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Come Take Me Now

Page 89

by Caitlin Rose

I raise my eyebrow at him. “I did drive, and I know you weren’t expecting me.”

He laughs lightly. “I wasn’t. You said you were staying home tonight.”

I pull my phone out of my leggings pocket and open my gallery. “No, you weren’t expecting me because of this.” I show him the picture I took earlier of the device, and his face falls. Just briefly, though. He recovers fast, not to show his hand, but he’s already caught.

“What’s that?”

I turn my phone back around. “Enzo, come on. I never surprised you. You always knew where I was.”

“Let me see this.” He snatches my phone before I can tighten my grip and goes through it.

“Hey! What are you doing?” I ask, reaching for my phone. He lifts it higher, out of my reach.

“Making sure you’re not recording me,” he snaps, handing it back to me.

How is this human so messy yet always one step ahead?

Recording him never crossed my mind, but damn, that would have been smart. Which is why he thought of it.

“Enzo…”

“You like to act like you’re this independent young adult, and I can admit that you were very helpful when I needed you. But you needed me. You needed me that day you broke down. You needed me at the bar. Want to know what would’ve happened if I hadn’t been there to protect you? You would’ve been drugged—assaulted. Someone had to look out for you. You needed a babysitter at the fucking club, too. Because you would have left your drink unattended and gotten drugged. I made sure no harm came to you.”

The phantom at the bar…

“It was you! You let me think I was going crazy!” I yell.

“I never intended to leave that tracker in your car long-term, but I had to before you knew you could count on me. So, fucking sue me, Tilly. Everything I’ve done was to protect you.”

My cheeks burn as I shake my head and sniffle back the emotions threatening to pour out. “No, no. It was all control. I don’t need a protector.”

“Yes, you do, and you like being protected because of your childhood.”

His words hang between us for a moment as they deem me temporarily speechless.

“How fucking dare you? That was hard opening up about. How could you do this to me after I saved your ass?” I exhale and lower my tone to sound more serious. “You’re a druggie, and I kept your secret from your family because you couldn’t get your shit together.”

Enzo laughs under his breath. “Well then,” he says in that annoyingly calm, collected voice. The kind of tone that makes me feel like I’m the one in the wrong, but it’s him. I just tried to love him as he is.

“It’s so over.”

I turn away from him and start for my car before I lose my nerve. The front door closes but isn’t slammed. I glance over my shoulder, expecting him to be chasing after me.

But he’s not.

And that makes my heart ache worse than finding the damn tracker.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Enzo

I should’ve apologized. Done more.

And I should’ve taken that tracker out way before now. There were so many mornings she was in my bed asleep.

But I didn’t.

It was control.