“Good.” She let out a breath and dropped her shoulders.
“But I can’t speak on my father’s behalf.” There were at least a dozen scenarios I could come up with that my father could be doing to make Chance understand that we were not to be fucked with. “He has his own methods.”
“What does that mean?”
“Chance is with him now. I have a feeling he’s about to get schooled in my way of life as only my father can teach.”
“Milo! Call your father off.”
“Sable, no one calls my father off. That’s why he’s in charge.”
When she swatted the hair from her face, her injuries appeared more prominent. Once I found the animal responsible for touching her, I would make them suffer.
“You don’t need to worry.” I gently swiped away the stray hairs that had fallen over her swollen cheek. “He’s a fair man.”
Her emerald eyes filled with tears, but Chance should have been the least of her worries. “Isn’t your father an assassin?” She leaned against the wall. “Please.”
“He’s calm and collected, unlike me, so Chance should be fine if he minds his manners.”
“Oh God.”
“We both know he’s going to trigger my father, and there isn’t anything I can do about that.” I wiped the fallen tears that slid down her face, making her freckles glisten in the dull lighting. Even now, while she was hurt and sad, the glow of her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes lit up the room. “Let’s focus on you.”
She shook her head.
“Tell me who did this to you and relay the message word for word. Don’t leave anything out.”
“There isn’t anything you can do,” she said. “The damage has already been done.”
“You’re wrong.” I caressed her jaw with my thumb. “I can burn the fucking world down for you.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
SIX
Sable
Milo wasthe last person I needed to see and the only person I wanted to be with. But if I told him Bello was the one who came at me, what kind of brutality would that unleash? What would I throw myself in the path of? If a moving train was headed my way, shouldn’t I get off the tracks?
“I don’t have time for your stall tactics,” he said. “I have too much going on right now.”
“Milo,” I said. “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just accept that explanation.”
Talking about what Bello had done to me, in some bizarre way, triggered memories from my shitty childhood. My life was already difficult enough. I didn’t want to rehash anything I had tried so hard to suppress.
“Are you still trying to convince me this was a random act of violence? Because if that’s the case, I’m going to have to kill a lot of people until I find the one who hurt you.”
“I don’t want you to kill anyone.” I let go of his hand and paced in front of the window. “I don’t want to be caught up in any of this.”
“Too late.”
“I’d like you to go now.”
“No you don’t.” He wrapped his arm around my waist. “I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”
How dare he try to exert some alpha claim over me. As sexy as it was, I couldn't allow him to manipulate me like that. He made his choice when he walked out on me. Was I supposed to forget the problems we had? The hurt we caused one another?
“That’s going to be difficult since we’re not together anymore.” I gazed into his eyes, ignoring all the dreams of what might have been. “That’s why you need to go.”
