“Regardless, I won’t allow him to just waltz in and steal everything I’ve worked for. You. Are. Mine.”
I reared back, my stomach churning at his words, and the look in his eyes creeped me out. He saw me as his possession. Almost as if he’d peed on me to mark his territory and was now demanding that I submit to his authority. The very thought made me want to vomit. Made bile rise up my throat.
“I don’t belong to you, Robert, and Troy can’t steal me away, as you put it. I’m the one who decides who I want to be with, and I’m sorry, but it’s not you.” I hated putting it that bluntly, but he needed to hear it.
His eyes widened and pain flickered there for several long seconds.
“I’m not trying to hurt you,” I said, “but don’t treat me like I’m a piece of property you can own.”
Glancing away, a muscle pulsed in his jaw, and I could tell he was exerting a great deal of energy to remain calm. “You don’t know what you’re saying. You had feelings for me before he entered the picture.”
“Robert, no—”
“You were warming up to me.” He clenched his fists, and a shadow fell over his features. His countenance darkened, and it was as if he were someone else, a man I didn’t know. Even the clouds above seemed to thicken in response to his mood. “I’ve patiently waited eight years for you. Risked everything.”
I wasn’t sure how he’d risked it all, but I didn’t get a chance to ask because my thoughts caught on the other thing. Eight years. How could he say he’d waited that long? I’d met him eight years ago, but it had only been four years since Daniel passed away. Was he actually saying he had designs on me while I was with Daniel? Was he admitting it?
“Daniel was alive eight years ago…” A chill ran down my spine, and my eyes widened. “You…” The words died in my throat. I couldn’t say what I was thinking, but it had to be written all over my face.
He relaxed his fists and softened his expression. “Look, let’s not talk about this here. Come with me and we’ll have lunch. I’ll drive and then return you to your car afterward.”
There was no way I was going anywhere with him, especially after what he’d just said. “I can’t. My parents are expecting me.” I needed to act as normal as possible so I could get out of this in one piece. I stepped forward and forced a smile. “You’ve always been a good friend, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me.” I swallowed hard, the cognitive dissonance from that statement making me almost ill. I’d voiced this sentiment many times before, but it didn’t ring true anymore. “Let’s have lunch another day. My parents will worry if I don’t hurry back.”
He frowned. “Why are you staying with them?”
“Mom feels like she doesn’t get to see enough of me. You know how that goes.” It was the truth, at least. I laughed uneasily.
“Yes, unfortunately, I do, but that’s not an answer I can accept today.” He said it in a way that was so final. As if he’d come to the conclusion that he would never have me, and I was about to be punished.
A terrifying shiver crept up my spine and grabbed me at the back of my neck. It wrapped its ugly claws around my throat and tightened until I could barely breathe. I had to get out of here. Right now. I clicked my key fob to unlock my car door. “Gotta go…”
I never got a chance to finish that statement because the door to the van parked next to my car slid open, and a man jumped out. A jagged cordlike scar traced the upper side of his jaw, and I gasped, knowing immediately who it was.
The man who attacked me after the concert.
He was connected to Robert, which meant…
Robert had been behind the attack.
I started to scream, but it was like one of those nightmares where nothing comes out of your mouth except a hoarse moan that sounded muffled at best. I was completely paralyzed with fear.
“Cooperate and I won’t have to hurt you,” the man said.
My chest tightened at his words, but it wasn’t what he said that sent horror through me as much as how he’d said it. I recognized his voice. It had to be him—the same guy who’d called and told me I didn’t have a prayer.
“Never.” I attempted to run, but he seized me around my waist and started tugging me towards the van. Adrenaline finally kicked in and I struggled against him as hard as I could. I pushed against his chest and attempted to knee him in the groin, but he moved just in time.
I tried to recall what Troy had taught me in his self-defense lessons, but he was right. A moment of crisis was much different from practicing in a gym. I was so petrified, I couldn’t remember one thing he’d shown me.
When I continued to struggle, the man slapped me hard on the face. It stung and my vision blurred momentarily. Wet liquid dribbled down my skin from my nose, and as I wiped it away, the blood smeared across my fingers. I cried out more from the shock of it than from the pain. It hurt, but the terror ripping through me was far worse.
Robert stepped in, putting one hand on my back and the other on my arm. “Stop fighting us. I’ll take care of you. I promise.”
Both men pushed me into the van, and the man with the scar got in behind me.
“Magnus, tie her wrists together,” Robert
