“You didn’t have to come, Vi—” The words die in my throat as my gaze meets a broad chest where Violet’s face should be. And that scent…
Kain!
Terror shoots through me like ice water, jolting me out of my stupor. I scramble to shut the door, but he puts his foot in the way too quickly.
“Anne, wait. Please li—” he starts to say, reaching for me, but I scream and back away instantly, giving up on the door and retreating into the apartment.
What is he doing here? How is he here? He should be locked up! He should be—
The door swings open fully, and he stands there, backlit by the hallway light so I can’t see his face properly.
“Anne—” he repeats, taking one step toward me.
“No! Get out!” My voice comes out hoarse from disuse. “Get out of my apartment!”
“Anne, please, just listen—” he takes two more steps, and I bolt.
“No!” I’m in the kitchen now, my hand reaching blindly behind me until my fingers touch the knife block. I pull out my biggest knife and hold it in front of me with trembling hands. “Stay back. I mean it, Kain. Stay away from me or I’ll—”
I can’t finish the threat due to the fear clogging my throat.
Kain freezes, his eyes going wide. “Anne, I’m not going to hurt you.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I ask bitterly. “You’re not my Kain. You just have his face. My Kain would never have done this. He would never have used me!”
My eyes dart between him and the door, and I wonder if I can get past him to escape. This man got caught because of me. If he’s here, it must be to kill me!
“Anne, I never meant to hurt you! I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—”
“‘Sorry’ doesn’t mean anything!” Tears are streaming down my face now, hot and relentless. “Nothing you say means anything anymore!”
He takes a step forward, and I thrust the knife toward him. “I said, stay back!”
The look on his face…It’s like I’ve physically struck him. Like the sight of me holding a weapon against him is breaking him apart.
Good. Let him break. Let him feel even a fraction of what I’ve been feeling.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he says again, and his voice is gentle now, careful. As if he’s talking to a wounded animal. “Anne, please. Put the knife down.”
“Stay away from me! I mean it! How did you get out? Am I your target now?”
“Of course not!” He glances around, then points toward the living room, where he must have noticed my phone. “You can call Darius. He’ll tell you. He sent me here.”
“I don’t believe a word you say.”
“Then call,” he begs. “Please. Call Violet. She’ll explain everything.”
My hands are shaking so badly, I’m not sure I can hold both the knife and the phone and still defend myself. So, I tell Kain to go get my phone and bring it to me.
“Put it on the counter,” I say when he reappears in the kitchen. “And back up.”
He sets the phone down gently and takes three steps backward, holding up his hands in a gesture of surrender.
I grab the phone without lowering the knife, my eyes only leaving him for a second as I pull up Violet’s contact and hit call. It rings twice.
“Anne! I was trying to reach you,” Violet says immediately.
“I need to talk to Darius. Kain is here,” I say.
