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He tips my chin, and like a psycho, he leans forward and licks the tear that streaks down my face.
“Why are you doing this?”
I don’t bother trying to stop the tears that follow. It’s been an exhausting few months with Blake, and now someone I’ve missed is treating me like he does everyone else—shitty.
“Why?” he repeats, licking his lips as if he’s hungry for more of my pain. “Because you begged me.”
I cock my head to the side, sifting through the dozens of memories I shared with Van that summer when I was eighteen. I come up empty, only remembering his watchful gaze as he sat outside the lounge’s window like a sentry.
He was my dark protector.
The artist who displayed his betrayal with flames and ashes.
My silent punisher—a true…
Vigilante.
My blood runs cold as soon as the word pops into my head. I try pulling back, but it’s no use. The punishing smile that scared even the monsters emerges.
“You wanted to run away with me once upon a time.”
I swallow, remembering when I begged to go with him—to leave South Carolina and the scorched town behind me forever.
“You never showed,” I plead, knowing that whatever Van Gogh believes is fact in his eyes.
“I showed,” he clarifies, “at 2:02 a.m., the exact time I wrote on the ground in ash.”
“No.” I shake my head. “You wrote 3:03.”
Those strong muscles twitch in his jaw as his smile fades into a sharp, angry line.
“I showed,” he clarifies. “I showed up with a backpack.” He touches a stray tear but doesn’t lick it this time. Instead, he presses his thumb to my mouth, quieting any more excuses.
“And I met the cops you sent for me.”
Van
I hate excuses about as much as I hate people.
“I never would have betrayed you!”
I roll my eyes, ignoring the tears trickling down Reese’s cheeks. Someone lied to my sunflower and promised to protect her if she turned me in. Unfortunately, she believed them.
“Don’t worry, my love,” I coo. “I don’t plan to kill you.”
A whimper escapes her, which doesn’t feel as delightful as it should.
“What do you plan to do with me, then?”
One thing about my flower is that I don’t need to scare her with threats. She’s seen what I’m capable of—and she knows my threats are nothing compared to my punishments.
“Did you know they sentenced me to six years.” My heart kicks up just thinking about the time I spent behind bars, in seclusion, with nothing but memories and betrayal keeping me company.
“I didn’t betray—”
I press my finger harder against her lips. “Now, now. There’s plenty of time for apologies.”
I lock eyes with the only person who has ever made me believe in the goodness of this world. “For the crime of betrayal, Reese Carmichael, I sentence you to six years as my prisoner.” I flash her a wink and a smile. “I believe society calls that a marriage.”
