“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m sorry,” I said at the same time. “I’m sorry for freezing you out. I didn’t…I…I think we need to talk.”
His eyes went big, and his smile disappeared as he put the piping bag down.
“Oh,” he said, sounding defeated, and my stomach sunk.
“Don’t—” I started when his phone beeped and he stared at it as if it had caught on fire.
“Do you want me to…” I asked.
He licked his lip and gave a single nod.
I reached for his phone and opened the message he’d received.
It was a photo. A photo of the insurance broker’s office. It was on fire. And as I held his phone in my hand another message arrived.
Unknown number: ill burn the world for you baby
“Is it bad?” he whispered.
I didn’t answer. I pulled him in my arms and hugged him tight, trying to shield him. To protect him from the whole world, my heart be damned.
TWENTY-TWO
ZACH
Iforgot the world for a moment. In Dare’s arms, I forgot everything and focused on him, the warmth of his body, the pulsating energy he radiated that made me feel instantly at home. It was nice there. It was safe. But it was an illusion.
“Wh-what did he do?” I asked, pulling away from him and feeling heartbroken about doing so.
It was necessary though.
He didn’t get to hold me after treating me that way he had. Not after the beautiful night we’d shared.
Instead of answering he gave me my phone, and it chilled me to the bone.
“It’s probably just photoshopped,” Dare suggested.
I shook my head. Victor wasn’t like that. He didn’t make empty threats. He acted. He destroyed.
“He’s going to burn this whole island to the ground,” I said and took a step back.
I needed to do something. I needed to protect everyone. I couldn’t just sit on my ass and watch the town I loved get destroyed in my name.
“I…I need to go. I need to run away,” I mumbled.
Maybe if I told him I didn’t live here anymore, he would leave them alone. Maybe I could leave him breadcrumbs to follow me somewhere else. I didn’t know if it would work, but I had to try. I had to do something.
“Zach, no!” Dare tried to reach for me, but I took another step back and another until I spun around and walked into the guest room where my bag of clothes was.
“I can be out of here by tonight. I’ll reach Boston by daylight, then I can figure something out. I can lure him away from here.”
I walked out of the room, intent on finding the rest of my stuff throughout the house, but Dare stood between me and his bedroom.
“You can’t leave,” he said.
“I can and I will,” I answered and started to walk toward the living room, certain I’d left my cardigan in there.
