Chapter 79
KADENCE
When I made it to the cliffside, the sun was kissing the horizon, leaving a romantic golden glow in its wake.
I saw the picnic set up in the same area where we made confessions before we made love for the first time.
Maybe I needed to fuck Blaize on the cliffside to really add to our relationship.
It was breathtaking, and the way the sun hit it made it even more romantic.
Then my stomach dropped. I really hoped she wasn’t planning on proposing to me tonight.
I loved Blaize more than anything, but that was something I was not ready for. Unless I was?
I was only twenty-three. I’d never thought of marriage or a family because of the fuck up I’d been in my parents’ life.
I’d never had anyone love me like Blaize did.
What if I passed my fucked-up genes to children?
That was even if Blaize wanted more kids after what happened to her daughter.
My nose scrunched at the thought. I didn’t even know if I wanted babies, but we were nowhere close to that part of our relationship.
Most girls dreamed of their fairytale wedding, making vision boards on Pinterest with a set theme of how they expect their special day to go, but I never had a desire for it.
One day, I knew I would possibly get married, but as I got older and my love life kept getting shittier and shittier, that ship set sail.
Then I met Blaize. I could see forever in her eyes, and it made my heart sing.
We both deserved this, a love so passionate it could create galaxies.
I locked the car doors and started walking toward the cliffside.
The salty ocean air whipped through my hair as I pulled the sweater closer to my body—a habit when I was anxious or needed a distraction.
I looked around to see if Blaize was hiding in the tree line, but she was nowhere to be seen.
A chill danced up my spine as fear crept in.
I wasn’t a fan of cat and mouse, and she knew it, but why would she have me come out here and hide from me?
Unless this was some sexual fantasy she had, but she’d talk to me about that first, instead of sneaking up on me.
The picnic was set up closer to the edge as it came into better view.
As I got closer, she was still nowhere to be found, and I was tired of whatever game she was playing.
I would leave and make her come to me. Spinning around to look in the tree line once more, I brought my phone to my ear.
Blaize’s number was on speed dial, and I wasn’t in the mood for whatever kink she was trying to play.
I frowned when the call went straight to voicemail.
“Uhm, Blaize, I’m at the cliffside, but I don’t know where you are—” A gasp fell from my lips as I got closer to a scarlet-stained white blanket scattered with pictures. “Oh my God.” My phone fell from my hand, crashing to the ground as I saw Olivia in the pictures.
Blaize never told me the details of what happened to her wife and daughter, but these pictures gave me enough.
Various photos showed Olivia bound, naked and bleeding with fear in her eyes.
The torture she endured because of a bitter man was heart-wrenching, and it made me understand now why Blaize reacted how she did when she thought I was working with Ethan West and Ava.
How could Everly do something like this?
What was done to her to make her this cruel?
She already tried to ruin the fragile bond Blaize and I had, but she failed, so she had to take the coward's way out and have Dominic try to kill me. If she was smart, she would have done something when we’d hung out outside of work, but I guess she had different plans.
The hair on the back of my neck stood at attention, a warning sign that I needed to get the hell out of here and back to the club.
My intuition was rusty sometimes, but right now with all the red flags blaring at me like a category five hurricane, I needed to run.
Before my feet could take me anywhere, something hard hit the back of my head and I stumbled, crashing onto the grass.
A ragged groan escaped my lips when a hard shoe kicked me in the ribs, forcing me onto my back.
My vision was spotty, but I could make out two figures hovering above me. “Blaize does have good taste in women. Too bad they all die.” His voice was rough.
“Don’t forget we get to have fun with her.” Fuck.
“Ev-Everly?”
She laughed bitterly, crouching down next to me, her red hair dancing in the brisk wind. “Hi, princess. It’s going to be so much fun killing you.” Her boot collided with my face, and black dots danced across my vision before everything faded to nothing, and darkness engulfed me.