Page 71 of Until Ace

It’s the man from the corner.

“Please,” I whimper softly, my feet struggling to keep up with him, but my plea is lost in the seductive pulse of the music.

Looking left and right, I try to find the waitress in the hopes she can somehow help. But she’s nowhere in sight. And the patrons don’t even bat an eyelash at the sight of a woman being dragged across the club.

Oh, God.

What have I done?

As the darkness envelops us, he jerks me again, and my back slams against a wall so hard my breath leaves me in a woosh.

I sense the movement of his arm, but it’s not until I feel something cold under my chin that I register what’s going on. He has a knife pressed to my throat.

Oh, God.

I’m going to die.

Every fiber of my being starts shaking uncontrollably. My vision blurs, stealing away the small amount of sight I have in the dark, and my only thought is of Ace.

His smile this morning before we parted ways, his soft words murmured over the phone while we talked during my lunch hour.

The feel of his body as he moves inside me.

His breath gliding over my skin as we stand close, cuddle, sleep, or make love.

And the fact that the last thing I said to him was a lie.

I don’t lie. Not ever. Sure, I hide behind masks, not allowing people in, but I never lie.

Yet the last thing I said to Ace was that I was going to have dinner and drinks with Mia, which was definitely a lie.

The man leans down, pressing cold steel against my skin, making me believe he’s going to slash the knife over it, and barks, “What are you doing here?”

“Please,” I whimper, trying my best to stay still so I don’t accidentally prick my skin on the knife.

I knew coming here tonight was a bad idea, but I had no choice, not if I want Ace to stay clear of this mess Jim made. There’s no way in hell I will let anything happen to Beverly, especially because of my dumb brother.

I want to live my life free and clear of the trouble my family represents, and the only way I knew to do it was by coming here and asking for mercy.

But it’s now becoming crystal-clear that there would be no mercy from these people, and I now realize I did exactly the opposite of what I wanted by coming here.

I effectively put myself in danger and lost all I ever wanted.

Ace.

Beverly.

My new family.

But I can’t give up.

I won’t.

For once, I have something to fight for.

For once, I will fight.

“I’m... I’m looking for Anton,” I whimper.