Текст книги "Fear Us"

Автор книги: B. B. Reid

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Текущая страница: 10 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

KEENAN

“WHAT DO YOU see?”

We made the three-hour trip in half the time and had been staking out the house for the last thirty minutes. The house was average in style and size and wasn’t a place anyone would expect an abducted child to be held making it the perfect spot.

“Nothing. This is the place,” Keiran stated, echoing my inner thoughts.

“What are we going to do about the Feds?” Q asked from the backseat.

“Once we confirm Kennedy is here, we’ll report it, but not a minute before. I want the motherfuckers who took my little girl to suffer.”

“How do you want to do this?” Keiran asked.

“Hot and fast. There’s no way of telling where Kennedy is in that house. I don’t want to give them a chance to have the advantage. We make quick work of it. Sheldon said there were two men who took her. There could be more, but we leave one alive for questioning before we kill him. John, do you remember how you got in before?”

According to John, the locks were designed to keep anyone who didn’t have a key from getting in or out.

“I’ve got it covered, son.”

“Good. Once you get us in, Keiran and I will take the lead. You and Quentin will pull up the rear. There are four rooms plus the common areas. Kennedy is likely being held in one of the rooms.”

There was a fifty percent chance we’d fail and lose everything including our lives, but I owed it the child I created to try. It was more than my parents had ever given me.

“John,” I called back for my father’s attention.

“Yes, son?”

“I want you to know that if my daughter is in there, I will kill you myself.” From the corner of my eye, I saw Keiran turn his attention from the house and on me. I boldly met his gaze, daring him to protest, but when he simply nodded, I relaxed.

John wisely chose not to respond. Father or not, he had screwed with my daughter’s life to protect a man that didn’t deserve to live. I could care less what his intentions were.

We approached the house quickly, taking care to stay hidden in the shadows. I listened for voices, and when I heard the low but unmistakable sound of voices, I was ready to burst through the door. The reminder from my conscience that it could very well be a family having dinner was the only thing to keep me from ruining the entire mission.

John made quick work of the door, and in no time, we were through. The entryway was dark but empty, and as we moved deeper inside, I could hear deep voices drifting down from upstairs. We followed the sound to a door on a top floor.

“Do you think she’ll do it, Vick?”

Vick? I wondered how good of a chance it could be that this Vick was the same investigator the Chambers hired to find Kennedy.

“If the bitch knows what’s good for the little brat, she will. She’s only got a couple hours.”

“How are we supposed to know if she killed him?”

“We wait until we get the call.”

“But how will he know?”

“It’s not our problem. Once we get the call—”

His head was blown off before he could finish speaking. As soon as his body dropped, I trained my gun on the freckle-faced guy with carrot-colored hair. He didn’t appear old enough to even be out of high school.

“If you don’t stop screaming, you’ll join your buddy.”

He frantically looked around the room for an ally before he settled on Q as his best bet. “Don’t look at me, bitch.”

“Take anything you want, just don’t kill me.”

“Do you know what I’m here for?”

“N—no.” He shook his head hard for emphasis.

“Do you know who this is?” I asked pointing to Keiran. He blinked a few times, focusing his gaze on my brother and shook his head again.

“This is Keiran Masters.” Recognition had shone in his eyes before terror took over.

“If you’re Keiran,” stammered, “then who are you?” he asked.

“I’m the father of the little girl you took.” And that’s when the begging began. I had to hit him with the gun a few times to get him to shut up long enough. “I’m trying to have a polite conversation with you, but you keep interrupting me.”

“I’m sorry, sir.” His sniffling was starting to bug me, so I decided against torturing him.

“I’m only going to ask this once so pay attention. Where is my daughter?”

“She’s in the guest room down the hall on the right.”

Wow. That was easy.

I hoped the surprise I felt didn’t show on my face, but judging by the terror still evident in his eyes, I knew I still looked like a man bent on killing.

“Please, just let me go. I didn’t even want to do it.” He screamed hysterically.

“But you did, my friend.” I was surprised by the calm in my own voice even though every nerve, vein, and blood vessel inside me raged.

As soon as I walked out, leaving Keiran and Q behind with him, the screaming began again. John followed me, claiming he didn’t have the stomach for torture.

I followed the simple directions to a door just down the hall. I put my ear to the door and listened for voices just in case it was a trap. I heard the small sound of crying on the other side and threw caution to the wind.

I tried the knob, but the door was locked so I threw my shoulder against it. Eventually, the door gave way and I burst through. Wood chips fell around me and temporarily blocked my vision of the small bundle huddled on the bed.

“Kennedy?” her crying had become little whimpers. She tried to make herself appear small out of fear. I suddenly realized I didn’t make the greatest entrance into her life.

“Keenan?” I turned towards John, who had a hand held out as if to block me. When he noticed the look in my eyes, he said, “Do you really want her first memory of you to be like this? She doesn’t know you, and she is already scared.”

“Papa?” The angelic yet timid sound of her voice nearly made me come undone. She recognized John and tried to sit up, but I noticed that her movements appeared sluggish.

Had she just woken up?

“Papa, I’m scared and wanna go home now.”

“Oh, sweetheart, we’re going to take you home right now. Your mother has missed you so much.”

“The bad man hurt mama.” She looked at me when she said it, and I couldn’t help the guilty flush that heated my skin. She looked just as her mother described. The perfect mix of her mother and me.

“She’s just fine, angel. She has been worried sick so let’s not waste any more time.” He picked her up, and I hated the way she clung to him. Jealously ripped through me fast and hard. I wanted to take her from him but knew it wouldn’t be a smart move. I was essentially a stranger to her.

“Who’s he?” She looked at me once again and ducked her head to hide against John’s neck. John looked to me for an answer, but I shook my head.

Seeing her in the flesh, I realized I wasn’t ready.

Would I ever be?

“They’ve been drugging her,” John stated as soon as we had Kennedy settled in the car. She fell asleep against the back seat almost immediately.

“How do you know?”

“Her pupils are severely dilated. Her movements are sluggish and her words slurred. She’s very developed for her age and can talk like a child twice her age. Sheldon has done very well with her.”

“Are you defending her?”

“I know what you are thinking of doing. Sheldon is a good mother and you were gone. Do you really think she would have kept her from you if she knew where you were?”

“Yes,” I answered without hesitation. “She would have though she likes to think she wouldn’t have, and if I’m wrong, she will now.”

“With reason, I’m sure.”

“Would you like for me to carry out my promise now so my daughter can have nightmares of your death for the rest of her life?”

“Do what you want to me, son, if it will make up for all the years I—” He stopped and stared off into the distance for a few heartbeats. “If I had known what my absence then and later had been doing to you, I wouldn’t have—”

“I don’t believe it and neither do you. You would have because you were in pain, but most of all, you were selfish and weak.”

Footsteps approaching cut short our conversation, and when I looked back, Keiran and Q had emerged from the house. The blood that lightly splattered their shirts became more evident the closer they came.

“Don’t let Kennedy see your shirts.”

“Damn… a daddy for three minutes and you’re already bossy,” Q joked. Keiran wordlessly removed his shirt, followed by Q.

“What did you find out?”

“He claimed he didn’t know who his employer was. He kept talking about some rich guy who promised them a lot of money to kidnap Kennedy. He said they were promised double if they had to kill her.”

“Did you take care of it?”

“What do you think?” Keiran countered darkly.

“I don’t know what he thinks, but I think we need to call the Feds and get rugrat home soon,” Q interjected.

* * * * *

Up until the wee hours of the morning, I had gone through the interrogation process that usually followed a murder.

No, I didn’t act with malicious intent.

Yes, it was self-defense.

No, I was not given information on the whereabouts of Kennedy before acting.

They were all lies that I managed to tell well. I had no idea how Keiran fared given he’d just been released from jail on assault charges and not twenty-four hours later had been located in a house of dead bodies.

By noon, we were all standing on the sidewalk appearing none the worse for wear. Dash was there minus the girls as instructed.

“How is she?” I asked as soon as I was in talking distance.

“She’s fine. Sheldon wanted to take her back to her apartment, but we managed to convince her to stay at least one more night. It was an emotional night for them both. You should have seen them together.”

“Take me to them.”

An hour later, after showering and changing, I walked inside the Chambers Mansion just in time to see Sheldon serving Kennedy breakfast. Her gaze collided with mine as soon as I walked through the entryway. Even from across the room, I could see how her hands fluttered and her pulse quickened.

So many emotions passed between us in a short span of time.

“Mama, it’s him!” I looked down to see Kennedy pointing and staring up at me in awe. Her expressive round eyes still held the innocence of youth despite her abduction.

“She hasn’t stopped talking about you.”

“It’s fitting really because I haven’t stopped thinking about her.” I closed the distance between us and added, “Or you.”

I brushed her cheek with my fingers, but rather than responding, she flinched away from my touch. Instinct screamed at me to grab her, but I now had to remember the ever-watchful eyes of my daughter.

“Have you told her?” She shook her head and continued to watch me with a wary look in her eye.

“You?”

“No. Last night didn’t seem like the best time.” Her shoulders visibly relaxed.

“Good. I wanted to talk to you about that.”

The finality in her tone set me on edge and immediately put me on the defensive. Rather than going off on her in front of Ken, I pulled her out of the kitchen and into the large pantry.

“Whatever it is you think you should say to me, I want you to think about it again.”

“I don’t have to think about it. I don’t think you being in her life is a good idea. It’s too late—”

In that moment, I could really see myself killing her, so I shut her up the only way I knew how. The kiss wasn’t meant to arouse. It was hard and punishing. She fought to get away, so I crushed her against me. When she finally accepted the loss of control, I turned the kiss into a sensual embrace.

There was nothing I wanted more at this moment than to take her right here against the shelves full of canned vegetables and tomato sauces. The way she pushed her breasts against my chest and moaned into my mouth pushed me dangerously close to testing out the sturdiness of the shelving.

When she opened her mouth for my tongue to explore deeper, I threw caution to the wind and found myself saying, “If I stripped your clothes away and bent you over for my cock, could you take me quietly?”

When she nodded slowly, I hid my surprise and wasted no time slipping down her tiny sleep shorts. I was lucky and elated to find that she was naked underneath. I didn’t want to risk her changing her mind because I wasn’t sure I could stop if she did. I turned her around and lifted her right knee to rest on a middle shelf.

“Keenan, hurry.”

I curled my hand around her neck and brought her ear close to my lips. “How bad do you want it?”

“I’m desperate enough to ignore common sense.”

I chuckled and witnessed the way the sound made her skin vibrate. My jeans came undone and my hard cock pushed through the opening seeking entrance to her pussy.

“Condom,” she gasped when I began to enter her. It was amazing how wet and ready she already was.

“No.”

“What?”

Her right hand held onto the shelf so I rested mine on top of hers and slammed into her hard. “I said no.”

“Oh, fuck.” After fucking into her a few times, her gasps slowly ascended to low screams.

“And fuck I will, now quiet down. Our daughter is in the next room.” I moved inside her, each invasion harder and deeper than the last. The cans rattled with the force of my thrusts as I picked up speed. I could feel her hand grip the shelf tighter under my hand. Eventually, I was forced to cover her moans with my hand and sunk my teeth into her shoulder to mask my grunts.

“Now that I have your attention let me explain something to you. I’m not going anywhere. You are mine and Kennedy is mine.”

The whimper against my hand was likely a protest, but I kept going. Her hips met mine as she fucked herself on and off my cock, searching desperately for a release I was only glad to give her.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SHELDON

THERE WEREN’T ENOUGH adequate words to describe the plethora of feelings that currently assaulted me.

My daughter had finally been returned home last night after being abducted for over a week, and here I was screwing her father in the pantry of the home I grew up in the very next morning.

Having sex with him was unprecedented. I had no warning or profound reason suitable to explain why, once again, in a forty-eight hour period, I had managed to be coerced out of my panties with little effort.

Maybe it was overwhelming lust.

Or maybe it was the fact that I hadn’t had sex in four years.

I moaned and mewled against his hand like a wanton slut, which was exactly how I felt. In the past, he had always been able to make me feel like a slut and a lady whenever we made love.

But we weren’t making love now.

No, this was fucking at its finest. I quickened my hips to match pounding thrusts. My orgasm built first from my soul before ripping through my heart and releasing from my mouth as a muted scream.

It was a good thing his hand was there. I didn’t relish the thought of explaining the throes of passion to Ken at such a young age. Something told me that her father wouldn’t appreciate the burden either.

When the fog started to clear, I became aware of the cans littering my feet and how my nails dug into the wooden shelves. A warm sensation traveled down my thigh, and I knew it could only be one thing.

I could feel his chest move against my back and the sweet smell of his breath fan across my skin. The jingle of his belt buckle as he fixed his pants echoed around me.

I was already answering to the consequences of my decision. It was in the possessive way he handled me as he pulled up my shorts and wrapped his strong arm around my waist to guide me from the pantry.

When we entered the kitchen, I was lucky to find no one waiting other than Ken, who appeared none the wiser. She’d made a complete mess of her pancakes as usual, and in my absence, had managed to pour nearly the entire bottle of syrup on her food.

“Ken, what did I tell you about pouring your own syrup?”

“I was hungry.”

It was official. I’m the worst mother in the world. I wanted to cry and assure her that she could pour all the syrup in the world, but I knew it wouldn’t reverse the last week or the last ten minutes.

I wet a towel and proceeded to clean up her face and hands. She usually fussed when I cleaned her up, and I realized that her attention was completely fixed on Keenan. They stared, completely enraptured by one another.

“Hi,” she greeted softly.

“Hello, Kennedy.” Keenan shook his head as if to clear it and said, “It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“What’s your name?”

“I’m… I’m…”

For the first time since arriving, or facing a girl ever, he seemed to be at a loss for words. She looked at him expectantly, and what happened next shocked me to my core.

Keenan fell to his knees.

Right there on the kitchen floor he collapsed.

Kennedy left her seat and walked to him. Slowly, I freaked out inside because what was happening before me only a monster could tear apart. How could I protect her from him if she accepted him without ever knowing who he was to her?

“Are you scared?” He nodded numbly, and so she rested a hand on his cheek. “Auntie Lake said no one can hurt you if you don’t allow it.” It came out a jumbled, three-year-old mess, but I’d been there when Lake told her, and so I recognized what she meant.

“She’s right,” Keenan spoke. Although his voice shook, he still sounded strong. Kennedy nodded once as if accepting his acceptance. “My name is Keenan.”

“Keenan,” she repeated, but it came out more like Keena. “Are you mommy’s friend?”

“Yes, I’m mommy’s friend, but I’m your friend, too.”

“You saved me from bad men.”

“Did they hurt you?” I held my breath even though I had asked her the very same thing last night along with the doctors who checked her over. When she shook her head, I exhaled quietly. Keenan took his eyes off Kennedy long enough to nod in my direction. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here for you sooner.”

The hard edge in his voice told me that he meant more than just last night. There was no way I could let this happen now if ever.

“Kennedy, why don’t you go upstairs and get ready so I can take you to the beach.”

Her excited shriek ripped through the air and just like that, the spell was broken. “Can Keenan come?”

I ignored the flinch from Keenan at hearing her call him by his name. “I don’t think Keenan wants to come with us.”

“Keenan does and Keenan will,” he said, but it came out as a threat. Fortunately, Kennedy seemed completely oblivious to the drastic change in his mood and atmosphere. She screamed her excitement before taking off to retrieve her bathing suit.

“Do you think a trip to the beach is a good idea so soon?”

I felt a flash of anger at the idea of him questioning my parenting skills so soon after just meeting her.

“I think it’s exactly what she needs. I don’t want this to be something that traumatizes her.”

“You don’t think it already does? She may not understand, but trust me when I say she’ll never forget. If you don’t think I’m right, try talking to Keiran.”

“It’s not the same thing.”

“But it could have been which is exactly why I’m sticking around. You can’t protect her on your own. You almost died because you can’t even protect yourself.”

“Are you blaming me? This is your fucked up family’s fault.” We were now shouting, but I couldn’t bring myself to care.

“Guys.” Dash’s voice intruded on our heated moment, and when I turned around, I saw why. Holding Dash’s hand was Kennedy, who looked on the verge of tears. Before I could think of something comforting to say, Keiran, Lake, and Q filed past them, which meant they must have all heard, too.

They each took a seat and pretended nothing was wrong, all except Keiran, who watched me with a cold look in his eyes. Lake cast worried glances between Keenan and me while Q silently observed.

Dash thankfully broke the silence again. “Kennedy, why don’t you go play with your toys while your mother and I have a talk?”

“Will you play with me?” she directed to Keenan.

“I need to talk with your mother too, but I’ll play as soon as I’m done.”

“I’ll come play, sweetie,” Lake offered. She patted Keiran’s shoulder on the way out, and just that simple touch from her seemed to calm him.

“Why are you guys here?” I asked as soon as Lake led Kennedy from the room.

Keiran and Keenan quickly ran down the events of last night leading up to Kennedy’s rescue. “One of the men who took Kennedy was one of the investigators your father hired to find her.”

“How is that possible?”

“That’s something we’d like to ask your father,” Keiran replied with ice dripping from every syllable.

“Are you seriously suggesting my father had something to do with his own grandchild being abducted?”

“What I’m suggesting is that we ask him. He at least has to know some information about the men he hired that could lead us to why he hired them in the first place.

“Which man was it?”

“The one Keiran didn’t try to kill,” Q answered matter of factly.

“And if my father doesn’t know anything?”

“Then we start looking at him as a suspect.”

“Yeah, but there is just one little detail you’re missing. Why would my father want you dead? This whole nightmare started because of you. Someone is after you, not me, and not Kennedy.”

“As long as she’s a Masters—”

“She’s not. She’s a Chambers.”

Keenan and Keiran each narrowed their eyes in a similar fashion, and if I weren’t so pissed, I would have been amazed by how alike they truly were. It had been impossible to see in high school because while Keiran wore his crown proudly, Keenan had been the devil in sheep’s clothing.

“A fact your parents seem to hold against you.”

“Enough,” Dash barked. “It doesn’t fucking matter what her last name is. We protect her regardless. Now, my father is no saint, but having Kennedy abducted is not something he would do despite how he feels about paternity.”

“So what are you saying?” Keenan asked, but it sounded more like a challenge.

“I’m saying we ask him for the information on the investigators he hired, but we consider other angles. Keiran, you’re going to need to think harder about your past, and be sure there is no one left who would want to hurt you.”

The doorbell rang so I used the opportunity to escape the overwhelming tension currently circulating the room.

“Good morning, Ms. Chambers.” The federal agents assigned to Kennedy’s case stood on the front porch.

“Good morning. I promise I was going to come in. I just—”

“No need for apologies. The important thing is that Kennedy is home safe. We’ve covered most of the questioning with her father, but as her legal guardian, we wanted to ask some additional questions. They are routine if you have a few moments.”

“Yes, of course.” I moved aside to let them in.

“Is there somewhere we can speak in private?” I led them past the kitchen to the small library down the hall.

“Can I offer you something to drink?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. This will only take a few minutes.”

“So, how can I help you?”

“The men who found your daughter last night found themselves in a sticky predicament. Two men were killed rather gruesomely, particularly one whose throat was cut and then stabbed nine times in the heart. How much do you know about the events that took place?”

Bile rose up in my throat at the mental picture he unnecessarily painted. “Not much. I wasn’t there.”

“Were you aware of what they were planning to do before it happened?

“By aware, do you mean if I knew if they planned to kill those men?”

“We’re concerned, given the history of the men involved, particularly Keiran Masters. Throughout this entire investigation, we’ve been given little information and are curious as to how a house a few hours from here was suddenly happened upon.”

I didn’t know if it was paranoia, but I suddenly had the feeling that I was being tricked into a corner, only I wasn’t the prey.

“I’m sorry… you said there were routine questions you needed to ask?”

“Yes, we just wanted to check in to make sure little Kennedy is settled in okay. You take care now.”

The agents were gone as quickly as they came leaving me confused and nervous. I rushed out of the library to warn the guys but found that no warning was necessary. Keenan, Keiran, Dash, and Q had the agents surrounded and though they appeared casual, I knew it wasn’t anything other than a threat.

“Did you forget something or did you just miss us?” Keenan taunted. I was rooted to the spot because, for a minute, I saw the old him.

“We were checking up on Ms. Chambers and Kennedy now if you’ll excuse us.” They squeezed through the small opening of the circle and disappeared out the front door.

“Have you all lost your minds?” Lake shrieked. I hadn’t seen her standing on the stairs. Thankfully, Kennedy was nowhere in sight. “Those are federal agents.”

“Baby…”

She held up her hand. “Don’t, Keiran.” She turned and headed back upstairs.

“You’re in trouble,” Q sing-songed. Keiran shoved him into the table and stalked off toward the back of the house. “What did I say?”

* * * * *

Somehow, our weekend trip for two turned into eight. We piled into three cars and made our way to the California coast. Kennedy had managed to bounce around in excitement for all of thirty minutes before falling fast asleep.

“She has a lot of energy,” Keenan remarked shortly after her eyes drifted shut. It was the first that Keenan had spoken since we left. We were in Keiran’s car alone together with Kennedy while Keiran and Lake rode with Dash, and Q and Jesse rode together.

“Kids tend to do that,” I replied dryly. Among the other things about him that angered me, I was still more than a little annoyed that he had insisted on not only inserting himself into our trip but also our lives. I told myself I wouldn’t dwell on it. This weekend was for Kennedy. I wanted to fit as much good and happiness into her life, needing to erase the terrifying week she’d endured.

“What I’m trying to say is she seems like a happy kid. John was adamant that you’ve done a great job with her.”

“Remind me to thank him for the compliment.”

“I do not like your attitude, Shelly.” His voice deepened from lighthearted to dangerous, but I refused to let him intimidate me.

“Bite me.”

Real mature, Sheldon.

I’d no sooner spoke the words than Keenan hazardously turned the car onto the side of the road. I thanked my lucky stars that traffic was light while keeping the panic at bay. We stopped with a screech of tires as rocks and dirt flew around us.

“Have you lost your mind?”

He ignored me as he pulled out his phone. His keystrokes were quick and angry. Whatever message he sent must have been short because he had already pocketed it again.

Shortly after Dash and Q’s cars pulled up beside us. Keenan hopped out and opened the backseat, unbuckling Kennedy’s seatbelt, who by some small favor was still asleep. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

I quickly unbuckled my seatbelt, but by the time I made it around the car, Keenan already had Kennedy strapped in Dash’s car.

“What’s going on?” I heard Dash question.

“Sheldon and I need to have a private conversation. Take Kennedy and we’ll follow you.”

“Dash, don’t!”

I expected that if anyone helped, it would be Dash, but when he shook his head, I felt my confidence waver and panic rear its ugly head. “I can’t help you anymore if you’re going to keep giving in. You need to work it out,” he said before driving off.

“How could you just take my daughter?” My rant was cut short when Keenan tossed me over his shoulder. “Stop!” He walked the short distance back to the car, but when he bypassed the passenger and rear door, confusion took the place of my anger.

He quickly popped the trunk, and the next second, I landed inside. The hard impact jarred me and before I could recover, the door slammed shut.

* * * * *

After an hour of riding in the trunk, I suffered from motion sickness. If I didn’t know any better, I would think he purposely weaved in and out of traffic to taunt me. Another hour passed, and I had just begun to drift to sleep when the car came to a hard stop. Before I could brace, I rolled and hit the wall of the trunk, and with a grunt of pain, I settled back into place just in time for the trunk to open.

It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. Keenan’s face was a blank mask of indifference that was far more chilling than anger. At least, when he was angry, I could tell what he was thinking and even predict his next move.

“Are you waiting for an invitation?”

I allowed for my contempt for him to show and then slowly climbed from the trunk. My muscles screamed in protest so I took a moment to stretch and breathe in the fresh air.

“Feeling better?”

“Why did you do that to me?”

“Because you needed it.”

“I needed it? You think I needed to be locked in your trunk like a bag of groceries?”

“I meant you needed time alone to think. You were acting like a child so I treated you like one. Think of it as a timeout.”

“You son of a—”

“Finish that sentence, and I promise you’ll make the rest of the trip feeling worse than a bag of groceries.”

“I hate you.” Surprisingly, saying it out loud didn’t make it feel real—as I would have hoped.

“You don’t hate me yet, but you will. I’ll make sure of it.”

I stared at him incredulously. “Why would you want me to hate you?” And why did I care?

“Because it will make being with me that much harder on you, and then you’ll feel what it was like to be without you.”

“After four years, you still don’t get it, do you?”

“What am I supposed to get, Shelly?”

A part of me couldn’t believe that I would do this on the side of a barren highway, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“I didn’t leave you because I didn’t want you. I left you because I realized how much better and stronger I was without you. You, who were cocky, arrogant, spoiled, and unfaithful, you actually believed you deserved—no, you believed you were entitled to me. You weren’t, and you never will be. It doesn’t matter how much pain you cause me or how much control you have. I’ll never truly be yours again.”

A whirlwind of rage clouded his dark eyes making them appear almost black. I could no longer make out the irises until what was left of them resembled a soulless window. “You don’t have to be mine, but you’ll never belong to anyone else.”