“Wh-what do you want? Whatever it is, I’ll give it to you. Jewelry, money…”
His dark chuckle was far from reassuring. “There’s only one thing I want.” He leaned closer, resting his elbow on his knee. “Revenge.” The word slithered through the room like a snake, infecting everything with its poison.
Revenge?Was he high? It would make sense—his clothes were rumpled, hair greasy, eyes bloodshot. Besides, I’d never seen the man before. How could I possibly have wronged him? All I knew was that I needed to stay calm, keep him talking. Because there must be some mistake.
“Look, I don’t know who you are or what I did,” I said, taking a shuddering breath. “But whatever it was, I’m sorry.”
I just needed to get him out of my room. Maybe I could lock the door behind him, call the cops. But…his gun made any plan I had seem impossible.
“Get dressed.” He threw me a gray T-shirt, and I nearly cried when I realized it was one of Connor’s.
I’d worn it to bed, at least before the last time Connor had stripped me naked and made love to me in the middle of the night. That seemed like a lifetime ago now. I juggled the sheets and the shirt, doing my best to stay covered as I got dressed, when all I wanted to do was hide under the covers and pretend this wasn’t happening. Although I should’ve been encouraged by the fact that he wasn’t climbing on the bed or trying to force himself on me, I didn’t see much to be grateful for at the moment.
I lifted the neck of Connor’s shirt to my nose, inhaling his familiar clean scent. A sense of calm washed over me. At least if I was going to die, it was after experiencing the most amazing week of my life. Really, I was going out on a high.
But why did I have to go out at all? It still didn’t make sense. Nothing about this made sense.
“Now,” he said, once I was covered. “What’s the passcode to your phone?”
I noticed then that he was holding it. I held out my hand palm up, as if he’d give it to me.
He leaned back in the chair as if he had all the time in the world. “Don’t insult my intelligence. Passcode.”
“Why are you doing this?” My eyes stung. I held back the tears, forcing myself to at least give the appearance of strength. “What did I do?”
“Not you.” He tapped on his knee, and I sensed his impatience, the rage coursing through him. “Your little boyfriend and his buddies.”
“Connor?” I gasped.
“And now it’s time to call him. Passcode.” When I hesitated, he said, “Don’t make me ask again.”
I relayed the passcode, my eyes darting around the room as if searching for an escape. But there was none. This man—whoever he was—had a gun. He had a vendetta. And I was completely at his mercy.
As he navigated through my phone, I racked my brain for solutions. I thought through all the books I’d read, all the scenarios. And came up empty-handed. Perhaps I should’ve spent more time learning self-defense and less time with my head in a book.
“He won’t answer,” I said, wanting to protect him. Maybe he was already on the plane. I had no concept of time.
He barked out a laugh. “And miss the chance to protect the woman he loves?”
I swallowed, a wave of sadness threatening to overtake me. “We broke up. He won’t be coming back.” It was true. And maybe if this deranged idiot believed it, he’d leave me alone too.
“I wouldn’t be too sure about that. Connor can’t resist playing the hero. He gets off on protecting weak women.”
I frowned, trying to make sense of his words. Trying to figure out the tie between Connor and this man. Before I could draw any conclusions, the sound of the phone ringing through the speaker echoed off the walls of my bedroom. The room that had been my refuge was now the scene of my worst nightmare.
“When he answers, tell him you made a mistake. And you want him to come back.”
I shook my head, my eyes wide. “I can’t.”
“You will.” He stepped closer, pointing the gun at my head and holding the phone just out of reach. “And don’t even think about telling him I’m here or you’re dead.”
I tried to steady my breathing, while hoping Connor wouldn’t see my call. Just before it went to voice mail, Connor answered. “Olivia?”
“Hey,” I said, doing my best to sound calm. If I wasn’t careful, I’d be leading Connor straight into a trap.
“You okay. You sound… off?”
“I, um, just woke up. I thought we were going to have breakfast together before you left.”
