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“I hope I get to see you again, Savannah,” he continued, his guard lowered. “The drawing you did. I hung it in my study at home.” He twirled me out before bringing me to him again. “I don’t think anyone has ever seen the real me before. It’s something I’ve craved since I was younger. My mom, I don’t remember her much… but since I lost her, I’ve always had to find my own way in life. I had no one to teach me, to show me …” He hesitated, “But you saw. You have a gift. And it saw me. I’ll treasure it forever.”
I could say nothing. Nothing, as each of his words fired like a bullet to my heart. I rested my head on his shoulder, losing myself in him, trying not to cry.
An image of the gun pointed at my uncle’s head swam into my mind. The way he trembled with fear, silently pleading for me to help. Gideon’s laughter. His demands. And the threatening way those who worked for him watched and waited for orders. I was out of my depth and then some, and the fire inside turned cold.
“Donovan.” I lifted my head, not knowing what to say, only aware that I wanted to tell him something, to let him know that my reactions to him weren’t fake. But before I could say anything, he pressed his soft lips against mine, taking me into his warmth.
I clutched onto his shirt, the bubbling heat threatening to consume me. I moaned against him slipping his tongue inside. My arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer.
His hand fed into my hair, holding me firm so he could dine. And I wanted him to dine.
The song finished too soon, and before I could even comprehend what was happening, Donovan was leading me back to the table.
“I enjoyed that,” he winked, grabbing his drink.
The room became too hot all of a sudden. A million thoughts clawed at me at once. He placed the tip of the bottle against his mouth. Something inside switched on—a blinding light piercing through my doubts. I knocked the beer out of his hand before he could drink from it.
“Don’t drink that!” I cried. He jumped back at the bottle crashing against the table. The drugged beer dripped onto the floor.
“Savannah?” he replied quizzically, righting the bottle before any more could spill from it. “What’s going on?”
Grabbing my purse, I ran toward the ladies' room, ignoring the stares. I needed a moment to breathe—one goddamn moment to just breathe.
Hands shaking, I looked at myself in the mirror, not knowing what to do next.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
What just happened?
The kiss. His words. All of it. I couldn’t do it. Seeing him come so close to drinking the drugged beer, I lost my shit. Reality came crashing down. The repercussions. The fear of him getting hurt. My hand had acted before my brain, leaving me wide-eyed in shock. The numbness had left in an instant and my morality clawed me back from the edge of a cliff.
What had I almost done?
Sobs wracked my body. Tears poured down my cheeks in the empty restroom.
I’m so sorry, Will.
All the nerves, the fear, the worry from the moment Gideon’s men had snatched me off the street came rushing out. All the shit with Donovan adding to the crappy position I’d found myself in, hating the thought of putting him in danger or leaving him behind, threw me into turmoil.
“Get yourself together, Savannah.” I took a breath, my chest hitching from another sob. I rubbed the tears away with the palm of my hand, trying to catch my breath.
You can handle this. You can find another way.
How? I had no clue. I had nothing. But I couldn’t just fucking stay here forever. I had to move. I had to face my consequences head-on and survive, making sure no one got dead in the process.
