Chapter 20 #2
“That is not a fear you ever have to carry. I will never leave you. It’s as simple as that.
And as selfish as that. Because when you hear what you want me to tell you, you may not feel the same way.
And when you push me away, I will not go.
Ever. I will be with you even in your hate.
Only death will separate me from you, and I have already decided even then, I will find you on the other side, rainbow.
That is the depth of my feelings for you.
Nothing you could ever do would change it.
You could sleep with another man, and I’d just kill him.
You could move to another country, I’d just follow.
You could kill me, and I would just come back to haunt you.
I am your shadow, and you are my light. There is no more you and me, only us. Its permanence is irrevocable.”
Fuck. This man should be a poet. As a book editor, I have read many romantic declarations. But to experience it in real life is something unfathomable. And nothing comes close to the raw and downright intense meaning behind some of these statements. It’s certifiable.
And yet, I swoon. I smile. I adore. I fall deeper, my tentative grasp on the little ledge of sanity I have been holding onto giving way. If he is crazy, then I am too.
Where do I even begin? This is why I have been gifted a photographic memory. For this moment. So that I can play it over and over in my mind for eternity.
“I’m over this. I’ll make you some pasta at home, and then we can talk.”
Damon's abrupt change of topic and movement surprises me, but I am delighted. I was also done with sitting at the table feeling uncomfortable.
We start walking back to the table, and suddenly, I’m nervous. Could we just leave? Wouldn’t it be rude?
“We’re off,” Damon announces to the table as we arrive.
I look around for my clutch and find it on the floor. It must have dropped when Damon put on his little possessive show earlier .
“You’re not even staying for the mains. Something I said?” Julia smirks, and I loop my arm through Damon’s, determined to show her that her earlier words have no impact.
“On the contrary. Sienna and I need some privacy for my next course. It’s not on the menu here.” His innuendo makes Marcello laugh, while Lucy winks at me before waggling her brows.
“I’m sure if Sienna wanted to, I could find something on the menu here. Something I think she would prefer.”
Shit, I look at Damon, and I can tell he is angry. His jaw is ticking, and his eyes are almost black.
“Nothing on your menu would ever be to Sienna's taste, I’m afraid. I know what she likes.” Geezus. Okay, we need to leave.
“We're meeting my brother early tomorrow, and the drive back is long. Thank you for the invite, Luciano, and congratulations. Again.”
I tug on Damon's arm, his gaze still firmly on Luciano. The testosterone at this table is so thick that I feel like I am choking.
“You’re meeting her family,” Julia says, disgusted.
This snaps Damon's gaze from Luciano to her while I continue tugging on his arm.
“Yes. Understand that this is serious, and remember what I said before. Ucciderò chiunque provi a toccarla.” The frostiness of his statement makes me shiver.
“Okay, everyone. It's time for us to go. Marcello, Lucy, it's nice to see you again.” This time, when I tug on Damon's arm, he moves, and finally, we turn away from the table and move toward the door.
“What does that mean? The thing you just said to Julia,” I ask him when we are out of earshot, a backward glance confirming everyone is still looking at us.
“It’s a warning. If anyone tries to hurt you, they deal with me.”
While a warning seemed overkill, the fact that Julia was a murderer, according to Damon, whom I trusted, made it less ludicrous.
When we leave the hall, all the reporters are gone, making our escape to the front quick. I was happy to see the end of this event.
The limo we arrived in is already waiting out front, the driver standing next to the open back door. I slide in, followed by Damon, and then we’re off. I cast a fleeting last glance at The Barcelona before turning my attention forward.
I wish I had experienced it under different circumstances. I read about it in a magazine. It was one of the finest hotels in the city.
“Don’t worry. Next time, I will take you somewhere nicer and with better company.
” He intertwines my hand with his and then holds it up to place a kiss on the top.
I shiver at the innocent gesture. When he smirks, I question the chasteness behind the action.
He knows how he impacts me, and he loves pushing my buttons.
He had been pushing them since we met, and as our eyes lock, the sexual tension intertwining our relationship and coating every one of our interactions comes bursting forward in full force.
I’m so horny. I don’t think I have ever been this aroused in my life.
If Damon and I don’t fuck tonight, I feel like I might actually implode with need.
He inches forward at the same time the buzzing of my phone in my clutch sounds, alerting me to a message.
“Let me check it quick. It might be my brother about tomorrow.” I tear my gaze from Damon and grab my clutch, opening it and sticking my hand in.
“Oh, what’s this?” I say out loud when I find something in there that shouldn’t be there. As my hand closes around it, I freeze.
“What? What is it, Sienna?” Slowly, I pull the item out, praying it isn’t what I think it is. Fuck, it is. My world collapses as I am transported back to the bathroom at Lady Chatman’s, just seconds before The Reaping .
“Fuck.” Damon grabs the butt plug from me, and then he is on the phone with Bob and then Jordan, his words fading as I relive that event triggered by the item Damon is clenching tightly in his fist.
Another message on my phone draws my attention to my bag, and on autopilot, I retrieve my cell, unlocking the screen to be met with a message from a number I don’t know.
Unknown
22:13
He isn’t so different from me.
How did you end up at Mike’s Gym, Sienna?
Do you really think that’s the first time you two met?
And what else is he hiding from you?
Is he really the man you think he is?
Unknown
22:05
Two gifts.
A reminder of our time together.
It won’t be the last.
Attachment: Video
I already know that I won't like whatever is in this video, but I press play anyway.
Bile rises as I watch The Reaper appear from his hiding spot in the bathroom. Then he is behind me, and before I can watch anymore, I lean forward and vomit on the floor of the limo.
“Sienna, what’s wrong?” Damon is rubbing my back as I heave, tears now streaming down my face.
“T-the v-video,” I mumble through tears, straightening up and handing him my phone.
“What the fuck.” He grabs the phone, his rage atomical.
Then, he is on the phone again.
“He sent the video to her phone. Trace it and get back to me with something solid. And get hold of Travis Jones. We need that information from him tonight.”
Damon's voice is like steel. Cold and icy.
His words freeze me in place, the reality of what he is saying penetrating the horror coursing through me.
“You knew about this video, Damon?” The accusation is thrown at him as he puts the phone down.
Eyes, now nearly black, look at me, no remorse in their depths, as he responds with a yes, shattering my world.
He reaches for me, and I pull back, holding my hands up as a shield.
“No. You knew about this and didn’t tell me. What about the rest? What about Mike's Gym? Is that the first time we met, Damon? Is the sicko in that message right?”
I’m holding my breath out of fear, out of panic. Waiting for him to deny everything while at the same time, everything falls into place. I knew it all along and didn’t want to accept it. Because that would mean the man looking at me right now was as psychotic as The Reaper. As psychotic as Julia.
“No. We met before.”
Nero’s, the man who held me, the pot, letters, and gifts—all the memories form a collage, merging into one big picture explained in one word .
“Stalker.” He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t move.
“You stalked me before we officially met.” Deep down, I knew this. Red flags had been raised, and I ignored them.
Yet his admission hits me like a ton of bricks.
Every interaction we’ve had passes through my mind, but now, I look at them differently, with suspicion.
“We met at Nero’s.” Nod.
“You sent me the Mike’s Gym pamphlet.” Nod.
“You left me the pots, seeds, and notes.” Nod.
“You gave me the necklace.” Nod.
“You bought the house I was renting from Ralph.” Nod.
Oh my god. I can’t think straight. Everything is too confusing. Too overwhelming.
My chest constricts, and my breathing is strained. Am I having a heart attack?
“Calm down, Sienna. You are having a panic attack. Breathe, rainbow.”
Breathe rainbow. Breathe rainbow. I’m hyperventilating, and it’s made worse by his term of endearment. I can’t get any air in, and then I wonder why I am even fighting this. Darkness is a much better place for me right now. And so, I give in.