I batted my eyelashes in confusion. “You packed for me?”
“Yes. And the moving truck is on the way.” Excitement dripped from his tone. “You get dressed, we’ll pop quickly at my place to pack a backpack, then we’ll be off on our way, baby, just like old times. I promise it’ll be the ride of our lives.”
My heart felt like ice. “What are you talking about?”
“We’re moving out. Together. Did you really think I was gonna let you go by yourself even for a little while? Are you silly? I just got you back, and I’m never leaving you ever again.”
My head buzzed, and my vision blurred like I was about to pass out. “Tirone, this wasn’t the plan. We agreed that I’d break up with Furore in this hideous way so he’d hate me and stop trying to be with me, and onlyIwould go away for a little while to convince him I did run off with you. You didn’t say anything about coming with me.”
“How stupid do you think I am, Jo?” His excitement vanished, and all was left was his dark side. “Not stupid enough to make believe once you step out of that door, you’ll come back to me. I know you’re planning to run away. I can’t let that happen, baby.”
I swallowed, the muscles around my heart squeezing. “What about your mother and school? It’s starting soon. You can’t waste another year.”
“Schools are everywhere, and I’ll find a way to convince Mom to come live wherever we’re gonna be.”
“What about work? My teaching job, if I still can get one somewhere else, can’t support us both.”
“Baby, have you forgotten who I am? I’m Tirone Wisely. My stepdad is loaded. Don’t worry about money at all. I got it all covered.”
“How, Tirone? Do you have any idea where we’re even going?”
“Yup. But I’m not gonna tell. It’s gonna be a surprise.”
I wiped my hands over my face, many times, trying to stay conscious and to wrap my head around all this, around the trap I fell right into and had no clue how to get out of. “Wow. You had it all figured out, huh?”
“I’ll do anything for you, Jo. This is me keeping my promises. I’m your man, and I’ll take care of you, make up for all the mistakes I made. We can be together out in the open. You’re no longer my teacher, and I’m eighteen. Nothing is gonna stop us now.”
I plopped down on the next chair because my feet could no longer carry me. He squatted in front of me. “Baby, you okay?”
I was stuck in an obsession as dark as hell with no way out. “I…I don’t feel so well. I’ll go to the bathroom.”
“Let me come with you.”
“The fuck, Tirone? I can’t get some privacy even in the bathroom?”
“You can have all the privacy you want. I’m not holding you captive. I just wanted to help in case you were gonna be sick. You know, hold your hair or something.”
I staggered out of my seat. “Thanks, but I’ll manage.” Locking the bathroom door behind me, I whimpered. I couldn’t live like this for the rest of my life. Something had to be done.
I took off my wig fast, my stomach acting up. Nausea hit me hard, and I emptied my guts in the toilet. I washed up and looked for something to ease the nausea and anxiety in the medicine cabinet.
Knock! Knock!
My whole body jumped, and I almost fell off my feet. Shit. I needed to pull myself together if I had any chance to survive this.
“I’m worried about you, baby. Please let me in. Let me take care of you.”
The genuine care in his voice messed me up. Every word he said no matter how sweet came from a dark place, but he believed it was all real. Fuck,Ibelieved it was real. In his twisted way, he still cared about me. In my fucked up way, I wanted him out of harm’s way. How could he still sound so sweet? How could I care about him when he’d just ruined my life?
“Jo?”
“I’m fine. I’m coming out in a minute.”
When he was assaulting me, all I could think of was ways to get him off me without accidentally setting the gun off. I could have easily attacked his eyes, and then used the gun on him, yet I couldn’t do it. I was too scared to permanently hurt him.
Now, after I’d learned his awful plan, the only viable solution to this whole situation was to call Michele. He’d know how to scare Ty off and get me away from him, except Michele Pagani was a made man. His solution was painted red. The odds of Ty making it out alive were slim, and my stupid heart wouldn’t accept it.
What did that say about me?
