Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 65104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 65104 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 326(@200wpm)___ 260(@250wpm)___ 217(@300wpm)
She doesn’t respond right away, but I know she’s on her way home. Her last text said she was planning to binge-watch a series with Becca tonight. I smile to myself, imagining her curled up on that ridiculous pink couch in fuzzy socks, half watching a show and half scrolling her phone.
By the time I pull up outside her building, the sun has dipped low enough to cast everything in deep gold. Shadows stretch across the sidewalk. I scan the street like I always do. I don’t trust any corner I haven’t cleared myself.
She appears from around the block two minutes later, walking toward the door with her hair loose and her coat buttoned all the way up. She pauses to wave at someone in a passing car before reaching the entrance.
Something’s off.
She doesn’t notice it, but I do. The entry door doesn’t latch all the way when it swings closed behind her. It bounces slightly, like it’s caught on something. Then a man appears behind her.
My blood turns to ice.
He’s walking too casually. Keeping just enough distance not to raise suspicion. His hood’s up, but his body language is all wrong. My driver shifts in the front seat, but I’m already opening the door.
“Wait here,” I bark, slamming it shut behind me.
I stride toward the building, my vision narrowing. As I reach the door, I see the folded matchbook shoved into the corner, just enough to keep the lock from catching. It’s sloppy and stupid, and definitely intentional.
I rip it out and push inside, my footsteps echoing through the stairwell. I take the stairs two at a time, pulse pounding.
Then I hear Lyra scream.
I round the corner just in time to see her pressed against the hallway wall, Rick’s hand fisted in her jacket as she kicks at him. He’s snarling something I can’t hear over the roar in my ears.
I don’t slow down.
I reach him in three steps, grab the back of his shirt, and yank him off her like he’s made of paper. He’s not light, but adrenaline makes him weightless. I slam him against the opposite wall, hard enough to knock a frame off its hook.
“You stupid bastard,” I growl, pinning him with one forearm. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?”
His face twists in panic, his mouth opening to protest, but I press harder. The drywall behind him cracks.
“Damien!” Lyra shouts, her voice high with panic. “Stop! You’ll kill him!”
I almost do. My fist is halfway to his face. My other hand is wrapped tight in the front of his hoodie. His feet barely touch the ground.
But I hear her, and it’s enough to stop me.
I let him drop. He gasps for breath and stumbles back, crashing into the wall again. His eyes dart between me and Lyra, wide with fear.
“You listen to me, you piece of shit,” I snarl, low and lethal. “If I see you again, if you so much as breathe in this city, I will end you.”
Rick doesn’t answer. He just nods and bolts for the stairwell.
I turn to Lyra. She’s against the wall, shaking, but her eyes are locked on mine.
“Are you okay?” I ask, stepping closer, hands still balled at my sides.
She nods slowly, then faster. “Yeah. I think so.”
I reach out, and she steps into me on instinct. Her arms go around my middle, and she presses her face into my chest.
“I didn’t know he followed me,” she mumbles. “He just came out of nowhere.”
I rest my chin on top of her head, still trying to get my breathing under control.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur. “You’re safe now.”
A door creaks open down the hall, then another. Someone sticks their head out.
Lyra looks up at me and gives a shaky laugh. “We probably shouldn’t do this out here.”
Her voice is softer now, more grounded.
She brushes her hair back and motions toward her apartment. “Come inside. Becca’s still at work.”
I follow her in, only now realizing my hands are still trembling from how close that came to turning bloody. I take a minute to message my driver and tell him I’ll be staying here for the night. Then I put my phone away and turn to her.
Lyra is standing just inside the apartment, hands still trembling slightly, her back against the locked door. Her breathing comes in quick little bursts, but her eyes are steady, locked on me like I’m the only thing in the room she trusts to make sense. That’s exactly what I need to be right now.
I cross to her slowly, reaching for her hand without saying a word. She doesn’t flinch when I take it. She just steps into me, letting her body melt against mine like she’s been waiting for it all day.
I kiss her before I can stop myself. There’s no hesitation this time. My mouth finds hers and everything else disappears. All that fury I had when I saw Rick touch her, when I heard her scream, when I imagined what could have happened, is gone now, transformed into something else. Something sharp, urgent, and focused entirely on her.