Chapter 47 Lexi
FORTY-SEVEN
LEXI
Sneaking out of bed for a second time in one night is not a habit I want to get into, but between my screaming bladder and Pancake tapping my cheek for breakfast, I don’t have much choice.
Once I’ve taken care of business, I slip into one of Colten’s discarded shirts and a pair of sweats that definitely don’t belong to me if the number of times I have to roll the waistband to hold them up is anything to go by.
A yawn escapes me as I pad through the apartment toward Pancake’s castle. I wish I could say I was exaggerating with the title I’ve donned it with, but there’s no other way to describe it.
The tower takes up an entire wall, between the bathroom and the kitchen, with her litter tray in a cupboard on one side, the feline version of a jungle gym in the middle, and then another cupboard on the other side where all her food, snacks, and toys are kept.
I have no clue where Colten found this thing, but it took him four hours to construct. An hour of that could have been avoided if he’d followed the instructions, but all pointing that out earned me was a spanking.
Now that I think about it, maybe I should order some more things for him to build and me to supervise.
Pancake meows impatiently as I prepare her breakfast, but if she wanted speed and efficiency, she should have woken Colten.
Once she’s happily munching on her food, I move to where I left my phone on the desk last night.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t annoyed with Colten’s confession last night.
How is it possible that he had feelings so strong he was literally stalking me, but he never thought to clue me in on those feelings?
Okay, so some of the frustration is probably internal because I never made mine clear to him either, but that’s not the point.
The screen lights up, and my chest tightens until I can’t drag in a breath.
No.
Unknown: Come out, my Wildcat, and maybe I’ll spare her life.
Attached is a photo of my mother sleeping, her face relaxed and oblivious to the threat being posed to her life.
Unknown: Don’t tell that fuckwit you’re fucking, or I’ll kill them both and make you watch.
That threat alone is enough to have me moving toward the elevators.
A pair of my joggers sits by the door, and I pull them on without conscious thought.
All I can think about right now is how terrified I am.
For my mom.
For Colten.
For myself.
I have no idea what I’m walking into, but I know exactly what I’m walking away from, and that’s what terrifies me.
The taxi ride is quiet, but that’s what I’d expect at five in the morning on a Sunday. The fact I was able to flag one on the street at all was nothing short of a miracle, but every mile we drive away from Colten is more painful than the last.
He’ll find me.
I clutch my phone to my chest. The urge to call him is strong, but not yet.
All that matters right now is getting Mom to safety, everything else will have to wait.
The car pulls onto the street I grew up on, and my entire body is wired with fear, but I pay the driver and climb out, remaining out of sight of the guards as I was instructed.
Hopefully that means he’s going to come out here and leave her alone, but I’m not so naive to think there’s a chance he won’t drag her out here to keep me in line.
Considering all he seems to know about me, it wouldn’t be a stretch to believe he knows how desperately I want to protect the people I love.
If me standing here in the rain, willingly handing myself over to someone who clearly intends me harm rather than being curled up with Colten, isn’t proof of that, I don’t know what is.
I read over the message I drafted in the car one more time as I wait. My plan is to send it at the last second before deleting it from my phone, just in case he checks.
In the moments between panic, I’ve practiced deleting a message without looking, and I think I can do it, but there’s too much I have left to say to not try.
Regret eats away at me, the ache between my thighs from his rough treatment a few hours ago reminding me of the words I should have said but didn’t.
I thought I had time, but that’s the thing. Time isn’t guaranteed. Every second we walk this earth is a blessing, and I wish we treated it that way.
I wish I’d treated that moment with Colten like it would be my last and told him how I feel, but a text will have to do.
If there’s a chance I’m about to disappear forever, I want to make sure he knows exactly how I feel about him.
Footsteps on the path have my body locking as a fresh wave of fear crashes over me. I drop my arm to my side and click send as the steps draw nearer, and when I’m certain the text has sent, I quickly delete any record of it.
“You came alone.” His voice sounds surprised.
“You told me to.”
He hums, noncommittally. His body towers over mine from behind, his mere presence sending a wave of nausea through me. “Drop the phone and walk.”
I do as I’m told, allowing the device to crash to the ground before I take a step forward.
I’ll play along with his commands for now, but I know better than to wait for someone else to save me.
I didn’t train my whole life not to be able to save myself, and the cool metal pressed against my hip reminds me of that every step of the way to my own demise.