Page 59 of Abundance of Obsession

The men nod, and as soon as Damien gives them a signal with his hand, they step back a few feet from us. Not far enough, though, in case they’re needed again.

“You saved my life, Lily. Do you have any idea how many people would wish to see me dead?”

It only now sinks in what happened, what I did. My hands tremble.

“Who the hell are you, huh?” I snarl.

Chapter 16

Zoe

“You know who I am, Lily,” Damien says with a stern tone.

“Sorry, but I don’t associate with many pharmaceutical company employees who get shot at on the street. I think I should head home.”

“Wait, please. You need to know that my job is challenging. Where there’s money, there are always opponents. The pharmaceutical industry has a lot of enemies.” He tries to convince me it’s no big deal.

Bullshit. He’s full of shit.

“I’m sorry.” He sighs and shakes his head. “Let me drive you home. Your safety is important to me.”

The drive home in a car filled to the brim with silence allows me to sort everything out in my head.

My trembling hand is intertwined with his. It’s the only thing connecting us, each of us lost in our own thoughts.

The funniest thing about this whole fucking mess is that I couldn’t have come up with a better script myself. Of course, I had nothing to do with it, but it gave me a crucial advantage.

I saved the life of a man who doesn’t deserve to live. Who kills hundreds, if not thousands, of people every single day. Whether through guns or drugs, it doesn’t matter. Death is death.

But no matter what, I saw it in Damien’s gaze, right there on that grimy sidewalk, while we were sitting. I saw surprise mixed with disbelief. Perhaps a hint of gratitude. And above all, possessiveness, a desire to drag me into his home and not let me out for the next decade or longer.

Someone outside Ryker’s social circle is also an enemy of Damien’s and wants him dead. I imagine this is nothing new for him. An open attempt to shoot him in front of potential witnesses is a show of strength and a declaration of war.

When the driver parks by my building, I grab the door handle. Damien’s hand holds me back, so I look at him in surprise. I have no doubt our time together has ended, but he brings my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. As with many times before.

He doesn’t speak to me until we’re in the elevator. “I’m sorry, Lily. Given what happened tonight, I know this might sound as though I’m being a hypocrite, but… I hope you believe you’re safe with me. I’ll let nothing like that happen again. You have my word.”

“You can’t promise me that,” I say.

“I can. I’ll make it up to you. Fuck. You must be terrified.” He rubs his face with his hands. “You go on a date with a guy and someone shoots at you.”

“Thank God no one got hurt.”

“And I’m fucking grateful to you that I can stand here with you right now. If it weren’t for you, I’d never be able to see your beautiful face again, or touch that silky skin, or kiss those tempting lips.”

Damien is trying to soften me up. He thinks he’s so cunning in this little game of ours. What he doesn’t realize is that I’m already two steps ahead.

The elevator doors open, and we step out into the hallway. I stop at the door to my apartment because this evening has to end here. I don’t want to think about what’s waiting for me inside.

“I appreciate what you’re saying. Seriously. But—” I cut myself off mid-sentence and bite my lower lip. A new obstacle to continuing this relationship is now forming in his mind. And that’s fine. That’s how it’s supposed to be.

“Don’t even say that, Lily. Let’s go inside, and I’ll clean your knee so it doesn’t get infected. Let me take care of you. We’ll talk about it.”

“No, Damien. I’ll clean this knee and—” I use this to fuel the image of my doubts.

In a gesture that says he means no harm, he raises his hands.

“I really can handle it.”