Sitting at my kitchen table like a nightmare come to life is Noah. And restrained in his arms, squirming and growling, is Mouse.
The bags slip from my suddenly numb fingers, food spilling onto the floor. But I barely register the mess at my feet. All I can focus on is my psycho ex-boyfriend, in my home, clutching my cat, a cruel sneer twisting his lips.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” My voice is low and seething. “How did you even get in?”
Noah just smiles serenely, like this is some pleasant social call and not a violation of the court order meant to keep him the hell away. “Hello, Beckett. Miss me?”
My hands curl into fists at my sides, blunt nails biting into my palms. It takes every ounce of my rapidly fraying control not to vault across the room and beat that smug look off his face.
Mouse's yowling intensifies, and Noah's grip on her tightens, making her wheeze.
“Let her go.”
Noah clicks his tongue. “We used to be so close, you and I, before you got this thing and then threw me away like yesterday's trash.”
“You cut her ear off. Now let her go, and get the fuck out of my apartment. We’re over. Done. Accept it and move the fuck on.”
He scoffs, rolling his eyes. “Move on? You're mine, Beckett. You've always been mine. No piece of paper is going to change that.”
Unease prickles up my spine at the crazed glint in his eyes, the manic edge to his smile. I knew he was obsessed but this?
“You’re violating the restraining order. Do you understand that? If you don't leave immediately, I'm going to call the police.”
He barks out a sharp laugh. “Oh, that's rich. You'd really send me to jail? After everything we've been through?”
“Without hesitation.”
An ugly sneer twists his mouth. “Oh, I'll leave. But you're coming with me. I'll make you see, make you understand. We belong together.”
“Like hell.”
Noah’s mouth parts to say something, but the sound of my front door opening cuts him off. We both whip around. Viktor strides into my apartment like he owns the place, his backpack swinging from one hand.
He stops short at the sight of us, brows furrowing. “Who's this asshole?”
Noah rises to his feet, still gripping Mouse tightly. He looks Viktor up and down with a contemptuous sneer. “Ah, you must be the slut Beckett's been screwing around with these days. Gotta say, I'm not impressed.”
Viktor steps into the kitchen, placing his bag on the counter while meeting Noah's disdainful gaze head-on. "And you must be the discount bin Robert Pattinson knockoff ex I've heard so much about."
“Enough!” My booming voice cuts through the rising tension, then I point a shaking finger at Noah. “Get out. Now. I won't ask again.”
“Not without you.” He takes a step back and pulls a knife from his pocket, pressing the sharp blade to Mouse's throat. She thrashes in his grip, her little body shaking.
“Noah, stop!” I roar, my heart in my throat. “You're hurting her!”
He tenses, a manic glint in his eye. “You did always love this stupid animal more than anything else.”
I brace myself for him to lash out. But he jukes to the side and sprints for the door, shoving past me and bolting out of the apartment with Mouse clutched to his chest.
Viktor takes off after him, and I’m right behind. We thunder down the stairs, our shoes slapping against the concrete. Bursting out of the front door, we turn the corner just in time to catch Noah darting across the street, cars honking and tires screeching as he dashes between them.
And then, in one heart-stopping moment of unthinkable cruelty, he turns to face us, then hurls Mouse into oncoming traffic before rushing off.
Viktor doesn't hesitate. He sprints right into the road, dodging blaring horns and screeching tires. My heart stops as he snatches up Mouse a split second before a delivery truck comes barreling toward him, brakes squealing.
“Viktor!”
Sheer adrenaline propels me forward and I tackle him out of the way, a hair's breadth from the truck's grill. We hit the asphalt hard, rolling to the curb in a tangle of limbs, my body folded protectively around him.
