“Who are you talking about? Who wants to sell me? I have no idea what you’re talking about!” I exclaim, holding my cheek as blood runs down my face.
“Quiet down, Dani, or I swear to God I’ll blow out your kneecap. I loved you, Dani, but this is how it has to be. I can’t save you, not from this.”
“If you loved me as you say, you would have never been able to hurt me. Believe me, Derek, you do NOT love me. You’re. A. Monster!”
Standing my ground, I level him with a glare, although with my rapidly swelling face I don’t think it has the effect that I’m intending.
Derek continues to pace, rambling under his breath like he’s talking to someone. He’s absolutely losing it. Completely unstable.
Suddenly, the door swings open and Kayden rushes up behind Derek, plunging a knife into his lower back. Holy shit! I’ve never been more relieved to see a person than I am right now.
I notice Kayden is once again in full black combat gear as he turns Derek around and punches him. The punch knocks him out cold and he falls to the ground, hitting his head on the floor with a sickening thud. Kayden quickly closes my door and stalks to me. He reaches a hand out to my cheek, but stops short of touching my swollen skin.
“Fuck, Dani. I got here as quick as I could. I’m so sorry,” he says, peering into my eyes, the sincerity evident in his own.“Where else are you hurt?”
Tears well in my eyes, the relief so palpable that I almost burst into hysterics. “My back.”
Before I can get another word out, my knees give out and Kayden catches me. I try as hard as I can to get my legs to do what I want them to do, but they feel so weak.
“I got you, Dani,” he says, picking me up and striding to the couch where he gently sets me down. “You’re probably goinginto shock. I need you to lay down on your stomach. Can you do that, little spitfire?”
“Yeah, OK.” I slowly lay on my stomach, wincing with a yelp when I twist my back. Kayden helps me turn over, assisting with my legs that now feel like jello.
He kneels next to the couch and gently lifts my shirt, cursing under his breath. “Exactly how hard did he push you?!”
“Pretty hard,” I mumble into the couch pillow. Kayden prods my ribs and spine gently, feeling for more serious injuries. I turn my face away from him so he doesn’t see me wincing in pain.
“I should stab him again…”
I roll my eyes and turn over to face him. “I don’t need any more blood on my floors, Kayden. At this rate I won’t get my deposit back.”
It’s Kayden’s turn to roll his eyes. “It’s possible you have a bruised kidney, but I would be reassured it’s nothing more serious if we can get you a visit with my doctor down at Eden, ASAP. Maybe get a CT done. We can also get your cheek stitched up.”
I look toward the kitchen where Derek is knocked out on the ground. “What are you going to do with him?”
Kayden growls, “I should kill him right here and now.”
“He said he was going to give me to someone. Someone that was going to sell me. Said that he was supposed to bring me in unharmed. What the hell did he mean?” I pause before continuing. “He took my picture, Kayden. Sent it to someone.”
“I heard him. I don’t know what he was talking about, but I’m going to find out.”
He straightens from his position next to me, strides into the kitchen and pulls out his cell. He touches the screen a few times before putting the phone up to his ear. As he waits for whoever he called to pick up, he digs through Derek’s jacket pocket andpulls out a black cell phone. Turning away, he curses as he disappears around the corner.
“It’s good to hear your voice.”
My stomach tips, nausea rolling through me until I’m forced to get off my stomach and sit up on the couch. The action hurts my back, but the nausea immediately subsides to a tolerable level. I can’t help the thoughts swirling through my mind, however.
It’s good to hear your voice?!Who is he talking to? Does he have another woman? If he does, why would he call her at a time like this? Was I really a quick fuck to get me out of his system?
I’m so confused as my thoughts continue to bombard me that I realize I missed the entire conversation when Kayden strolls back into the room. He stops just before me and drops to one knee so he’s more eye level with my sitting position.
“My sister-in-law is going to?—”
“Wait, wait, wait… I am so confused,” I blurt out, interrupting him. “You were just talking to your sister-in-law? Melody?”
“Uhhh, no. I was talking to myothersister-in-law, Emilia. Ya know, the one that you were rescued with from the Romanis?”
“How did I not know this? Who is her husband?”
