Touching my shoulder, she leans over and kisses my cheek, “No matter what the outcome, you don’t have to face anything alone.” Then, she walks from the bathroom, closing the door behind her, granting me privacy.
Looking at what she left, my heart begins to race.
Get your shit together and pussy up.
Sweat starts to line my forehead, and my lungs tighten.
This can’t be happening. The re-emergence of tears streak down my face, pooling under my chin.
“This can’t be happening,” I repeat out loud.
How could you be so fucking stupid?
“Don’t worry, Ry. We’ll figure it out,” my dad ensures.
My head snaps at the sound of his voice. I was so distracted I didn’t hear the door open or anyone approach. But he’s right.
Using my sleeve, I wipe the ever-flowing stream trailing my cheeks. Inhaling until my sobs are under control. Renewed in my purpose, I clear my throat, affirming his sentiments.
“You’re fucking right we are.”
* * *
“Are you sure about this?” I ask, looking at both of them.
“Yes,” they answer in unison.
“It’s not safe here anymore. I’ve reached out to my contact, and he’ll be waiting for you all to arrive. Dominic has already lined up a place for you all to stay and has a connection that will keep you off the grid.”
I hesitate, looking back at the place that was starting to feel like home, tempted to stay until I remember what’s at stake.
“Let’s get you out of here, Ry. Nothing is holding us in Calloway anymore,” my dad says.
He’s right.
Nothing and no one is left for me here.
Nodding, I let the car door close and wind down the window. “Will I ever see you again?”
Thomas nods, “Of course, but for now, Calloway isn’t where you should be.”
Sighing, I agree and say my last goodbye.
It’s time to leave this fucked up town in my rearview.
AUGUST
By the time I make my way back into the building, I’m seeing red.
How fucking dare he- Rowan. I’m going to kill him.
Storming back into the room, I shout, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I dive for him, but Sebastian grabs me around the middle, and I fight in his hold.
“Get off me, you fucker. Just because you can’t love her doesn’t mean you get to defend this bullshit,” I snarl.
I feel Sebastian stiffen, but his hold doesn’t relax. His next words freeze me- draining all of my fight.
“Karl’s been kidnapped.”
Liam walks in the door as Sebastian continues speaking, “Rowan got a text message he needs to share.”
Looking, I see Rowan still sitting on the floor, his hands running through his inky hair and pulling on the ends. Blood drips down the side of his mouth where I punched him- a bruise already forming.
Serves the fucker right. He should’ve come to us.
“Well, where the fuck is it?” I snap.
Sebastian hands Liam the phone, and Liam pushes some buttons, pulling the video up on the screen in Mr. Calloway’s office.
My heart stops.
Karl’s slumped form is tied to a chair. He’s been badly beaten. Parts of his face are mottled with dirt and blood, he’s been stripped down to his hunter-green boxer briefs, and the “A” Emma carved into his chest looks like someone’s tried to slash through it.
My fists clench at my side, trying to keep my composure and not throw a chair at the screen while I wait to hear something.
As my patience begins to wane, the audio plays.
A distorted voice speaks, “You’ve played too long, and now times up. If you pick Emma Bradford, Karl Jefferson is fucked.”
“Fuck,” Sebastian shouts before I hear a fist connect with plaster.
Who the hell is doing this? I thought we handled this with the death of Elise and Madeline. This was supposed to be finished. We were supposed to choose Emma and be done.
I grit my teeth, trying to reign in the snarl that’s building in my chest.
The voice continues, “I’ve killed them all to get you. Only Samantha Davenport will do.”
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.