“Do you want her dead?”
His eyes widen at my unexpected inquiry. Finally, a genuine emotion. “What the hell? Are you threatening my wife?”
I lean forward, refusing to back down an inch to this piece of shit. “No, Drake. I’dneverthreaten her. Never lay a hand on her. In fact, I’d lay down my life for her, which is why I’ve hadenoughof you and your buddies putting her through hell.”
Drake leans back in his chair, brows knitting together. “What are you talking about? My buddies?”
No way, you don’t get to act all innocent, Drake.
“Don’t play stupid. You know exactly who I’m talking about.” I crack my knuckles, the energy racing through me likea live wire. I swear, I’d knock his fucking block off, but I don’t want to end up in a cell next to him. “You’ve got people showing up at her house in the middle of the night, threatening her. Someone broke into her cabin, trashed the place, spray-painted warnings all over her steps.”
“Holy shit.” Drake appears dazed at my disclosure, but I’m nowhere near done.
“The woman is on the verge of a nervous breakdown, or worse. She’s not sleeping, not eating, and on top of all that, the whole fucking town treats her like a goddamn pariah.” I grip the edge of the table, willing my anger down before I enter full-on maniac mode. “Was that your plan all along? Because you’re destroying her.”
The smirk falls from his face as he swipes a hand over his scalp. “What the fuck?”
“Don’t tell me you didn’t know about this. They’re your guys, right? They’re doing your bidding.”
You know those lightbulb moments? The ones where you suddenly see the entire situation clearly?
I watch it happen to Drake in real time, right in front of me.
“They promised they wouldn’t hurt her,” he mutters and I’m half-convinced he didn’t intend for me to hear it.
I scoff and lean back in the chair, my anger careening into the red. “And you believed them? It’s death by a thousand cuts. Why would you want to ruin her fucking life? What did Kiki ever do to deserve this?”
He drags a hand over his face, all his earlier bravado gone. “It got so fucking out of hand, and once I realized, I couldn’t stop it. I just”—he swallows hard—“wish I’d never met the bastard.”
“Who are you talking about?”
“Kevin Duncan.” He whispers the name, as though he might summon the demon by saying it too loud.
Trust me, I get his fear. I know exactly what kind of man Kevin Duncan is, and what he did to Ori and Ash.
He’s the ultimate danger wrapped in a three piece suit—suave, ruthless, and with bottomless pockets.
“Yeah, Kevin Duncan is a real piece of shit.” I lock eyes with Drake, needing him to see the rage boiling there. “But you know what, Drake? So are you.”
Drake opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off. There isnothinghe can say to worm his way out of this situation.
I stand, catching the eye of the corrections officer outside the visitation room. “For once in your fucking life, protect the woman you claimed to love, before it’s too late. She won’t survive much more of this.”
The door buzzes open and I’m halfway through when Drake calls to me. “Hey, who are you to Kiki, anyway?”
I meet his gaze and shrug. “I’m Eddie Landry, the man who loves her. The man who’s doing everything to keep her safe while you try to destroy her.”
He hangs his head, shame flashing across his features. “I never meant for it to get this far.”
“Yeah? Then fix it.”
Will Drake call off his dogs? Who the hell knows.
But I had to dosomething, because someone has to stand up for Kiki. Someone has to protect her.
And damn it, that someone is me.
At least now I know what the hell is going on.
