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VINCENT
“Come with me.”Loreley grabs my wrist, displaying no sense of self preservation, no worry that she’s bossing the fucking Serpent around. What is it with these two women? Have they no fear?
The moment we’re inside the apartment, I pull my hand from her grip and she stops, turning to me. Now, in this closed space, all alone, from the look in her eyes, she finally realizes who stands tall before her. I don’t miss the slight shiver running down her body.
“I know who you are.” She tightens her shoulders. “I also know who to come to if anything happens to her, because you two made a deal… and I know the terms.” She stands tall, unmoving, holding her ground.
“You know… everything?”
She narrows her eyes, but stays silent. Does she know about my past with Morrigan? Or about the guy she murdered? About the leverage Holt has against her?
My bet is she knows what she needs to.
“Come.” She finally speaks and runs toward the window, the lights still off, so we’re slightly protected from whoever looks from below.
The image before me breaks a part of me I didn’t know existed until now, and I grab onto those pieces, holding them tight because I need to put them back together eventually. I’m losing her…
My hands tighten into fists, nostrils flaring, as a painful tension rips through my chest, watching her fight off two guys that grab each of her arms at Holt’s orders. The moment Loreley cracks the window slightly, Morrigan’s scream splits me in half, my short nails digging into my palms painfully.
“Let me gooo! Damnit, Ryan, let me go, you’re better than this! Just…”
Holt takes one step, just one step toward her, and the way her body freezes, the woefully defeated, submissive look in her eyes, pushes me over the fucking edge.
It brings back memories I’ve buried, of a broken woman at the hands of a controlling, abusive man… But there’s no way I’ll let this situation get as far as I allowed it with my mother.
That motherfucker is dead. Just as my goddamn sperm-donor will eventually be. Hers too.
His death sentence was signed already, but this might just warrant a more special execution.
A feral growl fills my ears, and when Loreley’s head whips in my direction, I realize it was me. But I’m already on the move, a few more steps and I’m out the door, ready to fucking end this right here, right now!
“No! She was right! She was right! You can’t do anything now!” That voice is desperate, cracking with a similar pain that rips me apart at this moment. Its familiarity makes me stop.
She whirls around me, gripping my arms, her golden eyes pleading, a lonely tear dropping on her high cheek, before slowly sliding down. That’s her best friend out there and her pain… is mine too. Her throat bobs, once, twice, before she swallows her breaths… and another tear falls onto her cheek, then another, and another.
With no notice whatsoever from my brain, I shake off her hands and pull her in, wrapping my arms around her. And she breaks. She cries into my chest, quiet whimpers of fear…
“He will pay for this,” I whisper.
She finally pulls away, her lips parting to speak, but at the same time, we hear a commotion through the cracked window and we rush over.
One of the guys is on his knees, clutching his crotch, the other one holding both her hands behind her back, and in the next second, Holt’s hand slams against her cheek so hard, the guy behind has to hold her up.
I see fucking red! Crimson rivers of their blood filling these motherfucking streets, and I know one thing for sure—that’s not my imagination, it’s the fucking future.
“You’ll never see your precious bitch Lulu ever again, you’ll never step foot here… or anywhere else for that matter, unless you’re with me. I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight, because your freedom ends here,”Holt spits at her before shoving her in the back of the SUV, and leaning in.“Oh, and by the way, I moved the wedding date.”He slams the door closed on her screams, and we hide as he turns to look up.
I have to get her back.
“She’ll be okay… she’ll be okay… my girl is strong. She’ll be okay.” Loreley repeats those words like a whispered mantra.
She’ll be okay.
Tires screech on the asphalt and we both peek out the window—they’re gone. She’s gone. And this complicates things.
“What are we going to do?”
