Pulling out a seat at her kitchen table, he sits down in it and removes his Lords mask. My pulse races at the sight of the man who I’ve been carrying around a picture of. “How do you know Charlotte?” I demand.
“You mean Annabelle?” He arches a dark brow, and I grind my teeth. His laughter fills the room. “You were so consumed with her that you had no clue what was right in front of you.” Standing, he walks to the island, and I move to the end of it, blocking him from getting any closer to her.
“Get to the fucking point!” I shout, losing my patience.
I need what he has in his hands, and I need it now. Who knows how long she’s been in this position. She could have arrived hours before I got here. I was at Carnage and knew we had plans to meet here, so I never thought to look at her tracker to see when she arrived at her house.
“I give you this, but you give something in return.”
“Anything,” I snap. “Just name it.”
He smirks. “You have forty-eight hours.” His eyes drop to Charlotte and then come back to mine. “You’ll get a text of the location.” With that, he hands it to me.
I go to grab it, but he pulls it back out of reach. I want to ram it into his fucking eye. “Yes?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“You’ll have an hour to respond. If you don’t…” He leaves the consequences hanging in the air, but I know what he means.
I always knew it would come down to this. But he was right. I got caught up in a life with her and kept thinking it would last longer. That I’d have more time to spend with her and figure out a plan for our future. But that’s what love does to you—dream. It’s all a lie. There is no such thing. It’s a small crack in a ship’s hull that slowly fills with water until it can no longer stay afloat.
Nothing lasts forever.
He holds out the syringe, and I yank it from his hand before he even has the chance to take it back this time. With that, he places his mask back on and walks out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with my half-dead wife. I remove my cell from my pocket, thankful I have Gavin on speed dial. I’m placing it on speakerphone when he answers.
“Haidyn…”
“I need you at this address immediately,” I rush out, texting it to him.
“What do I need?” he questions with no hesitation.
“Whatever you can fit into your bag.” I hang up and toss the phone to the opposite counter, not needing it anymore. “Come on, doll face.” I pick her up off the island and carry her limp body to her bedroom. Laying her on top of the comforter, I remove my shirt that covers her and put the syringe beside her on the bed for a second.
I tie her hands above her head to the bed with rope before I remove her heels, undo her jeans, and yank them down her legs along with her underwear.
Then I get off the bed and open her nightstand, grabbing what I need. I crawl back onto her petite body and straddle her narrow hips once again. I pick up the syringe, and my free hand goes to her chest. My teeth clench, hating the fucking bastards who are making me do this to her.
“I’m sorry, Charlotte. This is going to hurt,” I say, then shove the needle into her chest and push on the plunger, filling her body with some of the liquid. She’s not a three-hundred-pound man. Her body doesn’t need nearly as much as someone like I would.
Her eyes pop open, and she gasps, her body arching up off the bed. I toss the half-used syringe across the room, making a mental note to pick it up later.
“Charlotte!” I cup her face, and she pulls on the rope that keeps her wrists tied down. “Charlotte, look at me, doll face.” I place my hands on her upper arms to help keep them in place, so she doesn’t hurt herself. “Look at me!” I shout, starting to panic, but then her blue eyes focus on mine. “There you go. That’s it, doll face. Look at me.”
She’s gasping, trying to catch her breath. “Hai-dyn…”
“Shh,” I say. “You’re okay. It’s me.” Her eyes are wide, her chest heaving while her small body fights me. “Breathe,” I say, taking in a deep one myself. “Come on, beautiful. I know it’s a lot.”
She looks around the room. “Eyes on me,” I command. “I need all your focus on me. Ride it out.”
“Wh-at?—?”
“Don’t talk.” I interrupt her. “I had to bring you back, Charlotte. I gave you a shot of adrenaline.”
Tears instantly fill her pretty eyes.
“Hey, you’re okay. I promise. You’ll be okay. Just breathe for me. Can you do that?”
She nods quickly, blinking rapidly.
“That’s my good girl. Deep breaths.” I know her body wants to fight. It can make you feel invincible. But I need to keep her here until I know it’s wearing off. I don’t want any more harm caused than what has already happened. If we’re lucky, he didn’trape her while she was out. The fact that she was still dressed doesn’t ease my concern.
