No matter what happens to me, I will be okay. I will survive.
Only then did I drift away, floating on the velvet of night.
Boss barked.
What’s wrong?
The thick, heaviness of sleep blanketed me. I had to put all my energy into opening my eyes. My body remained still and floating on the edge of slumber.
Did he bark? Or did I imagine it.
Only silence filled the air.
Did I imagine it?
Yawning and twisting around, I could barely keep my eyes half-open.
Boss?
I listened, waiting for Boss to bark again.
Only quiet came.
A wave of relief washed over me.
Boss wasn’t the type of dog to yap and stop. He barked forever at intruders. He growled and snapped. Charged and bit. The only thing that quieted him was Quin’s commands.
Just in case. . .
Closing my eyes, I scooted over to my night stand, stretched my hand that way, and pulled the top drawer open. My arm rested on the top of the night stand. My hand lingered in front of the opened drawer.
I just need a minute. . .
The haze of rum and the call of sleep became too strong. I closed my eyes and went back to sleep.
Only God knew how long I slept.
Hours.
Minutes.
Maybe seconds.
The next sound that registered was the dark, haunting voice of a man. “How could you ever think we would be done?”
Huh?
Rising from the midst of slumber, I slowly blinked open my eyes.
For some reason, my bedroom seemed brighter. Moonlight spilled into the space more than ever before.
Yawning, I forced myself to keep my eyes open. I thought I caught something in front of me.
Did someone speak?
I yawned again and focused on the large dark figure sitting in a chair at the end of my bed.
No. Wake up, Phoenix. Get up!
Anxiety pushed through me, triggering my adrenaline.
The person didn’t move and I was still waking up, not truly able to see the person’s face or make sense of the moment.
Someone’s here! Get away!
It all happened so fast.
My nerves burst on edge. My muscles vibrated with energy. My heart slammed against my ribcage. I gasped, almost choking on breath.
Get away.
I kicked the blankets off me. My feet got tangled in the sheets. My hands wrestled with the pillows and comforter. Everything bounced and tumbled in the air.
Gun. Gun.
Gasping for breath, I exploded into action, twisting to the nightstand, yanking out the top drawer, and grabbing the gun.
Get out of here. Get out of here.
I kicked more blankets off me and quickly scrambled back against the bed’s headboard. Somehow I kept the gun pointed in front of me.
And the person remained still.
My hazy view cleared.
No!
Cain sat in the chair by my bed with one leg crossed and his gloved hands folded on his lap.
Run. Run. Run.
Chapter 8
Bullets & a Bloody Tampon
PHOENIX
F
rozen in terror, I couldn’t move or speak.
He’s here. He’s here.
Meanwhile, Cain didn’t move from the chair. “Put the gun down, Phoenix.”
I wasn’t prepared for his haunting husky voice. It had been a while since I’d heard it. The deep vibrating sound slipped along my skin like ocean waves slipping over a rocky beach. It rumbled and reverberated inside me. It brushed against my heartbeat.
My hand shook as I raised my gun’s aim to his eyes. “Go. . .or you die.”
Silent, he watched me.
“Leave.”
Intrigue filled his cold, seducing eyes. “You’re not interested in why I came?”
My heart raced. “You think it’s the beginning. . .for us.”
“I do.”
“It’s not.”
Cain leaned his head to the side. “No?”
“It’s just bullets.”
“Just bullets.” A smile spread across his face. “That’s it?”
Never lowering my gun’s aim, I slipped off the edge of the mattress, left the bed, stood, and stepped back. “I gave you all the money.”
“You did.”
“I didn’t keep one penny.”
“You could have kept some, but I love you more for not.”
“I didn’t go to the cops or return for revenge.”
“And I’ll forever be loyal to you because of it.”
“I don’t want your loyalty, Cain. I want you to leave me alone.”
“That’s not an option.” He rose from the chair.
I stifled a shriek.
Everything else in the room was dwarfed by his massive frame. Suddenly the bedroom was a small tight place.
Shit.
My heart almost stopped pumping. My lungs almost ceased with breath. My legs came damn close to giving out.
I forgot how big he was. How could I forget?
He stood and placed his gloved hands to the side. “I love the color blue on you.”
Shoot him. You can’t knock him down.
My finger shook on the trigger.
Kill him. That’s the only way out of here.
He gestured toward the living room. “Who’s dog was that in the living room?”
“Was?” I widened my eyes. “What the hell did you do to Boss?”
“He’s sleeping. He’ll wake up in the morning with a dry mouth. I put a large bowl of water next to him.”
“H-how long have you been in here?”
“Less than an hour. I wanted a quiet look of the place before waking you up.” He began to walk around the bed.