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He releases my wrist and pulls his cell phone from his pocket. He shows me the screen.
It’s Landon lying in a hospital bed. Somehow, there’s a video feed in the hospital room. Landon has two black eyes, and his mouth is swollen and bleeding. His nose is splinted, and his hair is matted to his head. My horrified gaze sweeps his body. One hand is bandaged and resting on his stomach.
“I’m afraid he got mugged in his parking garage today.”
Oh my God. Landon. What the actual hell?
My dinner rises in my stomach. “You piece of shit!” I say a little too loudly, but the word spills from my lips easily. “Tell me what hospital he’s in.” I start to stand up.
Bastien grabs my wrist again. “His day is about to get a whole lot worse. You’re going to text him and tell him you’re calling off the wedding because you’ve been fucking another man. Tell him that you’re sick of faking it with him, and you finally found a man who really satisfies you.”
I go ice-cold, shuddering even though the restaurant is so warm it’s stuffy. “I won’t.”
“I’ve got one of my people in the room with him. If you don’t text him right now, I will have her inject a substance into Landon’s IV that will burn like acid, and he’ll die in slow, sniveling agony. Pull your phone out now. Five, four, three…”
With shaking hands, I rip the phone from my pocketbook, and I let Bastien dictate what I’m going to text to Landon.
Then he makes me watch the cell phone as Landon’s mother gets the text and starts to cry. My heart is tearing itself into pieces. I’ve destroyed my fiancé. I’ve ruined him.
Landon lies there oblivious as his mother sobs like a baby, making wailing noises. A beautiful brunette nurse walks over and pats her on the shoulder, likely saying comforting things. She cries harder, her shoulders shaking. The woman briefly looks up at the hidden camera, and I have to wonder…
Bastien’s employee and possible assassin? Or a simple coincidence?
Definitely the first. There are no coincidences where Bastien is concerned. Something I’ve had to remind myself a time or two.
These people aren’t human. They’re evil on a subatomic level.
I’ve never felt such misery. Landon is a loving, faithful, decent man who trusted me and wanted nothing more than to make me happy. I hate Bastien so much; I think I could actually murder him.
He stands, wiping off his far too expensive pants and smiling down at me like a lover would. When he’s at my side, he places a chaste kiss on my forehead before leaning into my ear.
“I hope you know how satisfying tonight’s been. Ruining you is my favorite part of the day.”
He walks off, whistling as he goes, never looking back as he strides out the doors without a care in the world.
I sit in my seat, shaking, long after Bastien’s left. When I look in my pocketbook, I see he’s stolen my wallet. He’s smooth as hell; I didn’t notice he’d done it.
Of course he sticks me with the bill. And of course he ordered the most expensive wine in the restaurant, so the bill is $600. Fortunately, this morning, I had enough insight to pawn a pair of diamond earrings that Landon gave me, put the money on a prepaid Visa, and stuffed the Visa in my sock just in case, along with my new temporary driver’s license. Otherwise, after emotionally destroying my fiancé, I’d spend the night in jail. I have literally nobody to call to help me. The realization devastates me.
I’m all alone in the world now.
I am hollowed out and filled with hate and determination.
He shouldn’t have made me hurt Landon like that. He shouldn’t have put a hand on him. Landon is a decent man who didn’t deserve half of what I put him through. The regret sours my stomach further until I’m sure I’ll vomit.
I pay the bill and rush to the bathroom, just in time to empty my stomach. Bent over the toilet, I heave a few more times, praying to God to help me. He might be my only chance of surviving Bastien.
That monster has pushed me too far. Ruining my life is one thing, but putting Landon in the hospital and making me end things on the same day is too cruel even for the devil himself.
Bastien’s brilliant and obsessive, yes, but I’m no slouch. I survived him. I defied my mother and put myself through college. I graduated with a 4.0. I secured a job that more than paid the bills. I made a name for myself that, up until Bastien strolled back in, was highly regarded.
I don’t need anyone to help me get out of this.
I’ve got some tricks up my sleeve, and now I’m going to use all of them.
CHAPTER18
Bastien
