Chapter 33 - Clem
Sitting in the motionless car, I stared out the window at the other cars surrounding us, then tilted my head slowly toward the driver’s head. I didn’t see anything, and the air seemed to vibrate around me. Total shock.
Was I a stalker magnet? Could someone actually have that much bad luck in one lifetime that I escaped from one abusive maniac and then ended up married to…
But Rurik had never raised a hand against me. He barely raised his voice. Despite that, there was no denying everything I just learned. He had very efficiently set me up.
Was I really going to put any stock in something I found out through Jordie, of all people? The truth screamed at me, telling me it didn’t matter what the source was. I knew now. There was no pretending I didn’t.
With a low moan, I pressed my hands into my stomach, sick from the revelation.
It was killing me to have the source of my comfort and safety ripped away from me.
Not Rurik, who I was starting to trust, who I was starting to have such strong, true feelings for.
Something I never thought I’d have again and had been fighting it for all I was worth.
Was that my instinct kicking in or unnecessary fear?
Part of me yearned to get home and ask him about it, and demand to know what that picture with the guns was about. He would laugh and tell me it wasn’t true—but what would he say about the apartment being owned by one of his cousins? What if Jordie was right about all of it?
“Do you mind taking the next exit?” I asked the driver, shocked that words made it through my constricted throat. I scrambled to remember what was up ahead and asked him to drop me off at a shopping center.
“No problem,” he said.
My fingernails dug into my palms as we made our way to the exit lane and finally burst free from the gridlock.
I needed time to think, and I couldn’t do it at home.
Home. Ha. I couldn’t believe I had begun to think of Rurik’s mansion that way.
One thing he was always spot on about was knowing when something was wrong, and now something was so wrong I’d never be able to hide it.
If I confronted him about something this big, would the monster finally come out?
I had been able to fix my mistakes in the past before he had a chance to get truly angry, and the snafu with my passport was easily fixed.
I groaned inwardly, remembering the damn passport that arrived a day after Rurik sent the picture of me he snapped off to one of his “contacts” and assured me there was nothing to worry about.
Was the passport actually a fake? Holy crap, how did I get involved in this? It was still in my bag, and I wanted to chuck it out the window, but no one had blinked in the many control stations we’d gone through on our way to and from Japan. Was my imagination working overtime again?
He wasn’t like Jordie. Not at all. Not even a little bit.
Jordie wasn’t like Jordie in the beginning, I reminded myself.
He was also sweet, kind, and forgiving. Until he wasn’t. And oh my God, I wasn’t married to him, and he was nowhere near as rich or powerful as Rurik, and he still managed to track me down.
And really, did it matter how wonderful Rurik had been to me if he truly was some kind of crime boss? If his whole family was crooked?
“We’re married. We’re staying married.”
Once again, those words echoed in my mind, as clear as if Rurik were at my side and repeating them.
“You okay?” the driver asked.
I wasn’t, I was freaking out. Barely hiding a full-on panic. He had pulled up to the curb at the front of the shopping mall, and I blinked at the people coming out. “Do you need me to wait? It’s almost closing time.”
“No,” I said, gripping the door handle and slinging it open as if the driver was the one I had to get away from. “No, I’ll be fine, thank you.”
I had about half an hour to figure out what to do, and I moved on autopilot, having played this game before.
Making a beeline for the nearest cash machine, I used the company card to take out the maximum daily amount, grateful that we had so many expenses that Rurik had raised the limit exorbitantly.
Then I used my own personal card to take out a lot fewer bills and tucked them away in my purse, knowing I’d never be able to use the cards again.
I had to disappear, and I had to do it right this time.