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She thinks this is goodbye.
She’s so wrong.
Any barrier I may have used against her falls from my eyes, leaving them as open and honest as ever before and locked with hers.
I gently press my forehead to hers.
Slowly, with sweaty palms and a shaky grip, I place my nose beside hers, gently gliding it back and forth.
Every single muscle in her body locks as her eyes flutter, flying between mine.
Instant, hot tears build and she lets out a broken breath.
“Yes, baby,” I rasp, swallowing.
It’s you.
“But you… you’re here.” Her tears spill over, soaking the hair above her ear as she shakes her head. “You were about to…”
“It’s not what you think, I promise,” I whisper, pushing her hair back. “I saw you and all I wanted was to be, to do, whatever it was you needed or wanted, but I can’t. I’m sorry, but I can’t. Not like this, baby. You deserve so fucking much more.”
Her tears roll onto the pillow behind her and she shakes her head. “I don’t want this.” She both soothes and shocks me. “I just wanted you, no matter how it had to happen.”
My heart breaks looking at her.
“Why are you here if you didn’t know I would be?” she whispers.
“We know about Mike, about everything.” I slide my hand along her cheek. “I came to set him up, catch him trying to catch me acting shitty to make you think I didn’t care, make you want to leave, give up on me, and then suddenly you were here and...” My brows lift and I shake my head, lowering my voice when something clinks in the other room. “My brothers are outside waiting for him to show—”
She flies into a sitting position, shoving me back in the process, her stare bouncing around the room frantically. “Everything I could want to be happy...” Sheer panic-stricken eyes fly to mine. “Zoey.”
“What—”
“Oh my god! Go!” She scrambles from the bed, grabbing her pants off the ground as she runs for the door, but I grip her elbow.
“What?!”
“Go! He knew!” she cries. “He knew what you’d do, knew they’d follow!”
It takes a half a second and then it clicks. “No...”
My phone is in my hand in the next second and right as Mallory comes around the corner.
Her eyes widen. “What’s going—”
In one quick motion, Victoria, still naked from the waist down, grips her by the neck, kicking her feet from under her, and slams her to the floor with a hard thud.
The glasses in her hands shatter on the floor as she cries out as I rush right past, fastening my jeans. I yank my shirt from the floor, throwing it on as I run for the door.
“You psychotic bitch! Did you know?!” Victoria screams at Mallory behind me.
I’ve already dialed Royce, and I’m throwing the door open right as he answers.
I don’t let him get a word in, shouting, “Get home! He’s coming for Zoey.”
I dash outside, briefly glancing behind right as Victoria screams, a vase full of white roses in her hand. She slams it down, shattering it into a million pieces directly beside Mallory’s head.
I’m halfway in my truck when she breathlessly reaches the door, tugging her jeans up her thighs. “Hurry!” she shouts as I’m already reversing from the driveway and racing home.
I dial my dad, but he doesn’t answer, so I try Raven next and it goes straight to voicemail.
“Fuck!” I scream, punching the steering wheel.
Maybe Maddoc was calling her?
Maybe he reached her?
Maybe Royce talked to Dad.
I growl, trying one more person.
He answers on the first ring. “Captain?”
“Are you still at my house?”
“I left ten minutes ago. What’s wrong?”
“Fuck,” I swallow. “Perkins, he’s coming for Zoey.”
Time ticks in slow seconds and then the line goes dead.
I scream, throwing the phone across the car. “You useless piece of shit!”
I bite into my cheek as my vision clouds, and my chest fucking knots until I can’t breathe.
Please.
Please no.
Please. Let me get there in time.
I’m coming, Zoey.
Daddy’s coming.Chapter 36VictoriaI get my pants over my ass, quickly buttoning them and spin on my heels as Mallory pushes up into a sitting position, her hand going to the back of her head.
She gasps, shaking when she feels the blood there. “Oh my god.”
Her eyes fly to mine, tears big and bright. “What the hell is the matter with you—”
“Shut up,” I shout, grabbing her purse from the table and pouring it out. “Where are your keys?”
“Victoria, what’s going on?”
“Where the fuck are your keys, Mallory?!” I scream, rubbing at my temples as the ache there doubles.
“You didn’t know,” she rasps.
My head snaps up to hers.
“He said you knew.” She shakes her head frantically. “That the three of us were leaving together.” She points to the corner and my eyes zone in on a set of suitcases, tucked away in the corner. “Mike said he had a few things to do before we could go, and that he’d drop you off with me today so we could talk once he was gone, but he didn’t go until just before Captain got here. Victoria, I met with Captain yesterday, asked him to come today, but not for me. For you. I wanted to give you the goodbye I stole.”
