Page 56 of Queen’s Gambit

The knock came again, and it might as well have been hell hounds on the other side of the door, ready to drag me down.

“One minute,” Eddie growled.

“No, I’m sure of this. If we run, he will hunt us and kill anyone who helps us before he kills you and takes me back. We need to get him back on our side and prove we weren’t lying. I’ll start by apologizing for yelling at him.”

Eddie smoothed back my hair, his eyes tracing my face.

“God, you’re so beautiful, Ana. I haven’t told you that enough.”

He touched his forehead to mine.

“I love you, Eddie. I love you with my whole heart.”

“You’re my everything, Ana.”

The knock was more insistent this time. We’d run out of time, and my heart was torn from my chest as I stepped back. My father wouldn’t break my spirit, and Eddie and I would have our happily ever after...even if it was the last thing I did.

Edmundo

Watching Ana revert into the subservient girl her father expected killed me inside. Every timid word that fell from her lips was another knife to my heart.

Here at Wayward, she had learned to stretch her wings and sing outside of her father’s cage. Back in Russia, under Vadin’s watchful eye, she would slowly suffocate while her feathers grew dull until there was nothing left of the vibrant woman that I loved.

He looked between us, and I could see him trying to decide if we were telling the truth. He hardly said two words as we rode the elevator down and walked across the foyer. Meanwhile, I tried to figure out how to stop time or how to keep this from happening. But there were no miraculous superpowers to save us.

Before Ana got into the limo, she locked eyes with me, and her lips lifted with a little grin. My hand curled into a fist. Lawrence would pay for this. When the parade of cars was out of sight, I marched toward the athletic building.

“Mr. Genovese, where do you think you’re going,” Dean Martin, who had escorted us down, asked.

I turned to glare at him.

“Did you know? Did you know what Lawrence did to her?”

“This is not a conversation to have out here,” Martin said.

Scoffing at his non-answer, I started away once more. I wouldn’t be scolded in his office while Lawrence got off scot-free. Not today.

“Mr. Genovese, I’ll ask again. Where do you think you’re going?”

“All I need is five minutes alone with him. If you want him still breathing, then rescue the piece of shit, but I’m not letting this go. Not this time,” I called over my shoulder.

Dean Martin remained silent as I left him standing there.

The glass door to the athletic building cracked as I slammed it open and stormed through. Marching down the hall, I could hear music playing and the sound of treadmills as well as weights as they hit the floor.

Paul was running when I walked into the room. His behavior this past month made more sense now that I knew everything. Paul had never liked Lawrence, but he’d been hanging around him more. I’d bet my life it was to keep an eye on him, but I was still pissed with my friend for not telling me. He glanced at me and immediately hit the stop button.

Lawrence stood in front of the mirrors doing bicep curls. Our eyes locked in the reflection, and the moment he registered the rage in my eyes, he dropped the weights and spun around. He might have been a coward, but he was no fool.

He held out his hand as he moved sideways to put equipment between us, but nothing could save him. No one touched Ana. But Lawrence had more than that to answer for today. He scared her and tried to sabotage my relationship, possibly ruining any chance I had at convincing Vadin that I was worthy.

“You spineless piece of shit. I’m going to kill you,” I snarled. “I’m going to tear your fucking limbs off and beat you with them.”

Anger was rare for me, but when it surfaced, it was hard to contain the normally bottled emotion. All I wanted was Lawrence’s blood. To wrap my hands around his throat and watch the snake die.

“I didn’t do anything,” he said.

An innocent man wouldn’t hide like he was, and I could see the fear in his eyes. He knew exactly why I was here. The gym had gone silent as those working out watched and waited to see how this would play out.