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“Dom,” Izzy sighed, shaking her head at him.
Cold dread washed over me, almost knocking me to my knees. It stole my breath and cut through my heart with hot blades. Images of Kaylie, cold and lifeless, assaulted my mind.
I’ll come back.
Her words echoed inside.
You won’t lose me.
I never dared to believe her. Not fully. But I clung to the hope. It made me jump headfirst intous. Now I was falling. And the crash was near. If she died. If she fucking died—
I couldn’t think it. Not now. Not like this. Izzy’s eyes were on me, waiting to see how long it would take until I broke.
She didn’t know me. I was fucking stronger than that. I had to be.
“She’ll be okay.” Izzy’s soft words were more than I could take. They burned deep within, adding a pressure I could barely contain.
“Don’t!” I snapped, and she smiled sadly but nodded. The fake promises. The comforting bullshit. I couldn’t do that. I’d rather take the cut as sharp and cruel as it was.
She returned her focus to the screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Then she waited. “They’re catching up.” Her eyes shone with the fear her voice didn’t convey, and I finally regained the ability to move.
Pushing past Dominic, I stood behind Izzy, staring at the screen and finally understanding. They had their cars tagged. A red dot on the map showed exactly where they were, and the coordinates she entered were directions from a bird’s-eye view. The forest was a labyrinth of roads, and with every turn they made, the two dots chasing after never vanished.
Then, one blinking red dot stopped moving. Then another. My eyes darted to Dominic, who looked back with a twisted grin on his lips. “I told you I’d keep your girl safe.”
I scoffed. This was far from my version of safe. Car chases. Guns. How many did he kill to ensure those cars never reached Kaylie’s? Just as fast as I considered it, I realized it didn’t matter. If I was in his position, with that kind of power, I’d do the same thing. It required a special kind of coldness to order the death of several men, but I’d fucking do it. If it meant keeping Kaylie safe. I’d do anything.
Dominic’s phone rang, and he picked up the call and placed it on speaker. “It’s over,” the driver informed. “She’s safe. The car is wrecked, though. Flat tires. Send someone ASAP.”
“Sit tight.” Dominic looked at me, shaking his head before I could speak. “Don’t even think about it.”
“Cut him some slack,” Izzy complained. “He’s not some average douchebag. He’s a bodyguard.”
Dominic chuckled. “And I’m sure an excellent one.” He grinned at me. “But with those injuries, you’re a danger to both yourself and her. Someone with your training should know that.”
I scoffed, hating to admit he was right. I was fucking useless as I was now.
“Heal up,” Izzy said. “Let us handle this. You’ll be back to kicking ass in no time.”
“Cut the fucking crap,” I muttered, and she groaned. She stood, placing a hand on my arm. “You will though,” she promised. “You’ll work with what you have. Including pain.”
I gave her a stiff nod. She was right. I had to live with this, but I’d be damned if I let that stop me from being me.
*
Kaylie already removed the burka and came bursting through the door looking just as mouthwatering gorgeous as ever. Her black hair danced over her shoulders as she ran to me. I caught her, crushing her to my chest, and held her there. Her hair smelled like pine trees and rain from the forest, and I buried my nose into it, inhaling her. She trembled, and I held her tighter, wishing I could absorb her pain by merging with her. It should have been me. Everything she had to go through; it should have been me.
“You were fucking amazing, chica!” Izzy hugged her from behind, sandwiching her between us. She kissed her cheek before grinning up at me, winking.
I loosened my grip, but she clung to me. “Let’s get you somewhere private,” I spoke into her ear. “You’re safe now.”
She removed herself enough for me to wrap my arm around her shoulders and steer her toward the stairs. Then I stopped. The screens in Dominic’s surveillance room fresh in my mind. “I’d appreciate some privacy.” I put a huge emphasis on the wordprivacy. And by the way Dominic’s lips twitched in amused recognition, I knew he got it.
He gave me a short nod. “You’ve always had it.”
I narrowed my eyes as Izzy chuckled. It was impossible to know if they told the truth, but fuck it if I cared. If they wanted cheap porn…
I tightened my hold on Kaylie. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
