Chapter Forty-three
T here’s a buzzing in my head, a ringing in my ears. I heard her scream. I ran, and then…
“We are meant to be,” Sloane’s voice shakes, “I see it.”
There was so much blood. Who the fuck is here?
I squeeze my eyes, ignoring the pounding at the back of my skull and the sting at my temple, and force them to open. My vision swims, and my body rebels, the shock keeping me immobile for the minute.
But I see her, she’s trying to push up onto her hands and her knees. There’s blood all over her face, and a man is walking toward her. I don’t recognize him though. Is this one of Richard’s guys? Did we miss something?
“We can leave, Felix. Just disappear.” She says.
“You’re just saying that!” Felix snaps at her. I’m not following, my brain is barely processing. All I know is that I need to get up. I need to get to her, to protect her.
“I’m not, Felix,” Sloane settles back onto her heels, and her eyes cut to me in a fleeting glance. Something in her shoulders loosens. “You said,” She swallows thickly, “You said that night that I always leave, well why don’t we leave together? Just get out of here.”
Fresh bruising shadows parts of her face, the skin red and inflamed, the bruises still forming.
Felix grasps her by her arms and hauls her to her feet, keeping her steady when her knees buckle. He caresses the side of her face.
“You lie.” He sneers before he grasps her chin roughly and pushes her back. A strangled noise comes out of her.
“Sloane!” I call her name.
Why the fuck is my body not working!? I attempt to get up, but weakness buckles my arms and legs, so I drag myself, pulling myself across the floor toward her.
“I’m not lying!” She cries, “Felix, I’m not. We can be together now! It’s not like before, you don’t have to do this. I won’t leave you!”
This is him. This is the one who hurt her. Almost killed her. And she’s giving herself to him.
Lily lets out a scream beyond the wall, the sound echoing because the monitor is still active.
“I’ll leave them for you. I promise,” Sloane says, “I will.”
“Sloane,” I try. She needs to stop; she can’t leave with him.
Get the fuck up! Stop being weak!
“You’ll leave them?” Felix says.
“Yes, I promise. It’s just you and me.”
I wince at the words.
“Sloane, no.” Her eyes flutter at the sound of my voice, but she doesn’t give them to me, she keeps her focus on the man in front of her.
She’s giving herself to him to save me.
“We can leave right now,” Sloane tells him, softening her tone, placating him. “Should we go now?”
Felix reaches for her, stroking her blood soaked hair. “Forever?” He asks.
“Of course, Felix.” She nods.
I push up, forcing myself to my hands and knees.
My head swims, blacking out my vision for a few seconds, but noise remains.
I hear the bed squeak, the sound of their footsteps.
Shaking my head, I clear my vision, still, it remains spotty, but she’s right there.
I reach for her, but she steps away from my hand, following Felix out of the room.
“Sloane!”
But the door opens and closes, and she leaves.
Blood drips off my face, onto the carpet beneath me as my head continues to throb, stealing away my function. I recognize the concussion for what it is, but it makes me feel fucking weak.
And terrified.
He’s taken her. She let him and I could do nothing .
Darkness wants to pull me under, to consume me, but the rage of him taking her, of him hurting her, keeps it from sinking its claws into me.
I promised I’d keep her safe. I promised he’d never get to her.
And I didn’t keep it.
I was too fucking weak to stop it.
This is not how we end.
Forcing myself to my knees, I sit back on my heels and pause, waiting for the dizziness to pass, and then slowly, surely, I get to my feet, keeping myself steady by using the furniture and walls to move. As I go, I pull my cell from my pocket and dial my brother.
“The fuck do you want?” He grumbles.
“I need you.” There’s gravel in my tone, pain in my voice.
“On my way. The guys?”
“Yes.” I head through to Lily and pick her up, rocking her to try to settle her, but she continues to cry.
I take the stairs down and pull open the door, noticing the Range Rover is gone.
I don’t bother to explain on the phone and hang up, unlocking the basement door to go down to my office where I can pull the feed up for the cameras inside the car.
And there she is, sitting in the passenger seat with silent tears tracking through the blood on her face. Felix drives, his knuckles white around the steering wheel, the speedometer reading eighty. He’s going to kill them both.
I need a way to contact her, to let her know I’m coming for her.
I can’t hack the audio, he’ll hear it too, but I can hack the GPS. I can keep track of them.
“Where are we going?” Sloane speaks, the audio coming through staticky but clear, only cutting out for a millisecond so I can still make out what she is saying.
“We’re going to find a new life,” Felix says, keeping his eyes on the dark road ahead.
“Should we make a stop somewhere?” I hear the tremor in her tone.
Good Girl . Make him stop somewhere, let me come find you.
“Find a hotel,” He demands of her, “Out of the city. I don’t want you anywhere near here.”
“O-okay,” She stammers and starts pressing keys on the dash, using the onboard computer to find hotels. She selects one, but I click something else for her, giving her a new address.
It’s a safe house about two hours outside the city. I can get there at the same time as they do.
Her fingers pause as I flash the address to her again.
“Come on, baby, click accept.” I mumble.
Another flash. I can’t give myself away, not without risking her too. She just has to accept. She just has to trust me.
As if she knows it’s there, her eyes make contact with the camera. It’s hidden, so it’s unlikely she knows, but I feel her stare, the way her glazed eyes hold mine.
I flash the address again, and this time she accepts, setting the navigation to go to the address I provided.
“I found one,” She whispers.
“Good.”
I don’t wait. Balancing Lily, I grab my gun, ammo, and cell and head up. Concussion or not, she is not spending more time than necessary with him. I’ll end him.
As I pull open the door, Killian’s car pulls up, and he’s out, walking to me as I head to the Porsche. Behind him, Savannah waits.
“Take her,” I call to Savannah.
“What’s going on?”
“Sloane’s attacker found her,” I hand Lily over to Savannah, “He’s taking her to the safe house two hours from here.”
Savannah gasps, “No.”
“I’m going to get her back.”
“He’s going to kill her,” Savannah cries.
I swallow the bile that rises in my throat. “She made him believe that she wanted him. That’s what it’s all about. He’s obsessed with her, so she fed his obsession.”
Savannah cups her hand over her mouth, tears tracking down her cheeks.
“I’m getting her back,” I vow.
“Let’s go.” Killian walks around to the other side of the car. “I’ll relay the message to Malakai and Bast.”
“Save her, Dean,” Savannah whispers brokenly, “She needs you.”
“I need her , Savannah.”
She steps back so I can get into the car and then takes Lily up to the porch, watching us as we reverse into the road, and I hit the gas.
Killian dials Malakai as we go, the engine revving as I take the streets entirely too fast, tires skidding as I take the corners.
I have time to make up if I want to get there at the same time as them, preferably earlier so I can ambush him.
Killian relays the information to Malakai as I take the highway out of the city, opening up the engine as I weave through the traffic. At this hour, it’s quiet, which makes it easier to gain time.
I’m coming, Butterfly.