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Now would be a good time for Olivia or Carter, or fuck, I’ll take Jordy, to show their faces with guns blazing and take this asshole down for good.
“Stay back,” Asher hisses through his teeth, trying to grab my elbow.
“No more,” Van hisses. “You’ve touched what’s mine for far too fucking long!” In the blink of an eye, he raises the gun in Asher’s direction, waving it around.
“Whoa!” I shout, stupidly jumping in front of Asher. “Van. What the hell is going on? Explain it to me!” I scream, bringing his attention back to me. “Look at me, Van. Explain what’s happening.” I lower my voice, trying to sound as calm and collected as possible. Something I don’t fucking feel right now. Panic takes me over when he doesn’t lower the weapon, leaving it pointed in Asher’s direction.
His face hardens—a twitch forms in his right eye, highlighting his loss of composure.
“Oh, right. I’ll explain everything to you, Rivey. Just let me touch you. I need to fucking touch you,” he pleads with desperation. “Let me feel you, baby.”
Fat chance.
“Let Lyric go,” I say, motioning toward my baby still in his clutches.
For as long as I live, the haunting expression holding her captive will keep me up at night. Somehow, Lyric has retreated inside herself, no longer blubbering, or trying to pull away. She’s a shadow of nothingness. I need to take charge of this situation before she sinks too far into herself and I’m unable to pull her out. My baby doesn’t deserve to live through the pain of Van’s obsession. I’ve protected her from this for so long.
“No,” Van snarls, baring his teeth. “I let our child go, and you’ll take off again and let these assholes raise her. You are both fucking MINE!” His voice echoes off the walls, filling the room with his rage. It’s so visceral, the tiny hairs on my arm stand on end.
My breath catches in my chest, refusing to refill my lungs. Our? He’s delusional. Concocting this fantasy that Lyric and I are his. His? Really? My mind races out of control. What the fuck do I do here? I’m so out of my goddamn depth. I need to get Lyric away from him. I have to think on my fucking feet to get his hands off of her and onto me.
It’s time to save my baby and Asher. No matter the cost.
I inch forward, avoiding Asher’s desperate glare to keep me within his reach. His head shakes with limited movements, like he’s reading my mind.
“Okay,” I say, holding my hands up, placating the asshole. “Let’s just talk, Van. Okay? Let’s work this out. You can touch me. Just let her go.” I swallow razor blades when his eyes light up, traveling up and down my body with intense interest. Disgust fills every molecule of my body when he zones in on my breasts, licking his lips. I shiver, holding back the vomit threatening to spew from my throat.
I can do this. This is for Lyric and her safety. For Asher. For everyone else he wants to injure. I can only hope Olivia gets her ass up here before anything else can go wrong.
“River,” Asher begs with choked emotions as I inch closer to Van. Every step I take is a nail in my coffin. “Don’t,” he pleads, reaching a hand out to pull me back.
But I’m too far gone now. Lyric is the most important thing in my life, and I can’t lose her. She's my baby. I’ll fight tooth and nail to keep her safe. Even if it means putting my own life on the line. Shoot me. Not them.
“Don’t you fucking put your hands on her again! She is not yours! She has never been!” Van cries out, lifting the gun in Asher’s direction.
I’d rather endanger my life than have any harm come to Lyric or Asher. It’s my job to protect her. My fucking duty as a mother. And I obviously didn’t do enough to keep her from his grasp. Somehow, he swooped in when no one was looking and stole her from us.
By why? How? How is he even here?
“What’s going on, Van? Why are you doing this? Why are you here?” I whisper, wincing when his angry gaze whips to me and he points the gun right at my heaving chest.
Sweat prickles along my neck the further I walk. With small, measured movements, I inch across the platform until I stand directly before him until the gun pushes into the middle of my chest.
A breath away—within reach.
I turn everything inside of me off, shutting down. If this is my end, then that’s it. I’ve had a good life. Fought the good fight. If it helps Asher and Ly make a break for it, then it was all worth it. They’re worth it.
“I had to get your attention somehow. You blocked my calls. I couldn’t see you anymore! You wouldn’t even talk to me without turning your nose up at me,” he growls angrily in my face with a hint of betrayal sparking in his eyes. “So, here I am,” he says, lifting his chin in victory.
Every ounce of emotion vanishes from his face when he looks into my eyes. Blank. Dark. Nothingness. Reminding me of his expression at Dead End when I watched him from afar. I try to hold back the flinch when his finger runs down my cheek, caressing me like he used to.
“I’ve been watching you, Rivey. Protecting you from the shadows. You should thank me for the pictures I took. I had to look at you through your cameras to make sure you didn’t do anything stupid.”
My lips flap open and closed at his words. My stomach drops at the realization. Sharp memories float through my mind of the stalking I endured at the hands of…
“It was you?”
“Finally, you get it. It was for your own good. I had to keep my girls safe, Rivey. I had to make sure you two were always protected…”
