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He clenched his right hand into a tight fist. It was the only visible indication that he was worried. “What else?”
I grabbed one of his bulging biceps and gave it a soft squeeze. “They found a murder victim with rocks in his stomach near the Idaho border.” Panic seized my chest. “Was it you?”
Death responded with a wicked grin.
“I trust you had a good reason to open up that man’s stomach and sew rocks into his body before you tossed him in the lake.”
Death shifted in his seat but neither confirmed nor denied it. “The less you know the better.”
“Except that if you get caught, they’re going to trace Stephen’s murder right to my fucking doorstep! Surely someone has reported him missing by now. I stopped watching the news, so I don’t know.”
“I’ll take care of it, little lamb. There’s no need to lose your mind over the cops.”
I shot off the couch, steaming at the entire fucked-up situation. “Not lose my mind? I don’t need this right now. I’m hiding the truth from my best friend, and I’m lying to everyone that I know. I was a good person until you dragged me into your cold, twisted world.” I moved closer to him. “Let me go. If you really care about me, and I’m not just an obsession that you can replace … Let. Me. Go.”
Death stood so quickly I nearly toppled backward. He reached out and grabbed my upper arm, sending pain ricocheting through my entire body. I tried to pull away, but his grip was too firm.
“The quicker you understand the situation, the easier it will go for you, Ella. You belong to me, and there’s no turning back.” He pressed his body against mine, his eyes a steely grey that cut right through me. “You will protect me as I do you, or …” His sneer appeared through his mask. “You. Will. Die. Are we clear?”
His hard-on pressed against my waist, and my body trembled against him. “How am I going to protect you if I don’t know who you are? When are you going to trust me with all of your secrets?” I asked, my voice shaking almost as much as I was.
“When you earn them.” Death didn’t move. He simply stared right through me, and my stomach knotted with his threat.
“All I want to know is who I’m falling in love with.”
I would have moved heaven and earth to have seen Death’s expression when I’d confessed my feelings to him.
His arm protectively slipped around me. “You already know who I am, Ella.”
A spark of boldness shot through me. “The man who will break me and put me together again? A killer with a thirst for vengeance? A man of great wealth and power? Yeah, you’ve said it all before, but you know I want more—need more.”
A possessive growl rumbled in his throat. “I’ll give you more soon, little lamb. You have my word.” As quietly as he slipped into my house, he left again.
I spent the next hour frustrated as hell with Death’s elusiveness. After heaving a sigh, I heard my phone buzz, pulling me away from my pity party. Maybe it was Mom.
Searching for my cell, I finally found it in the kitchen beside the sink. My brow shot up as I stared at the number.
“Hey,” I said, grinning. “How are you?”
“Home. You’re my first call,” Sebastian said.
I tapped my fingers against the granite counter, grinning as if I’d lost my fucking mind. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed him until I heard his soothing voice and accent. It smoothed out my jagged edges and cauterized my frayed nerves, piecing me back together again.
“When can I see you?”
“Now?” His warm chuckle filled the line, and my entire body tingled with warmth.
“I would love that.”
Chapter 33
Sebastian
Ihadn’t expected to see Ella so soon, but I was thrilled she’d wanted to meet at my place in an hour. I was excited to see and kiss her as well as find out how she was. The hole in my damn chest had grown bigger during the weeks we were apart.
After I had texted her my address, I turned on some music, and “Face in the Crowd” by Freya Ridings played softly in the background.
A few minutes before eight, I stepped out of the shower and dried off before I pulled on a pair of jeans and a black polo shirt. The doorman had alerted me that Ella was on her way up, and a few minutes later the doorbell rang. I strolled to the door, eager to see her.
