Chapter sixty-five
Olivia
As soon as Victor pulls up, I’m pulling the car door open and climbing in. “What happened?” I ask him. Before he answers, he leans across the console and wraps his hand around my neck, pulling my forehead to his. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, allowing his scent to envelop me. He smells like whiskey and oak.
“I’m going to fucking kill him, Olivia,” he whispers.
I grip his neck and kiss him hard. He returns my kiss, deepening it. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I contemplate climbing into his lap, but he breaks it with three small kisses. He grips my hand as he stares at me like he’s trying to decide if I can handle what he needs to tell me.
“I’m not sure why, but Bec wound up in Donovan’s territory and he tracked her down,” he begins. I think back to the night she stayed at my house and what she told me. How his guyswanted her, but Connor stopped him. “He told her he knew she knew you.” I stop breathing. “He told her no one, not even me, can keep him from you.” I don’t know what to say as my ears begin ringing.
He cups the back of my head and massages my scalp, bringing me back to the present. “I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.”
I want to ask him how he can promise that, but I trust him. He’ll keep me safe. The ringing in my ears gets louder, so I nod slowly. He kisses me softly before letting me go and driving to Connor’s house. When we arrive, I take several deep breaths, trying to prepare myself for what’s coming. Victor wraps his hand around the back of my neck and forces me to look at him.
“We’ll get through this.”
I close my eyes tightly. “Victor, I’m so tired. I just want it to be over.” He kisses my eyes. It’s so sweet it makes me want to cry. “He’s ruined everything good in my life.” My words are so low, but he heard me.
“That stops. Now.” He sounds so sure, but I have a bad feeling. It feels like a boulder is sitting on my chest and the lump in my throat gets bigger. I nod once.
“Let’s get this over with,” I say.
He kisses me softly before getting out and coming around to my door to open it. We walk hand in hand to Connor’s door. Everyone is already here, so we follow Connor to the living room. I force myself to take a deep breath and push down the emotions that are trying to overwhelm me.
Connor pulls Bec into his lap and holds her close. Victor and I sit side by side on the couch. Part of me wants to climb in his lap and have him hold me close too. Instead, I press my thigh against his.
“Becca had a run-in with Donovan,” Connor starts. There are various reactions around me, but I stay focused on Bec.
“Are you okay?” Bass asks.
“Yes. Oddly enough. He didn’t try to hurt me, although he did threaten me,” Bec says.
I feel Victor’s eyes on me, but I don’t look at him as I inhale deeply. “What did he say?” I ask.
“How do you know he said something?” Bec asks.
With a huff, I look down at my hands. Even if Victor hadn’t told me some of what he said, me denying his flowers probably put this into motion. Victor lays his hand on top of mine, surprising me.
“I know my stepfather. He had some kind of message for me.”
Victor squeezes my hand and that lump I’ve been trying desperately to push down just keeps getting larger. Bec glances from me to Victor, unease evident on her face.
“Whatever he said, we’ll handle it together,” Victor says, echoing what he said in the car.
Bec takes a deep breath, her eyes full of concern. “He knew that I was friends with you.” I swallow, but stay focused on her. “He said you can’t hide from him. That you thought you’d been hidden all these years, but he’s always known where you’ve been. He’s been watching you.”
My nose burns and the lump in my throat can no longer be contained. I blink rapidly, but that doesn’t do anything except make the tears fall. I wish I could stop them, but I’m tired of hiding. So, I let them fall.
“He said he’s allowed you your freedom, but it’s ended. He’s coming for you and no one.” She looks at Victor who stiffens next to me. “Not even his ex-best friend can keep him from you.”
Bec sags against Connor like saying all that took a lot out of her. I yank my hand out of Victor’s and stand. The tears fall more rapidly as I pace. I wipe my face, not sure what to do or say.
“Olivia,” Victor says. It’s in that octave I normally love, but not right now.
Turning to him, I raise my hands in defeat. “I tried. I tried so hard, but he’ll never let go. He’ll always have his claws in me.”
Victor stands and wraps his arm around my neck, pulling me into a hug, but I don’t return it. Defeat weighs me down.He’s known where I’ve been this whole time.All the times I thought I saw his car, I probably did. All the times I felt someone watching me, he was.
