PHOENIX
Last night was fucking crazy.
I knew going to the Manor House was going to be a reckless move… I just never imagined how reckless and chaotic it would be. I can still feel Caleb and Dane’s heated touch all over me and if I’m being honest, I never want to lose that feeling.
Flick, she’s going to be a completely different scenario. I wouldn’t blame her either. I ditched her and I feel terrible. It wasn’t intentional and I was trying to find my way back to her when the devil descended on me. But fuck, when Caleb cornered me everything else, all common sense included went out of the window and into the night along with any morals I had left. Would I do it again? Damn fucking straight I would.
Who wouldn’t turn down the Savage brothers staking their claim on you? I can still feel them both, my body aching as a delicious reminder of what they did to me over and over again. To be honest, I’m surprised I can walk, let alone think straight. They gave me a night and morning that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
I pause outside our door, a million excuses running wild in my mind. Breathing in deep I try to compose myself; desperately trying to think of what I’m going to tell Flick. I know I’ve let her down massively. I ditched her, leaving her all alone in a house full of predators, while I had the night of my life. I wouldn’t blame her if she never spoke to me again. I’ll understand if she’s pissed. Hell, I’m fucking pissed with myself. I’ve never had a friend before and look at me go, failing at the first opportunity I get.
Bracing myself for whatever waits for me on the other side of this door, I grip the handle and push it open. Only it’s not Flick waiting for me like I thought.
My blood runs cold as I take in the figure sitting comfortably on my bed. My heart pounds heavily in my chest, what little blood I have running through my body rushes to my ears, drowning out everything else.
A rush of panic sets in when I take him in, and my palms grow cold and clammy when I realize Flick isn’t anywhere in sight.
“What… how…” I stammer as I stand frozen just inside my room. I never thought I’d see him again. How the fuck has he managed to find me? And more importantly, how the fuck did he know which room I was in?
Melanie told me they’d caught the bad man, and that he wouldn’t be bothering me again. Obviously, they caught someone, just not the one they needed to. Fuck… this has to be another one of my nightmares. I try to shake myself out of it but nothing happens. He doesn’t disappear into the void. No, he remains right in front of me, more than happy to torture me in my waking world as well as my nightmares.
My chest tightens in my chest. I know I should try to make a run for it, not that I’d be able to outrun him. Not this time, but I’m frozen in place, rooted to the spot as my body is consumed by fear. His black emotionless eyes narrow in disgust as they lock onto mine. He’s looking at me like he wants to kill me with his bare hands, and I have no doubt that’s exactly how he’s feeling.
“What are you doing here?” I try again, this time my words come out clearer and more concise.
“I could ask you the same thing.” He pushes his large frame up from my bed, never taking his eyes from mine as he moves closer.
“But… the last time I saw you…” Shit, I thought he was dead. I hoped and prayed he was dead and then he’d never be able to come for me again. Looks like I didn’t get my one wish and the son of a bitch survived. Just like all the bad guys seem to do.
His nostrils flare, his shoulders tensing as he tries to get a read on me. “Hate to be the bearer of bad news doll, but I ain’t going anywhere. I have plenty of lives left. You on the other hand, I think we can both agree that your time is up.”
“How did you find me?”
He snarls back at me as he licks his bottom lip. A look I know only too well. “You seem to have a nasty habit of playing with things that don’t belong to you and it looks like nothing has changed since you went away.”
“I don’t understand…” my confession falls from my lips on a plea.
“You don’t need to. All you need to know is I made a promise, and you should know better than anyone that I don’t go back on a promise. Someone took something from me and now it’s my turn to take something from them.”
“I didn’t take anything from you.”
“Maybe not, but you’re the closest thing I can get.”
Surprising myself, my head falls back as I laugh hysterically. “Well give it your best shot. I don’t have anything or anyone so go right ahead, shoot your shot Matteo.”
I don’t know what I expected but a small gasp escapes my parted lips when he pulls out his Glock from his back pocket, the metal all too familiar to me as it is for him.
“Really, doll? How about a little game of Russian Roulette. Let’s see how much you value your life then.” Without hesitation he raises the gun and points it straight at me and the last thing I hear is the click of his trigger.