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Me and Chloe both.
Brett still has his hand over her mouth, and her eyes stay locked on to mine as they hustle her toward the door.
She can read me like a book, and even though she’s quaking with terror herself, she subtly shakes her head. She knows as well as I do that there’s nothing I can do right now that won’t make it worse.
“Let me… let me say goodbye,” I rasp. “Please. She’s my sister.”
Austin snorts, but he doesn’t say no, and the burly man holding Chloe takes his hand off her mouth and shoves her toward me.
“Be quick,” he grunts as Chloe flings herself into my arms, shaking.
I hug her against me, squeezing tight and whispering promises I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep into her ear. But I lied. I’m not going to say goodbye. That’s too fucking final, and Iwillfix this.
I’ll find a way.
I have to.
“I’m going to see you soon, okay?” I whisper, cupping her face and wiping her wet cheeks. “I’ve got you.”
She nods, her breath hitching. “I know.” She swallows, the doubt in her eyes breaking my heart. “I love you, Riley.”
I bite my lip and nod, because if I open my mouth again, I’m going to lose it.
And then Austin yanks her away. He jerks his chin at his men, and a second later, they’re gone. All except Frank.
The apartment is deathly quiet… or maybe it’s loud and I just can’t hear it. I can’t hear anything. Can’t think. Can’t feel.
Frank’s shoulders slump, and the tiny movement catches my attention. In a flash, all the fury I’ve been holding back explodes like shrapnel, ripping me apart inside.
I wheel on him, my fist already drawing back. I hit him hard in the face, and his head whips to one side.
“You fucking asshole,” I scream, tears clogging my voice as I punch him again. And again. And again. “You worthless—piece of—shit.”
He scrambles backward with his hands up to protect his head, shuffling toward the door like the spineless coward he’s always been, bleeding all over the carpet runner Chloe picked out.
He sold her.
Fuckingsoldher.
“Riley, now, h-h-hold up,” he stammers, cowering away from me. “This was the only way. You gotta understand—”
“I’ll never understand,” I cut him off viciously. I shove him backward just as he makes it to the door, driven by a fury so pure it feels like lightning. “Don’t come back here. Not fucking ever.”
He opens his mouth, his lip swollen and teeth smeared with red, and my jaw clenches.
I can’t stand to hear anything else from him. Can’t stand to see him. Can’t stand that he’s here and Chloe’s not.
“Not ever, Frank,” I repeat before he can get a word out, shoving him out into the hallway. “Don’t speak to me. Don’t let me see you. Don’t even dare to fucking breathe any of the same air that I do, thatChloedoes, or else I’ll do what that West Side prick didn’t have the balls to.” I narrow my eyes, and his face goes white. “It would be easy,” I hiss. “Because you’re already fucking dead to me.”
He believes me. I can see it in his eyes.
Good.
He gives me one jerky nod before I slam the door in his face. The loud banging sound cuts through the air like thunder, leaving silence echoing in its wake.
“Oh god,” I whisper, all the adrenaline draining from me as I sink to the ground, leaning against the door. I don’t bother to throw the deadbolts. It doesn’t matter. They didn’t work. They didn’t protect Chloe.
Ididn’t protect her.
