The fresh wave of devastation racking her expression flays my gut with razor blades.
She’s disgusted with me and with herself. My blood paints her face, smearing pink across those freckles. And all I can think about is how I’ve marked her for the whole world to see.
She. Is. Mine. And nothing will change that.
Not even her.
Maeve darts for the door.
I’m close behind her. “Run if you want, but I will hunt you down. You’re mine, just as I’m yours.”
“Fuck you, Kellin.” She opens the door and refuses to glance back. “I hate you.”
I flinch. Another direct hit. That’s okay. I’ll endure as many as she needs to dole out. Whatever she requires to free her body of some of that anger and hurt so we can come back together.
Male voices travel into the chair room from the hall.
“Where is he?”
Brody. And he’s not alone. Heavy footsteps smack the floor behind him.
Maeve’s answer cuts through. “I don’t know.”
Hope warms my bones. Even through all this, she’s still trying to protect me. Definitely a good sign.
Then she commits the fatal mistake of shooting me a quick glance before entering the hallway and shutting the door.
Brody’s not blind. He caught her tell.
“Are you…bleeding, Maeve?”Anger seethes from him.
Shit, and there’s that.
Stifling a groan, I resign myself to getting this over with.
I grab the doorknob to reveal myself right as Brody kicks it open.
“What the fuck did you do to her?” His eyes gleam with icy fury when they lock on mine. He jerks his chin at his men. “Seize him.”
Chapter 36
Maeve
I watch in horror as a wild-eyed Kellin flattens two of Brody’s men.
He’s so fast on his feet, they can’t pin him down. And he’s a powerhouse with his legs.
Kickboxing? Martial arts? Whatever his training, they can’t seem to get near him.
Until he trips over a set of chairs and one of the goons tackles him while the other piles on top. By the time they lift him, they’ve succeeded in zip-tying his hands behind his back.
Brody approaches Kellin and punches his already broken nose. “That’s for my sister, asshole.”
I clutch Brody’s arm. “Stop! He’s had enough!”
His men shove Kellin through the door and down the back hallways used by staff and for deliveries.
I trail after them, hoping to prevent what comes next. “Brody, please listen. He didn’t touch me. He’d never hurt me. Just let him go.”
