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Tears fall from my eyes as I chase away those devastating thoughts. The sneaky ones that force me to realize that my fear of losing him, when I didn’t even acknowledge that I am his during this conversation, trumps that mighty question I haven’t answered to myself about trust. It fucking squashes it to the ground! Because I can build that fucking trust, I can kill my insecurities and find out whothisman is, not the one I knew so long ago.
But my heart… my heart already bleeds for him in the most decadent, unhealthy kind of love. I’m his, no matter what. I am his and he is mine.
And I didn’t get to tell him that…
* * *
Too much time passes,yet I know it’s not a lot at all. Not even enough for the guys to drive from Midnight to Vincent’s house in the woods. It is still too long. I’ve kept calling, but that goddamn voicemail was the only sound at the other end, gritty and irritating, and it took everything in me not to smash this phone on the ground.
“It will be okay. You’ll see, everything will be okay.”
I shake my head at Lulu’s words, wiping the tears off my cheeks and eyes.
“Fuck… Luke was right. You should not be friends with me. I should be thousands of miles away from you, on the other side of the damn globe, because you do not deserve this. Look at me! I’m a fucking mess! And you’re getting dragged into this bullshit! Fuck… if you get hurt because of me…” I slap my palms on the windowsill, somehow searching for an answer in the faint shades of burnt orange that start appearing in the sky, as all that fear, panic, and anger mix in this explosive feeling.
“What will you do?” My soul leaves my body as the sound of that voice slices through my eardrum. I turn around slowly as a shiver shakes my flesh, like I’m afraid I’m going to spook him and he’ll make the wrong move if I turn too fast.
There he is, Ryan Holt, in the middle of Lulu’s apartment, one arm wrapped around her from behind, the other holding a knife to her throat, as three of his men stand tall and firm behind him.
“Let her go.” I’m trapped. We’re trapped. The detail The Sanctum had on us probably went to Vincent.
“Where would the fun in that be?” The grin that lifts the corners of his lips and eyes is disturbing.
“Drop the knife, Ryan.” I heard somewhere that attackers respond favorably when you use their names. It reaches them at a deeper level for some reason, like you’re reminding them that they are still a person.
“But it would sink so beautifully into her soft skin.” He makes a face, like puppy eyes on a rabid dog.
“And if it does, you will never have me. I’ll remove myself from this plane, if one hair on her head is broken. Let. Her. Go.” I squeeze my fists as I will myself to keep my tone even. For Lulu’s sake.
He narrows his eyes ever so slightly as his features become more serious.
“If anyone gets the privilege of removing you from this earth, dear fiancée, it is me, and me alone.”
“Try me.” My foot lands on the floor with a determined, loud thud as I step toward him. I may have become a different person recently, obedient and low key afraid of the man that threatens to kill my best friend, but the thought of Lulu being involved in this has brought a whole other type of courage to rise within me. Even if my insides are shaking.
It’s strange, how one person could have this invisible hold on you, even when they are not touching you. It’s as if my soul knows the consequences of his madness, and it tied itself together, just so he can’t do it himself. Only that rope is loosening… and at the risk of becoming a noose, I will stand up to him.
Cocking his head slightly, he regards me with a bit more seriousness in his features. He begins pulling the knife away, only, just at the last moment, Lulu hisses and a red line appears in the trail of the blade. The motherfucker cut her!
“Oh, I’m sorry, did I nick you?” He feigns distress, but that mad smirk lives happily on his face, as he pushes Lulu away.
I catch her, checking her neck. It’s a cut, but it’s not too deep.
“I’m so sorry…” I plead.
“Come! I spared her life, now come, before I change my mind!” His hand is outstretched, waiting impatiently for me.
“Don’t, Morri, please don’t!” Lulu begs, holding my wrist as I move toward the man that is to be my husband. The one that only plans to keep me until my family fortune is his…
“I have to. I can risk myself, but not you, Lulu… never you.”
I’m yanked away, while Lulu’s screams echo through my mind, mixing with the bangs I heard on Vincent’s call. I wonder if any other devastating sounds will be added onto that by the end of this day.
A day that started in such a surprisingly wonderful way, after an absolutely insane night…
* * *
I satin the backseat of Ryan’s Mercedes, unable to control the tears that fell freely from my eyes. Vincent’s last words on the phone ran on a loop in my head, until my chest hurt too much to contain myself. I’ve clutched my hands together so tight, my nails drew blood from my palm, my shoulders cramp from the tenseness, and on the inside… I feel empty. Numb. Broken.
