Chapter 28 Kateřina #2
Carefully, he lifts me and sets me down in the passenger seat. He runs his fingers through his hair, adjusts his shirt, and steps out of the car. I don’t know if I’m supposed to follow, so I hesitate and stay in place.
He takes something from the trunk, and seconds later, he comes around and opens the door for me. Somehow, it doesn’t feel controlling. It feels princely.
I’ve completely lost my mind.
I get out of the car and realize that we’re on a beach. It’s already nighttime, so it’s quite dark, and the only sound is the waves crashing gently against the shore.
There’s no sea in Czechia, so I’ve always wanted to see it in person. I wondered if it would bring peace. Serenity. But now that I finally stand before it, reality falls short of my imagination.
“The sea,” I breathe, feeling the cool breeze brush against my lashes. “I love the sea.”
“I know,” he says quietly, closing the car door.
I pretend I didn’t hear him, but I did. I’m sure he knows everything about me, but this is different. He actually knows me.
The reason might be creepy, but somehow, it’s okay with me now. I guess I might be weirder than him.
We walk toward the shore, his hand gently resting on my waist as if guiding me to the right place. He lays a blanket on the sand and sits down. I look at him, surprised.
He pats the ground twice. “Don’t be shy.”
Without another thought, I sit next to him. Tonight is a chilly night, and I’ve come out with nothing but a tiny strapped minidress. Great move.
As if he can read my mind, he unfolds a second blanket and gently covers me with it. That’s probably what he took from the trunk.
“Thank you.” I smile, looking at him.
He gives me a sidelong glance and raises a brow. “Anytime,” he says with his signature smirk spreading across his face.
“And you didn’t even have to threaten me with a gun,” I joke.
“It’s still in the car, little rose, but if you’re into it, I can bring it here.” He chuckles.
I roll my eyes provocatively, which makes him laugh harder.
He doesn’t talk again; he merely lets his gaze wander over the sea. He’s a whole different person, and I can’t deny it. He takes care of me; he cares for me.
After days of being confined to one place, I think I’ve started to grow accustomed to it. It’s not as hard as it used to be. I began accepting my fate, my new reality. Maybe even adjusting to it. It’s sick, I know.
But the longer I stay here, the less monstrous he seems. I used to count every second he was near, dreading what came next. Now, I watch him when he isn’t looking. I memorize the way his hands move, the quiet way he speaks when he thinks I’m asleep.
And God help me, sometimes my heart beats faster.
Not from fear anymore. Now, it’s different.
It’s a strange thrill that crawls up my spine when I hear his footsteps in the hallway.
A rush that floods my chest when he unlocks the door.
I wait for him, even when I tell myself not to.
I wait for his voice, his presence, as if it has become the only thing grounding me in this place.
I catch myself trying to read his moods.
If he’s silent, my stomach knots. If he’s calm, I feel a sense of relief.
No, worse than that. I feel safe. And I hate that word now.
Safe. It doesn’t mean what it used to. It means something sick.
Twisted. It means I’ve stopped looking for an actual way out.
What the hell is wrong with me?
“I have to apologize for my behavior earlier. I kinda snapped.”
“You don’t need to apologize to me. You did nothing to me.”
“Landon is a big boy. He’ll get over it.”
I pause, debating whether I should tell him what’s been gnawing at me about Landon. But then … he needs to know, right?
“Do you trust him?” I ask, regretting it the instant I do.
“Landon?” he asks. I nod. “I don’t trust anyone, little rose.”
“Then why do you let him handle your business? All your secrets?”
He gives a slow, almost cruel smile. “Because that’s what he’s paid to do. Trust has nothing to do with it. Loyalty bought is still loyalty. Until it isn’t.”
“Money can’t buy loyalty.”
He hums quietly, his gaze fixed on mine. “I told you once that everything has a price. Loyalty, love, silence. Even lives. You just have to know the currency. Why are you asking?”
I exhale sharply. “I just don’t like him.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “Fair enough. What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Do you trust that Emily?”
“I do.”
He shakes his head, disappointed. “You shouldn’t.”
“What? Why are you saying that?”
He pulls out a pack of smokes and lights one.
“Even your friend Emily has a price.” My head is ringing.
I don’t understand. He looks out at the ocean, then back at me.
“The police showed up at my place because she recognized me from the mall. When I tracked her down, she played the concerned best friend. ‘So worried,’” he mimics, the corner of his mouth twitching. “But then she forgot how to act.”
“What do you mean?” Deep down, I knew exactly what he meant; I just didn’t want to believe it.
“She asked me to keep you locked away.”
My body recoils. “What?” My voice echoes across the empty beach.
He nods casually, like it’s nothing. “I guess she was jealous. Of you, your life, everything. But that wasn’t enough for her. She wanted money to keep her mouth shut.”
I can’t hold my tears any longer, and eventually, I give in to them. Emily isn’t my best friend, but she was the first person I met when I came to the US, and I thought we were close. I thought she’d be terrified I’d gone missing.
“She doesn’t deserve you. You, or your tears.” He takes a drag from his smoke.
“Did you give it to her?” I spit.
“The money?” He scoffs. “I gave her something to remember me by.”
I don’t ask again. My pride overcomes my heartbreak, and I don’t want to bring it up again. That bitch pretended to be my friend.
He sinks the smoke in the sand and gently holds my face. “Don’t waste another second on someone who never told you the truth,” he says, his thumb wiping my tears away.
“You’re the only one,” I breathe, trying to calm myself down. He blinks, surprised. “The only one who actually cares about me.”
Gently, he leans in closer and brushes his lips against mine. “Because you’re mine.”
“All mine,” I continue, capturing his lips into a soft kiss.
He’s gentle. Caring. Protective.
He kisses me back with equal fervor, knotting his fingers in my hair. And for a moment, it’s just me and him. And the weirdest thing is that I wouldn’t want him to be someone else.
“Aw, look at those lovebirds!” a male voice sounds, interrupting our moment and causing us both to look behind us.
Two men in black, balaclavas covering their features. We both stand up, and Cain pulls me behind him.
“Prince Charming, aren’t you?” the first one says. Who the hell are they?
“I prefer the huntsman. Let’s guess who’s the prey.” The second one flashes a blade. He’s taller than the first, but he’s still nothing compared to Cain.
“You don’t seem so big after all,” he mocks.
Cain tilts his head slightly. “Big talk for a man hiding behind a mask,” he says, his voice full of contempt. “I bet you’re ugly as fuck beneath it.”
“Cain,” I stutter, feeling my skin crawling.
“She’s scared. At least she has some common sense.”
“Shut up and get the girl already!”
My heart beats faster. They want me? Why? Who are they? What do they want from me?
“I’d love to see you try,” Cain growls and lunges at them both.
“No!” I blurt out.
They’re all fighting at once. Cain is fast, grabbing the gun from the tall man. The second lunges to stab him, but Cain shoves him back, shooting him in mid-air.
My lashes flick with fear. Oh my God.
He’s dead. Just like that.
Without thinking twice, Cain fires again, shooting the second man in the thigh and sending him crashing into the sand.
He walks up to the guy as he tries to stand, but Cain shoots his arm as well, eliciting a loud grunt from him.
“Let’s see your pretty face, sweetheart,” he growls, pulling off the balaclavas. “You?!”