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“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I failed you.”
Tears fell from my eyes, and I fought against them. I didn’t have time to cry.
“No,” I choked out. “No it’s fine. I’m fine.” I rattled the bars to keep his attention, and he flinched, groaning as the sudden motion hurt.
I wanted to look away, to not have to see the misery, but I couldn’t. “I will get you out of here,” I repeated. “What do you need?”
He was silent so long I feared he slipped away again, and when he spoke, the one word was enough to shatter me.
“You.”
Tears sprung to my eyes, and the sob I tried to hold back ripped from my throat. “I’m here,” I sniveled.
“Stay,” he rasped. “Talk to me.”
I knew what he was saying, and I refused to listen. “You’ll be fine. You are not giving up. Do you hear me! You will get through this.”
“No,” he whispered. “No, Kaylie.”
No. NO!I slapped my palm repeatedly across the iron, screaming the word over and over until his voice reached me.
“Goddamnit, Kaylie!” The sudden volume made me smile through the tears.
“That’s the spirit,” I sobbed. “That’s who you are. Fight!”
“I’m too fucking tired,” he rasped.
“I’ll get you out of here,” I said again. Each time the lie burned a little deeper. It was nothing I could promise. If it wasn’t for Alex, I wouldn’t even be here. I wouldn’t even know he was alive. I had no power to save him, but I couldn’t let him know that. Without hope, what did he have left to live for?
She stood there like a fucking angel of death. A siren, pulling my soul toward her despite my inability to get up from the hard floor.
She asked me what I need, and what did I say?Her. How fucking stupid. I didn’t know where it came from, and I hated it being true.
I needed lots of things andhershouldn’t be on the top of that list. Had I said a shot of morphine or a bullet through the brain, it would have made sense. It seemed the ability to get off the floor wasn’t the only thing I lost. But my fucking mind too.
But her exquisite beauty; so tempting. Now more than ever. When I couldn’t hide from myself. When there was no fucking point. I wanted her with every bit of life I still possessed. Her soft voice was a caress. A soothing balm to my soul. Her words brought me peace, wrapping around me like a comforting shield.
Until she started screaming and making noise. A spark of irritation flared, forcing me to muster up enough strength to shut her up.
She smiled through her tears, and even in the dim light outside of the cage, her blue irises never failed to seize me and never let go. They held me in their gaze, awakening a longing to be near her.
“I will get you out of here,” she sobbed. “I promise.”
I lost track of how many times she said it. Each time filling me with hope I didn’t want. I wasn’t stupid. There was no fucking way out unless the psychopath who put me here opened the goddamn cage. It was nothing but empty words to make me feel better. And it did. Even if it was a lie.
“Marc?” She whispered, forcing my wavering attention to return to her. “I don’t have much time.”
The words cut me deeper than the bullet, reminding me of just how much I had to lose. Then I scoffed mentally. I never had her. She wasn’t mine to lose.
My gaze stayed on her face, memorizing each detail. Her big blue eyes, her little nose, and her perfect plump lips. Something in me sparked at the memory of her kiss. A slow burn in the depth of my gut that had nothing to do with the pain.
I resisted it all.Her. The feeling inside me. I pushed it deep down where it couldn’t hurt me. WhereIcouldn’t hurther. She made things come to life inside, made me feel when I was fucking numb—and I hated her for it.
Watching her now, it no longer mattered. She was there, everything I hated—and loved.
“Kaylie,” my voice was nothing but a raw breath. A deep longing put into barely audible words. “I want to touch you.”
A soft gasp slipped past her pink lips. “You don’t know how bad I want it too.” She pressed closer to the bars, as if she tried hard enough, she could melt through.
