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“I’m only going to ask you this one more time,” I tell her, bracing my hands on the door beside her head and dropping my face so my eyes are level with hers. “Why are you leaving?”
“Because I have to!” she finally blurts.
“Why?” I keep pushing, not letting up until I hear what I need to hear. “Has someone been threatening you? Asking about what happened that night?”
“No! It doesn’t have anything to do with that. Not everything is about that! I still have a life, and there’s still shit that happens that I have to deal with. I told you, this is none of your business!”
The words all burst out of her in a rush, and she’s gasping when she finishes. Her eyes flash as she stares at me, her delicate chin lifted. There’s so much anger and defiance in her expression, but they aren’t the only things there. Something vulnerable and tired lurks under the surface, and it makes me pause for a second.
“Just tell me what the fuck is going on,” I say at last. “You know you can’t lie to me,Solnyshka. Not for long.”
We both know I’m right. She glares at me for a beat, seeming to be fighting some inner battle with herself. Then her chin wobbles and she sighs, slumping in place against the door as if something heavy is pulling her down.
Her voice trembles a bit when she speaks again, but it’s not from fear or anger this time.
“I’m not leaving town,” she whispers. “But I have to leave this apartment. I don’t… I can’t pay my rent.”
“What? Why not?”
When we paid the rest of her tuition, we put money in her account. I remember, because Ransom and I argued over how much to give her. At the time, I thought it was too much for a bribe, especially considering that our plan to take out Nikolai had never included having to pay off a witness.
Willow looks down at the floor, her voice dropping so low I can barely hear it. “Because my mom stole everything from me.”
My head jerks back in surprise. “What?”
“She… she’s so good at stuff like this. Making people trust her, acting like she’s a victim, pushing the fact that she’s my mom. I guess she went to the bank and convinced them she needed access to my account, and they just gave it to her. She took everything I had.”
My jaw tightens. I can feel my anger rising again, although this time it’s directed at someone other than the girl in front of me.
Fuck, no. Her mother isn’t getting away with this.
15
WILLOW
My breath catchesas I watch something dangerous spark in Malice’s dark gray eyes. He looks pissed, maybe more so than I’ve ever seen him before. Even when he came barging in here, he didn’t look this mad.
The wood of the door is cool against my back as I stay pressed against it, hardly daring to breathe. He’s quiet for a long moment, staring at me with his face only inches from mine, and I don’t make any sudden movements, not sure what’s going on in his head.
“Take me to your mom,” he suddenly demands.
I blink, caught off guard by that.
“No.” The word is out of my mouth before I have time to think about it, but I double down, shaking my head. “No. I already tried to get the money back, Malice. It’s too late. She spent some on herself and lost the rest gambling. It’s gone. There’s nothing to get back.”
“It wasn’t a fucking request,” he bites out. “You’re going to take me to your mom’s place, or I’ll have Vic tell me where it is. And you won’t like it if I have to go that route.”
I can’t help the shiver that works its way through me at his words. This man is so brutal. He’s so dominant and hard, so used to getting what he wants and not being afraid to take it if he has to. I can never read him, never guess what he’s going to do, and that scares the shit out of me.
Is he going to bust into my mom’s house and kill her? Will he kill me if I don’t tell him what he wants to know?
Malice steps closer, clearly tired of waiting for me to make a decision. His hand comes up, and I flinch instinctively, but his fingers are surprisingly gentle when he tilts my chin up, making me look at him.
“Willow,” he says, and his voice drops, not hard this time, but deep and serious. Just like his eyes in this moment. “Tell me.”
I lick my lips, my mouth suddenly dry. My lips feel numb as they form the words, whispering her address.
He doesn’t hesitate. As soon as I finish speaking, he tugs me away from the door and opens it, striding out into the hall.
