The guard meets my eyes. “Everything all right, Doc?”
“No. Rona’s running a fever, and I left her Tylenol in Killian’s office. Would you mind getting it for me?”
He nods, so trusting of me I’m hit with a wave of guilt. “All right. Just lock the door and don’t open it for anyone until I get back.”
“Thank you.” I wait a few seconds and crack the door. He’s gone. I throw the bag over my shoulder then scoop up Rona in my arms.
Killian had shown me a secret storage locker at the end of the hall that opens into a narrow gangway. That gangway leads onto the dock so we can escape without being seen by his guards. It was supposed to be to run from trouble, not run from him.
When I’m in the middle of the hall, I turn and look up into the camera. The terror of this moment is like a wildfire, burning everything to the ground except what’s important. And what’s left standing is Rona and Killian. This may be the last time Killian ever sees me, and I need him to know how I feel. I know it’s crazy. Feeling this so quickly. But there’s no other word for it.
“I love you,” I mouth. Then I let him see the raw truth in my eyes before I walk myself and Rona back into a living nightmare.
Chapter 42
Killian
We’ve just slid into a cab when my phone buzzes. It’s Pat. “Yeah?”
In the beat of silence, the hesitation, my heart drops into my gut. I sit up in the seat, staring out the cab window, but a black tunnel is narrowing my vision. My mouth dries out. My blood pounds in my ears so hard, I barely hear him when he finally chokes out, “She’s gone.”
I grip the phone so tight, I feel the case cutting into my fingers. “What do you mean she’s gone?” I rasp out. Shay’s head whips in my direction.
“She asked the guard to get her some Tylenol from your office and then she… she slipped out when he left his post.”
He left his post? He’s a dead man. I turn to Shay. “Call the pilot. Tell him wheels up in an hour.” Leaning back in the seat, I grind the palm of my hand into my chest. There’s a squeezing sensation that’s making it hard to pull in a breath. Am I having a heart attack? I grit my teeth and manage to get out, “What else?”
“There’s a note left in the bedroom. Want me to read it to you?”
The pressure in my head is building like a storm behind my eyes. I dig my fingers into them. “Aye.”
He does.
And I understand why she left, why she is willingly giving herself and her daughter back to the devil. My fury is blinding. “Who gave her the note?”
“A dancer dropped it off. Veda.”
A red film obscures my vision as my blood roars through my veins. “Find her. I’ll be back in about six hours.”
Chapter 43
Samantha
The sleek black limo is waiting in the dark. As I approach on trembling legs, a man in a suit opens the back door. I briefly glance at his face to see if he’ll help me, but his deadly glare tells me all I need to know. I throw the bag on the floor and then slide inside and sit down, a tight grip on my daughter.
As the door is slammed behind me, I freeze.
Michael is here. He’s in an impeccably tailored black suit, his manicured hand cradling a crystal glass of what I can only assume is his favorite bourbon. His expression is one of triumph. But his eyes… they are so dark as they hold mine, so void of human emotion, a shudder ripples through me.
It all comes back. It all becomes real again.
“I thought you were smarter than this, Samantha.” He lets his gaze fall to Rona, who’s instinctively quiet, leaning against my chest, sucking her thumb. He takes a sip from his glass, his eyes still locked on Rona. He’s not looking at her as a father admiring a daughter he hasn’t seen in seven months. He sees her only as a pawn. His attention is a threat.
I want to scratch those eyes from his skull, but I know better than to react. I keep my wild rage in check and pull her tighter against me.
He notices the small act of protection and a satisfied smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth. He gets off on my distress. He’s a monster.
I let the numbness wash over me. Let the fight go. I won’t give him the satisfaction of my fear. I close my eyes and rest my chin on Rona’s head, stroking her back. I can only hope that he’ll keep me in Tampa for a few days, until Killian returns. Maybe with Sandro’s army at his back, he can find us. Rescue us.
