A blanket of frost was thrown over me as I started putting the pieces together. I slowly sat up in bed and pulled my knees to my chest. “Ollie, are you saying what I think you’re saying?”
He looked at me with wide eyes, his features smoothed over as if he were wearing a mask.
He nodded.
“I-I’m the reason your dad died, Amelia.” A sob broke free. “I’m so fucking sorry,” he started, but I was up and out of bed before he could finish.
I moved from room to room in pure panic, gathering my clothes and pulling them on. He followed me, explaining more of his story, more of his past, but only every other word was sinking in.
I couldn’t listen. I couldn’t hear it. All I knew was that I needed to get away. I needed to think. All this time, he knew. He knew, and he kept it from me. He knew how I’d take it, and that’s why he hid it. But why would he tell me after hiding it for so long?
“Where are you going?” he asked desperately, once I turned for the door.
I stopped. “I-I need to go. I need to think. This is…” A sob slipped from my lips. “This is big. I’m sorry, but I have to go.”
I pulled open the door and rushed out into the hall. I didn’t slow down, stop, or look back to see if he was following me. I knew he wasn’t, and he knew I needed away—away from him, away from the fucked up ties that held us captive. I needed to get out of my life and move toward my future. The only problem was that I had no idea what my future looked like anymore. I couldn’t even picture it without Oliver.
I rode the elevator down to the lobby, then I crossed my arms over my chest as I headed for the door. I’d just stepped out into the heat and bright sun when I was eclipsed by a large figure. I looked up, finding a familiar-looking man, but I couldn’t place him.
“You’re coming with us,” he said, grabbing my arm and jerking me to the side. Before I had time to scream, a van had pulled up to the curb, and the back door was thrown open. Something hit me across the head, and just as my vision turned to blur and turn black, I fell. I was rolled into the van, and the last memory I had was watching through blurry eyes as the door was closed.
Blackness consumed me.
Chapter 24
Oliver
Isaw her shut down before my very eyes once I had told her what I’d been keeping from her. I followed her from room to room as she panick-dressed.
I tried to explain, but I could tell she wasn’t hearing me. She was lost in her own thoughts. My words weren’t even sinking in. She couldn’t get away from me fast enough.
The thing was, I couldn’t go after her either. That was the whole reason I had to tell her to begin with: to give her a chance to turn around and run away from me as fast as possible. She wanted to start over. She wanted away from the life of crime she’d been forced into.
Then she ran right into me. More trouble.
Being with me wouldn’t have been starting over for her. It would’ve been one problem leading right into another. She deserved better than me, and she finally saw it.
Even though I knew all of that, it didn’t make the situation any easier. I missed her. She’d been gone for fifteen minutes, and I was still standing in the same place I was when she walked out that door. I couldn’t go after her, but I couldn’t turn and sit down either because turning away meant that I was giving up. I wouldn’t give up. Not if I could help it.
I relived every moment we’d spent together in that time. She was gone, but my mind refused to believe it. Instead, it decided to pacify me by replaying the moment our two worlds collided.
I thought about us hiking through the woods together in the rain. I thought about that damn goat named Kevin. I actually laughed out loud when I pictured her with goat shit in her hair. I thought about getting to hold her as we slept in the hay, and how it felt getting to kiss her, how neither of us wanted to stop, and only did because we were nearly caught trespassing. I remembered the first time we finally had sex, and how I knew instantly that I’d fallen in love with her, how I knew I wanted her for the rest of my life.
I hated that it took me so long to admit it. I hated that I still hadn’t uttered those three words to her. And I thought I’d never get the chance to again.
I don’t know how long I stood there, waiting for her to change her mind and come running back, but when my legs started to hurt, and my toes were numb, I finally turned and walked over to the bed, where I collapsed onto the mattress. I hated that I was being a little bitch. It was a fucking breakup, people do it all the time. It wasn’t even a breakup because we were just fucking around. We didn’t have anything official.
I told myself to stop acting like a bitch. I still had shit to do. Granted, it was going to be a whole lot harder without her distracting the valet drivers so I could swipe the keys, but it was whatever. I’d already made the deal. I had to deliver.
I pushed myself up and headed to the bathroom to get a shower to kill some time. It was still too early to even think about grand theft auto. I’d move forward with my plans even though my partner in crime wasn’t with me. I’d shower, get dressed, and go for breakfast. I’d do a little recon, make sure everything had fallen into place, and then I’d move forward with the actualstealing of the car. I’d deliver it and hit the bricks. I had a life to get started on, with or without her.
I kept my mind busy with the daily motions, but eventually I ran out of things to do. I had just arrived at the event center when the burner phone inside my pocket began to buzz. I knew it could only be one of three callers: my boss, who was making sure shit was happening, Amelia, or a wrong number. I pulled the phone from my pocket, praying it was Amelia.
“Hello?” I answered, putting the phone to my ear as I stood outside the building where the event was being held.
“Oliver, they—” Amelia yelled, her voice cracking.
My blood ran cold as realization hit me.
