Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Sammie’s tongue swirls around mine. My arms snake around his neck, and I pull him against me. Raising up on my tiptoes to try to get that little bit closer to him. I know I’ve lost him. I always knew I would, but I will take whatever this kiss is until he’s gone for good.
His palm presses to my throat and he pushes me harder against the wall. He’s mad. I get it. I would be mad too. I let him believe he’s got me pinned. I don’t think now is the time to show my hand here.
I jump up and wrap my legs around his waist and cling to him like a monkey. My core rubs against his cock, and I’m now regretting putting on my jeans. There is too much fabric between us. I need more. I need him. Even if it’s just one last time.
“Sammie, I…”
The moment the words are out of my mouth, his hold on me drops. I slide my feet back onto the floor, and he steps away from me. Anger, disgust, and lust all flickering in his eyes.
“I can’t do this,” he says. “I don’t even know you.”
“You know every woman you fuck?” I ask him.
“We were more than that. At least I thought we were,” he grumbles.
“We are more than that,” I tell him. “I’m still Lailani, but I’m not going to beg you for a scrap of attention you don’t want to give me. I have shit to do, and you obviously need time.” With that, I turn and walk out the door.
Sammie’s footsteps are quick to follow behind me. “Hold up!”
I pivot and wait for him to continue with whatever it is he has to say.
“Where are you going?” he asks. “What are you doing?”
It’s on the tip of my tongue to lie to him, to tell him anything but what I really plan on doing right now. “I’m going to find the asshole responsible for shooting up Carlo’s apartment, and I’m going to kill him.”
“You don’t need to do that.” Sammie steps towards me again.
“Actually, I do. It’s my job,” I insist, although it’s not really. Emmanuel hasn’t asked me to go and do anything. I’m doing this because it’s personal.
“No, you don’t. We know who it is. We’re going to get him.” Sammie rakes a hand through his hair. “I don’t want you to do this.”
“What would you have me do then? Sit around and twiddle my thumbs?”
“Yes, at least you’d be safe.”
“Because I’m a woman, right? I appreciate your concern, Mr. Russo.
” I pause and shake my head. “Actually, I really don’t.
It’s completely sexist that you think I can’t do the same job I’ve been doing just fine for years.
A job I’m really fucking good at.” I throw my hands in the air.
“You know what? Fuck you and your sexist views.” I go to walk away and stop.
“Oh, and you know that woman you’ve been looking for?
The blonde from the stairwell? That was me.
You’re welcome, by the way.” I turn and stomp down the hallway.
“You’re wrong. I want you safe because I love you,” Sammie calls out.
My steps and my heart both falter. I heard him wrong. There is no way he just said that he loves me. He doesn’t love me. He loves a version of me, but not the full version. He loves the sweet, innocent girl I portrayed.
Is that girl part of the real me? Sure, in a lot of ways, but there’s also more to me than her. A dark and twisted side he hasn’t seen. A side of me that will stop at nothing to protect the people I care about.
“You don’t love me, Sammie,” I tell him without bothering to look at him. “Because if you did, you’d understand why I have to do this.” This time, when I walk away, he doesn’t try to stop me.
I make it as far as the garage. I don’t have a car onsite and was fully planning on “borrowing” one from E’s collection.
“You need to let Carlo deal with him,” Emmanuel says, stepping out of a dark corner like a damn creeper.
“Jeez, E, why are you hiding in the shadows?” I ask him. “I could have shot you.”
“You’re far too smart to try to shoot me, Lai,” the cocky bastard says. He’s right though. I’m not stupid enough to think I could shoot him and make it out of this house alive.
“I need to borrow a car.”
“Did your yelling match with Sammie blow out an eardrum? I said you can’t touch this.” Emmanuel slips his hands into his pockets. He’s trying to pull off a carefree exterior. It really doesn’t work on him.
“They could have gotten Jazzy,” I tell him.
“I know. Which is exactly why her father needs this.” I hate it when Emmanuel makes sense. I get it. Carlo needs this kill more than I do.
“Okay, but I still need a car,” I grumble.
“Take the Merc.” Emmanuel nods his head towards a black G-Wagon.
“Thank you,” I tell him. “I’m assuming now that my cover is blown, the job is finished?”
“The job is finished, but that doesn’t mean you need to leave town.”
“I don’t really have a reason to stay.”
“Don’t you?” Emmanuel lifts a brow at me.
“He hates me. He doesn’t understand me. People never do.” I shrug. “It’s okay, I knew this would happen.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you should give him a chance to understand you,” Emmanuel says.
“I… My dad asked me to visit. I need to deal with that and Sammie needs time.”
“Time for what?”
“Time to miss me, time to realize what a chauvinistic ass he’s being.” I roll my eyes, and Emmanuel chuckles.
“Okay, call me if you need anything.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because that’s what friends do, Lailani.”
“Yeah, we’re still not friends. But thanks for the car.” I open the door and jump into the driver’s seat. “I’ll return it in one piece.”
“If you don’t, you’re paying for it. I’m not running a charity here.”
The moment the garage door opens, I start up the engine and drive out. My heart races the closer I get to the gates. A huge piece of me wants to stop. I want to turn around and repeat those three little words back to Sammie.
I don’t do that. Instead, I force myself to keep driving. When I reach the next block, I pull over, park the car against the curb, and pick up my phone. I open the message thread with Sammie and hit the record voice note button.
“Hey, I… ah… I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry.
I… I have no idea what to say. I’m going out of town for a few weeks.
But I’ll be back, and hopefully when I am, we can talk.
” I hit send on the message and throw my phone onto the passenger-side seat.
There’s a fat chance in hell he’ll want to see me again.
I can’t focus on that right now. So I turn on the radio and plug my dad’s address into the navigation system.
Four hours and thirty-six minutes. Great.
Just what I wanted to be doing today, making a cross-country drive.
I could get a plane. It’d probably take just as long by the time I arranged it, though.
Fuck it! Driving it is.
Plus, using E’s car gives me a reason to return. There’s no way I can keep it. That would just be rude and cost me a small fortune. I should call my dad and tell him I’m coming early.
I’ll wait till I’m closer…
Five hours. That’s how long it took me to make it back to my childhood home. A place I’ve been running from since the day I was old enough to get up and run.
I cut the engine, climb out of the car, and make the dreaded trek up the footpath that leads to the front door. I didn’t stop to call my dad, but it’s not like he’s going to care that I’m here unannounced.
Letting myself in, I call out, “Dad, are you here?”
When I don’t hear anything, I make my way through the house, the smell of burned bread hitting me the moment I go to walk into the kitchen. I quicken my pace and find my dad throwing away two pieces of black toast.
“Dad?” I call out again when he doesn’t hear me approach. It’s strange for my dad to not hear me. He’s always aware of his surroundings.
“Oh, Lailani, you’re here. I didn’t know you were coming,” he says, walking around the island counter. He hugs me briefly.
“I thought I’d come early. Were you planning on eating toast for dinner?” I ask him.
“I was, but now that you’re here, how about I order pizza?” He picks up the phone without waiting for my answer.