“What I have to.”
Coby lunged for the small, round glass with an ocean wave trapped inside its prison, but still rising high to swallow and drown everything within its orbit. Ironically, it was a cherished and recent engagement gift to me. From my wife.
“NOOO!” She screamed when Abel grabbed her before she could bash my head in with it. Fuck, I loved this rare side of Coby just as much as her sweet and softer side. Abel lifted her up and carried her away from me as she kicked and screamed. It was all I could do not to kill my loyal friend for touching her. He was just following my orders after all. “Ocean! Don’t you touch her! Leave her alone! I’ll fucking kill you! Do you hear me? Ocean!”
Abel carried her out, and the door to my office slammed closed behind them, leaving me to sit in the dark alone. I didn’t move long after my baby’s enraged screams had faded.
She’d probably never forgive me, but it was a risk I was willing to take since I was more than committed to makingsure my wife hadallher heart’s desires, even the ones she was determined to keep from me.
But this new game of ours was a delicate, treacherous one, and I had no moves to spare, so it must be playedcarefully.
1 . Blood in, blood out.
2 . An unwelcome person.
COBY
I’ve been trapped in this room that I once thought beautiful for a week. The first three days were spent banging and screaming at the door. The only people I saw during that time were the staff who brought me food and books, restored the room after I tore it apart, changed my sheets that are thankfully no longer silk, and ignored my pleas for help.
Ocean hadn’t come to see me once.
He was too busy hunting down my best friend so he could…what? Kill her?
It was certainly the impression he’d given me right before he locked me in here again.So much for not being a prisoner.I spent my days reading but not hearing the story, eating but not tasting the food, and sleeping but not allowing my mind to rest.
That last part was the reason why it was early morning when I crawled back into bed from exhaustion after contemplating if I could survive jumping from the fortieth(?) floor.
Probably not.
I don’t remember falling asleep, so I had no idea how much time passed before I was woken up by a finger trailing softly down my cheek. A lone man stood over me, but I knew from the scent of the rich cologne who that man was.
My future husband.
“Ocean?” I slowly sat up and blinked until I was sure I wasn’t hallucinating. It was definitely him. The moment sleep faded, the blurred edges of him sharpened into focus. He was dressedin a dark blue hoodie and jeans, with an overgrown beard and tired eyes. I subtly inched away from him. “You’re here.”
“I missed you.” I stared back at him, dumbfounded. After threatening to hurt my friend and locking me in here for a week, all he had to say was thathe missed me.
Rage filled me too fast to regulate before I lunged at him and started punching him in the head.
“Coby, stop this shit,” he ordered as he wrestled me under control.
“I haaaate youuuu!” I sobbed while lying on my back with my hands pinned to the bed. Ocean lay beside me, kissing my face.
“Shhh,” he quietly soothed. “It’s going to be okay, Coby.”
“No, it won’t,” I cried. “You’re taking her away from me.”
“So there ain’t no way forward?” he questioned as he searched my gaze. “We can’t get past this?”
I quieted my sorrow enough to ask, “Are you still looking for Hunter?” Dead silence stretched between us. “Then no, Ocean. We can’t get past this.” With a lump in my throat and a tearing in my chest, I said, “It’s o-over.”
His grip on my wrists loosened when he stiffened. “Over?”
“Yes.” I snatched my hands away. “I won’t marry you. I can’t even stand to look at your ass.” Gritting my teeth, I mushed his face. “This is all your fault. Why does Hunter have to die?”
“Coby—”
“No!”
