the sudden demand for the NDA payout in cash.

That was the second time in the same day she had acted strangely. No one needs $300,000 in cash without explanation, just that desperate edge in her voice that she had tried so hard to hide.

My mind ran through every possibility, each one darker than the last. Gambling debts. Loan sharks. Drug dealers. The kind of people who demanded cash because banks left trails, and trails led to prison.

But then I thought of Anna. Shy. Nervous. Always apologizing for things that were not her fault. She did not fit that world. Not even close.

She seemed innocent, almost painfully so. The kind of woman who struggled to stand up for herself, let alone get mixed up in anything criminal.

And yet my instincts would not let it go.

Years of reading people had taught me to trust that feeling. And everything in me said the same thing now.

She was in trouble.

What unsettled me most was how strong the urge was to pull her out of it. To fix it. To protect her from whatever she had stepped into.

I had never waited for a woman in my life, much less sat in my car past midnight in some rundown neighborhood. And I had never sent my driver to follow one of my employees, especially not after handing her a huge sum of cash.

I did not blur lines. I did not cross boundaries. I focused on work and kept people at a distance.

But tonight, the idea of Anna being out there alone made it impossible to leave. I could not sleep knowing she might be walking straight into danger.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I did not hear Thomas until his knuckles tapped against the window.

I jerked, then leaned forward and slid the glass down.

“Well?” The word came out impatient. I needed answers. Now.

Thomas’s face was serious.

“I gave her the money at a club,” he said. “About fifteen minutes from here. Drago’s.”

Cold settled in my chest. “How’did she look?”

He did not answer right away. The pause told me enough.

“Scared,” he admitted. “Like she was being pushed. She asked me not to tell you where I dropped the cash.”

“And what did you say?”

“That I report everything to you.” His mouth twisted. “She did not like that.”

I dragged a hand through my hair. My thoughts were already spiraling. “What else?”

“I stayed nearby,” Thomas continued. “She did not know. One of the men at the club entrance spoke to her for a minute, then he led her inside.”

My temper flared. “What kind of club is it? Who runs it? Why the hell is she dealing with them?”

“I do not have every detail, but I made some calls.” He unlocked his phone and turned the screen toward me.” The owner is Drago Marković. Loan shark

A

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Gambling concations to the back. Cash business.” Successfully unlocked!

Chapter 28: Trailing My Assistant

I stared at the screen. At the photo of a greasy-looking man with cold eyes. Then I scrolled down.

Criminal history. Assault. Extortion. Racketeering. The list went on.

“What the fuck would Anna get involved with a man like this?” The words came out low, more to myself than to him.

“She could be in real danger, sir.”

I looked up at him. The decision was already made.

“Then why are we still sitting here?” I straightened in the seat. “We need to get there right away.”

“Boss, we might need backup. To take on these guys if need be. I suggest we call and wait for….”

“We cannot afford to wait.” I was already turning the key, the engine roaring to life as my foot hit the brake and shifted into gear. “What if she needs us now? God knows what that bastard might try to do to her.”

I looked at Thomas. “I have never known you to shy away from a fight. Get in. Now.”

Thomas nodded immediately. “Of course, sir.” Then he paused. “Let me drive. You might need to make some calls on the way.”

I hesitated, my grip still tight on the wheel. Every part of me demanded to take control and drive. Then reality cut through it. He was right. I would need to make calls. I would need to pull favors.

“Alright.”

I cut the engine and stepped out. Thomas moved quickly, sliding into the driver’s seat. I got in beside him and shut the door hard.

He pulled away from the curb and headed toward the club.

I pulled out my phone and forced myself to breathe. I never let nerves take over. I took pride in that. But with every passing second, my thoughts slipped into places I did not want to face, Anna cornered, hurt, unable to walk out of that place at all.

“Fuck,” I muttered, scrolling through my contacts.

I knew people who dealt with situations like this discreetly and permanently. No questions asked.

I sent a message to Marcel, head of my private security team.

Marcel: “Need backup. I sent the location, Drago’s Club. Now. Bring the team.”

The reply came almost instantly.

On our way. ETA twenty minutes.

Twenty minutes felt dangerous, but it was better than nothing.

“Step on it.”

Thomas nodded and pressed harder on the accelerator.

The drive felt endless even though it took barely twelve minutes.

Finally, Thomas pulled up outside a building that left me disgusted.

I stepped out of the car, Thomas beside me, and we headed for the entrance. Cigarette sticks were ground into the sidewalk, glass crunching underfoot.

Two men built like walls stood guard at the door, leather jackets pulled tight across their shoulders.

They moved to block us as we got to the door.

“Private club,” the one on the left grunted.

Thomas spoke first. “We’re here to see Drago. Business.”

“He’s in a meeting,” the man replied. “He’s not seeing anyone tonight.”

That was enough.

“Tell him there’s a million-dollar deal waiting.” I pulled out my wallet, took out two five-hundred-dollar bills, and

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Chapter 28: Trailing My Assistant

held them up. “He has sixty seconds to decide if he wants it, or if I take my money elsewhere.”

The men exchanged glances. Money talked, even to thugs like these.

“Wait here.”

One of them disappeared inside. He was back in less than a minute.

“Follow me.”

The doors opened and noise slammed into us, music pounding through the air. Two women broke away from the stage the moment they spotted me, smiles already in place. They did not walk. They hurried straight toward me, like they had clocked a payday.

“Hey, sugar…” one purred, reaching for my chest.

Thomas stepped in smoothly, catching her wrist. “Ladies. He’s not interested.”

One of the bouncers glared at them. “You heard the man. Scram.”

But they were not willing to give up that easily. The blonde twirled her hair around her finger, thrusting her breast forward. “Come on, baby. Just one dance. I promise you would beg for more.”

I knew women like this could sense wealth from a mile away. They only wanted one thing, and I did not have time for their games.

I grew impatient, placed a hand on Thomas’s shoulder, urging him to step aside. I reached into my pocket, pulled out my wallet, and extracted a wad of cash.

The moment I held it up, they lunged. Their hands grabbed at the bills, wrestling them from my grip. The money flew into the air, scattering across the filthy floor.

They dropped to their knees immediately, scrambling to pick up the cash.

The guard muttered something condescending under his breath. “Pathetic.”

“Let’s move,” I ordered.

We began walking, following him deeper into the club.

My disgust deepened with every step. This place was a pit. And Anna was somewhere in here.

My eyes scanned the room as we followed the bouncer through the scanty club. I looked for her everywhere, at the bar, at the tables, near the stage. Nothing.

The place was too dim, too crowded, the music too loud. But I could not make her out anywhere.

Where the fuck is she?

We reached the back of the club, and the bouncer gestured to a hallway. “Drago’s office is down there.” He pointed at a door at the end. “Wait here while I…”

A familiar scream cut through the music, high, terrified, echoing.

Could that be…?

Then more shouting. “Help! Someone help me!”

Fuck. That was definitely Anna.

Rage exploded through me. I lunged forward, sprinting down the hallway.

“Hey! You can’t….” A bouncer grabbed my arm.

I did not think. I just swung. My fist hit his jaw, and he stumbled back into the wall. The second bouncer moved toward me, but Thomas intercepted him.

“Go, boss! I’ve got this!”

I did not need to be told twice.

I followed the screams. When I reached the door at the end, I did not hesitate. I slammed my shoulder into it, and the lock splintered from the frame.

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Chapter 28: Trailing My Assistant

The sight that met me set my blood on fire.

Drago had Anna pinned against his desk, one hand fisted in her hair, the other trying to force her legs apart. She fought him, pushing against his chest, but he was bigger, stronger, too strong.

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