“I would probably ask him why he hated me that much he’d allow my life to be shoved into the path of another bad man.”
“What if it wasn’t his choice?”
“Wasn’t it?” she questions, finally meeting my gaze. “You walked away and left me there, wondering what was wrong with me.” She knows who I am. The anger that simmers in her pretty eyes sparks something inside me, want and need, and something else. The need to make it right. To help her.
“Let me fix this and take you away.”
“Why? So your guilt can ease from what you forced me into?” She’s on her feet, her arms crossed in front of her chest, and I know soon enough she’s going to walk away from me. But I can’t let that happen. If I do, when all hell breaks loose back home, she’s going to be in the line of fire.
“Yes,” I answer honestly. I can’t lie to her. She deserves the truth, and that’s what she’ll get from me. But I need to make her see the danger she’s in. “If you don’t want to come with me, I’ll have to force you. There’s a war coming, Beauty, and it’s not going to be pretty. There will be casualties, and I don’t want you to be one of them.”
She stares at me for a long while. There’s intrigue in her gaze and a million questions that flit across her expression. I want to answer them all, to give her the truths she didn’t get for so long. But right now, my focus must be on getting her out of town.
The cabin.
It’s safe, secluded, and it’s the only place I know they won’t look for her.
“Don’t come back here,” she tells me. “I thought you were someone else, someone who—”
“I need you to listen to me,” I bite out, pushing to my feet, gripping her shoulders tightly. I want to pull her close to me, to hold her, but she shoves me away.
“No. I won’t listen to you, or my father, or anyone else for that matter. I chose to hide from my life, and I’m not going to let you pull me back into that sordid mess.”
“I’m trying to keep you safe.”
“By lying to me?”
“Lying?” My brows furrow at her words. How did I lie to her?
“Broken Prince?” she scoffs. “Please, spare me the pain and agony of your perfect life with all that money, status, and the fact that when you saw me, you sneered at me as if I were shit under your shoe.”
“You were a fucking child!” Somehow, my outburst hits her hard, and she stumbles backward away from me. “You were a child,” I say once more, this time less angry.
She nods. “I was. But we both grew up knowing our lives would be mapped out before us. And because of you, I have to live like this.” She waves her hand around her at the town where she’s been hiding.
“Things are happening that will put you in danger.”
“More so now than I’ve been before?” she challenges. One thing I’m learning about sweet Vera Rose is that she’s not the shy girl I thought she’d be.
“Yes.” The one word hangs between us ominously, and I hope she can see the truth in my eyes because I can’t tell her more than that until I’ve heard from Dax. Her father is in prison, so he won’t be pulled into this shitshow, but she’s here, bait for the sharks to find. And I’ll be damned if I let that happen.
“Please, just leave me alone.”
“I can’t do that, Beauty,” I tell her, stepping closer to her, feeling her curves against my hardness. “Because the moment you turn your back on me, I’ll follow you, and I will most certainly steal you from your life here. I can’t let you get hurt. That’s not who I am, not anymore. I don’t care if you believe me or not. I’m going to keep you safe. One way or another.”
“Don’t ever threaten me,” she bites out, her words pure venom, dripping anger, and I can’t help but smile. “This isn’t funny.” Her voice is tight with emotion.
“I didn’t say it was.”
“I’m leaving now, and if you know what’s good for you, so will you. Don’t come back to this town. It’s mine. I chose it. I’m done talking about the past.” She pulls free from me, but what she doesn’t know is, I’m not leaving that easily. I watch her turn and walk down the meadow. Pulling my hoodie back up, I smile as she disappears from sight.
Tonight, I’ll come back for her. And then we’ll be free from danger.
8
Logan
In the hotel, I try once more to make her see the truth. If she doesn’t want to listen to me face to face, I’m going to tell her word for word.
BP: I’m not here to play games, Beauty. I may not be the first person you wanted in your life right now, but I’m here, and I won’t allow you to get yourself hurt because of the past. Like I said, a war is coming, and you’ll be a casualty if you don’t trust me. One chance, that’s all I need. Please.
I hit send before I have time to second-guess myself. I’m frustrated, yet I can’t stop thinking about how beautiful she looked when fire danced in her eyes. I head into the kitchen and find a beer. It’s fucking ten in the morning, yet I’m swallowing back the alcohol like it’s ten in the evening.
The computer dings, but I don’t go to it. Instead, I head into the bedroom and pull out the suitcase I brought here a couple of days ago. Inside, I find what I need — the cloth, blindfold, cuffs, and the bottle filled with a drug that will ensure my sweet girl is asleep long enough for me to get her out of her apartment, into the car, and back to my cabin.
I wasn’t lying to Vera when I told her I’d steal her away. Once all the items are laid out on the bed, I pack my clothes into the suitcase and set it at the door. Ready for me to leave at a moment’s notice.
Once I know everything is cleaned, wiped down, and back to where it was before I entered the room, I pick up my laptop and find a response from Vera waiting for me.
SB: You chose to walk away. Don’t try to lay your guilt on me by telling me you’re here to play the hero. I don’t need one, and I don’t want one. I’ll be deleting my account, so stop contacting me.
My chest tightens at her words. Even just the thought of never laying my eyes on her again takes the breath from my lungs. That can’t happen, ever.
The night is clear, the moon slowly waning in the darkness, and the stars bright, shimmering prickles of diamonds in the ink of the sky. I’m dressed, the car is ready, and I have everything I need. I’ve never done this before, stolen someone from their home.
In the past, I wouldn’t second-guess myself, but after learning about my father’s dirty dealings, I feel like I’m turning into him. Even though I’m trying to save her, Vera isn’t going to like the fact that I’m taking her without her permission.
Kidnapping.
Stalking.
All of this is wrong, but I can’t stop myself now. As I drive down the main road and toward her building, I play out in my mind all the ways this could go wrong. She could scream. Her neighbors could call the cops. She could try to run, hurt herself.