Page 82 of His Forbidden Obsession

“Fuck, you don’t think… Surely they couldn’t find us out here.”

“Nothing is impossible.”

I grabbed the gun, and she double-checked the locks on the door. “Come on, let’s make a plan.”

I sat beside her on the couch, holding the gun awkwardly. “I told Lorenzo I don’t know how to use this, but he insisted I have it anyway. I guess I know basically how to shoot, but my aim is no good.”

“Mine is. Give it to me.” I was happy to hand it over.

“All right, there are plenty of knives in the kitchen. You can get one of those.”

I did as she said, though the thought of stabbing someone made me queasy. I could do it if I had to though. I would do anything to defend Lorenzo. Please don’t let him be dead.

Alina was checking out the gun, verifying that it was loaded. I started to sit back down, but she said, “Go check the window again.”

I looked out, trying to make out anything in the darkness. “I don’t see any—oh my God.”

“What is it?”

“A man. It’s not Lorenzo. He’s too short.”

“Then it’s not Landry either. He’s taller than Lorenzo.”

Panic had my hands shaking. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to defend ourselves. Our bodyguards aren’t answering. They’re out there. We’re in here. We don’t have any choice.”

She was right. “We need to get to them. To Landry and Lorenzo. We need to see if they’re okay.”

“To do that, we’re going to have to go through this man.”

I glanced out again. “How do we know he’s alone?”

“We don’t.”

A knock on the door made us both jump.

“Open up,” a man yelled.

Alina motioned for me to stay quiet. Like I would dare respond.

More banging. “I said open up!”

Seconds later, a gunshot sent me and Alina running. It was followed by a click and then something being thrown against the door.

“He’s out of ammo,” Alina said as I pushed her into her room and slammed her door.

Another loud bang had me reaching for her hand. “That was the door swinging open,” she said. “He must have shot the lock.”

“You might as well come on out,” the man yelled. “I’m going to kill you both, and there’s nowhere to hide.”

Without the door to muffle the sound, I knew that voice. It was my father. This had gone on too long. I had spent too many years afraid of him.

“Are you ready to shoot him?” I whispered to Alina.

She nodded. “This ends now.”

I yanked open the door of her room. My father stood there. He looked like he had aged ten years. His hair was wild, standing up at all angles. The clothes he wore were torn and bloody. If I had been told he was a zombie, I would have believed it.