I wanted her, so I took her. I made her mine, whether she consented or not.
She’s still mine.
I can’t let her go, no matter how undeserving I am.
“We’re at the penthouse?” she asks, peering around to get her bearings. “Why?”
“Because it’s the safest place for you. As soon as you feel ready to travel, we’ll go back to Charleston. We can be in London in two hours for the flight.”
“I mean…” She shakes her head as though to clear it. “Where are the police? Didn’t you report Stephen for what he did to me?”
A shadow of my righteous rage tightens my muscles. “I’m sure the police are dealing with him now.”
They’ll have found his dead body this morning. He’s in a body bag, already rotting.
“Is it okay for us to go back to Charleston now?” she presses. “Won’t the police want to talk to me?”
I contemplate her for a moment, debating how much to tell her. She’ll probably be upset if I tell her Stephen is dead, but I also don’t want to lie to her.
“What is it that you’re not saying, Dane?”
As always, she sees right through me.
“We need to leave the country because Stephen is dead,” I say, flat and matter of fact.
“What?” Her eyes go wide, and she reels back.
My arms tighten around her, trapping her.
“He tried to rape you,” I growl. “I saved you.”
“And you…” She swallows hard. “You killed him?”
“Yes. He can never hurt you like that again.”
“No.” She tries to pull away again, but I don’t allow it.
“It’s done, Abigail.”
The sooner we can move past this, the better.
“You killed someone, Dane!” she exclaims, as though she can’t quite believe it.
“To protect you,” I counter roughly.
I don’t like the way she’s looking at me. Like she doesn’t know what I’m capable of.
She hasn’t looked at me like that since the day we fucked in the ruined barn in the rain.
“That’s worse!” she cries. “That means it’s my fault.”
“It’shisfault,” I snap. “That bastard drugged you. He was going to rape you. The world is a safer place without him in it. You’re safer.”
She threads her hands through her hair. “No, no, no.”
“It’s all right.” I try to soothe her, but she cringes away from my tender touch.
My heart shreds into bloody ribbons.
