Page 5 of Life Or Death

Her nostrils flare as she glares at me. “Let me go.”

Unable to help myself, I apply more pressure. I don’t want to snap the girl’s wrist in half, but maybe if I put the fear of God in her, she’ll shut the fuck up.

“Are you done?” I grind out.

“Am I done?” she parrots. “No, I’m not fucking done. My best friend is lying in a hospital covered in burns because of some sick obsession you have with her.” She pulls her hand free and slams both palms against my chest. She tries to shove me back, but she’s outmatched by my size and strength. Still, she doesn’t let that deter her from letting her voice be heard. The girl is on a mission to let me know just how much she despises me. “I knew . . . I fucking knew you were going to ruin her, but this. . .” Her voice trails, and she shakes her head. “Amelia says she’s in critical condition.”

“You spoke with Amelia?”

Her eyes narrow into tiny slits. “How the hell do you think I found out what happened?”

“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for days.”

“Yeah, well, I took my daughter on vacation. We just got back this morning. Jess was supposed to pick us up from the airport. When I couldn’t get hold of her, I called the bar. You can imagine how unsuccessful that was considering it’s nothing but a heap of rubble.”

Structurally, the building is still standing, but instead of calling her out on her exaggeration, I bite the inside of my cheek and let her continue with her tirade.

“So, I called Amelia, and she told me what happened. I dropped Poppy off at a friend’s house and shot straight here.” She rubs at the mark my grip left on her wrist. “You want to explain why everyone here thinks you are Jess’s husband?”

I pull at the back of my neck, my gaze sweeping around the room to make sure there’s no one in earshot. Satisfied that the coast is clear, I bring my attention back to Tori.

“Like I said, I couldn’t get in touch with you, and I don’t know how to reach her family. What was I supposed to do? Let them treat her like some Jane Doe?”

Her eyebrows shoot to her forehead. “So, you told them you were her husband?” She crosses her arms against her chest and shakes her head, disgust flitting across her features. “How very on-brand for a controlling stalker like yourself. Tell me, did you blow up the bar just to make your move?”

I take one step forward, looming over her. “You think I wanted any of this to happen?” The words rip out of me, low and guttural, vibrating through my chest. “That I meant to put her in harm’s way?”

“I don’t think you give a damn about anyone but yourself,” she fires back, chin tipped up, defiance radiating from her eyes. “You saw a beautiful, young girl, and you decided you wanted to make her yours. And I’ve heard enough stories to know you’re the type of man who will do vile things to get whatever you want.”

The accusation lands like a blade between my ribs.

She isn’t wrong.

Not entirely.

I wanted her.

So help me God, I wanted her more than anything.

I wanted to claim her and taint her with every filthy thing I am until she was just as ruined as me. I wanted to mark her skin with my teeth and my hands and my name until she couldn’t remember a time before me. I wanted to crawl inside her chest and make a home there.

Bend her will to mine and make her need me the way I need air.

But I also knew how wrong wanting her was.

For once in my goddamn life, I tried to exercise control. I kept my distance. I buried it. I choked it down every time she was near me. Every time our eyes locked, and she looked at me like she could see past the ink and the scars to the man underneath. I held the line. I held it until the explosion blew it all to hell.

“You’re right. I wanted her.”

Tori’s mouth opens, but I don’t let her speak.

“I wanted her in ways that would make your skin crawl. And I knew—knew—how wrong every single one of those thoughts was.” My voice drops, and I lean in close enough that only she can hear me. “I never wanted her to get hurt. Never. And I’ve been doing everything in my power to make it right. So now, you can hate me all you want. You can hate me until the day you die. But you’re going to shut the fuck up and listen to what I’ve got to say because Jess needs you.”

The fight doesn’t leave her face, but something shifts behind her eyes. She swallows hard, and I take her silence as my cue to continue. “The burns—they’re bad. Real bad. From what the doctors say, her legs suffered the worst of it. I can’t see how bad the damage is because they’re bandaged, but one can imagine.”

I drag a hand down my face, feeling the stubble scrape against my palm. “They’ve got her in a medically induced coma and are pumping her full of fluids. The last couple of days have been all about stabilizing her body and preventing hypovolemic shock. The next step is surgical excision, where the doctors go in and remove any dead tissue and apply skin grafts.”

Tori’s arms uncross, dropping to her sides. The color drains from her face, and for a moment she looks as if she might collapse. I reach for her elbow out of instinct, but she jerks away from my touch.