Cruel Love Page 22
Chapter 37
Dani
My heart skips in my chest.
My god, how much I love this man.
Somehow, in the brief flash of the moment, I see it all. I picture exactly what marriage to Fox Fitzpatrick will look like. The two of us in an eternal embrace. The way it was meant to be... for the rest of our days.
The happy feeling lingers after we hang up. Just a little longer and we’ll be free. Just a little longer and he’ll be my husband.
Another knock taps the door and I wipe the tear from my cheek.
“Sorry, Caleb,” I say as I cross the room. “I’m coming.”
I open the door and pause at the unfamiliar face outside.
The woman startles at the sudden movement and lays a frail hand against her chest. She chuckles warmly, showing wrinkles around her eyes.
“Oh, good. Someone else is here...” she says.
I casually lean to obscure most of my face behind the door. “Can I help you?” I ask.
“I’m so sorry to bother you, but...” she turns and points to a powder blue car across the lot, “are you traveling with a first aid kit, by chance?”
“Uh...”
“My son, he...” she shakes her head disapprovingly, “he’s got a bit of a scratch and he just won’t stop picking at it. I could use a bandage, perhaps even some alcohol wipes if you’ve got some to spare.”
I hesitate before taking a step back. “I think there’s a kit in the bathroom. I can check.”
“I would appreciate it so much, dear.”
I smile and turn toward the bathroom. The woman lingers outside while I walk across the room.
“Beautiful weather you’ve got here,” she says, killing time.
“Yeah,” I say as I open the bathroom cabinets. There’s a small kit inside, white and plastic with a red cross sticker on the top. “First time in Las Vegas?”
“Oh, no,” she says. “My kids and I come a few times a year. Bit of a family tradition.”
“Sounds like fun.”
I nod and carry the kit out into the main room, pausing in place when I see that she’s let herself in. She stands by the bed, her curious eyes gazing around.
I pop the kit open, finding several small bandages but nothing else. I walk over slowly and hold out the kit to her. “Take all you need,” I say. “There’s not much, but...”
The woman sighs with gratitude as she slides a few bandages out. “Thank you so much. I know better, I just forgot to restock the kit we keep in the trunk...”
I wave a hand. “It’s no problem. You’re very welcome.”
She pauses and studies my face. “I’m sorry, are you that girl...?”
I look down, biting my cheek. “What girl?”
“I knew you looked familiar!” She grins. “You’re the girl from those Trial movies, aren’t you?”
“No.” I shake my head. “But I get that a lot...”
“Oh, don’t you worry.” She mimes a key to her mouth in understanding. “I won’t tell anyone.”
I chuckle awkwardly.
“A girl like you...” she says, “hanging around a dirty place like this? Must be hiding from something.”
“No, I—”
“I don’t blame you at all!” She laughs. “Everywhere you go, everything you do. People just following you around, snapping photos. Must be an absolute nightmare. That’s no way for a young girl to live.”
I hold my breath, eying the door. “Right.”
“Though, I suppose, it has its perks. Beauty and wealth go a long way in this world.” Her head tilts. “But I don’t have to tell you that. You’re... oh, forgive me. Rocky? Robbie?”
“Roxie,” I answer.
“Yes.” She smiles. “Roxie Roberts. My son was utterly obsessed with you.”
I clear my throat and gesture to the bandages in her hand. “Speaking of, you should probably get those to him...”
“I told him it was just jealousy.” Her face hardens. “She’s nothing to get bent out of shape about but he couldn’t let you go. Just kept picking at it and picking at it until one day...”
I freeze as her eyes land on my cheek.
“He couldn’t let it go,” she says just above a whisper. “He couldn’t let him go...”
“Dani, get away from her.”
I twitch toward the open doorway to find Caleb standing there with a pistol aimed at the woman’s head.
“Caleb—”
The woman grabs my neck, her grip surprisingly tight and strong. She shoves me backward, pinning me against the dresser as my instincts spark to fight back. I try to shove her away, but I halt with dread as a cold knife digs into my throat.
“Come inside, Ms. Fawn,” the woman says, her voice steady and calm.
“Let her go,” Caleb barks with her finger on the trigger.
“I’d put that down if I were you. My agents are quite protective of me and you have very pretty eyes. I’d hate to see them splattered along the walls.”
I gasp as a man appears in the doorway behind Caleb and points a gun to the back of her head.
“No, wait, please...” I say, fearing the worst. “Please, she’s pregnant.”
“Dani.”
I ignore Caleb, trying to keep the woman’s violent focus on me instead. “Don’t hurt her, please,” I beg. “Please…”
Her hard face never shifts as she eyes Caleb. “Put the gun down, Ms. Fawn,” she says slowly. “I hadn’t planned on killing two people today, but I won’t hesitate to kill three... if I have to.”
Caleb’s stance falters as she hesitates. We make eye contact and I urge her to do as the woman says. She slowly lowers the gun to her side and the man behind her snatches it from her hand.
“Now…” the woman smiles, “do close the door and take a seat in the chair. This won’t take long.”
I shake with fear as Caleb slowly walks inside, followed closely by the man in black. He closes the door behind them and puts his back to it.
The blade grazes my skin. “Just so we’re all on the same page here,” the woman says. “Ms. Fawn, would you kindly inform Ms. Roberts who I am?”
Caleb lowers into the chair by the window. “You’re Marilyn Black,” she says.
My eyes grow wider and Marilyn smiles at me.
“Yes, that’s right,” she says, her gaze locked on mine. “You met my son, Mercer. Is that correct?”
I swallow hard, sensing the same cruelty behind her smile as he had. “Yes.”
Marilyn lowers the blade to her side and takes a step back. “Ms. Roberts...” She sits down on the edge of the bed. “I do believe I owe you an apology. On my son’s behalf, I mean.”
I stay standing, my backside pressed against the dresser. “Why?”
She softens, amused. “He did cause some physical damage, did he not? When I saw what he was up to — on live television no less, well... you can understand why a mother might feel some embarrassment for their child’s behavior. That’s not how I raised my boy to settle disputes, but boys will be boys, as they say.”
I look at Caleb as her brow furrows.
“I have a question for you,” Marilyn says, tapping her knife against her thigh. “I think I already know the answer but... if you wouldn’t mind giving a mother some closure, I would greatly appreciate it. Is my son dead, Ms. Roberts?”
I eye the man at the door, tall and brutal. Even if I could overtake Marilyn, there’s no way I’d get past him.
“Yes,” I answer her. “Mercer is dead.”
Marilyn’s face softens. She looks down, her eyes bright with unfallen tears. “Well...” She takes in a sharp breath and composes herself. “As I expected. Thank you.”
I nod. If this were anyone else, I might offer a condolence or two, but I stay quiet.
She pats the bed beside her. “Do sit down, dear.”
I hesitate.
“I said, sit down.”
I flinch at the sudden shift in her tone. Even her eyes look a shade da
rker than they were before. I ease forward and sit down on the bed beside her.
“Would you tell me how he died?” she asks.
“Uh, he...” I look at the knife resting on her knee. “He was shot.”
“By you?”
“No.” I look down as my shoulder twinges. “Fox shot him.”
“Where?” She cracks a smile as I lean back. “Excuse my morbid curiosity but when you’re a mother, perhaps you’ll understand. You experienced my son’s final moments. I would like to know what they were like.”
“He...” A lump grows in my throat. “Mercer took me hostage,” I say. “He held me at gunpoint and Fox... pointed a rifle at us.”
I bite down, trying to hold back tears as memories of blood and pain come roaring back.
Marilyn pats my arm. “I imagine that was quite traumatic for you but please continue.”
I shudder at her dark eyes. That was not a request.
“Fox couldn’t get a clear shot at Mercer. So, he told me to close my eyes,” I say as a tear falls down my cheek. “He shot me instead.”
Her jaw drops. “Really?”
“The bullet went through my shoulder...” I pause, “and hit Mercer in the heart. Fox saved my life and... we left him to bleed to death.”
She takes a moment. “Alone?” she finally asks.
“Yes,” I answer.
Her eyes land on my shoulder. “May I?” she asks, reaching out to me.
She doesn’t give me a chance to say no. She pushes my shirt to the side to reveal the scar on my shoulder, still pink around the edges of torn skin. I try not to move but I can’t stop the tremors shaking me to the core as her fingers graze the closed wound. Her touch is rough and cold and as dry as sandpaper.
“You shared blood with my boy,” she whispers. “For one second in time...” She releases my shirt and sits back. “Thank you for telling me, Ms. Roberts.”
She rises off the bed and I exhale slowly, happy to be out of range of her knife. Marilyn paces in the other direction with her hands folded behind her back, the knife still clutched in her hand.
I wipe my cheeks, willing the painful memories to go away. Re-living that nightmare again... is this how Fox feels all the time? Does he think about pulling that trigger every time he looks at me?
“Don’t even think about it, Ms. Fawn.”
I flinch at Caleb in the corner, catching her as she inches toward her duffel bag.
“Byron, please...” Marilyn turns back around to face the room. “Restrain Ms. Fawn and take her to the car. We don’t want her causing any further trouble.”
The man makes his way toward Caleb. I stare her down, silently urging her not to fight him.
“Ms. Roberts.”
I cower as Marilyn stands over me again.
“Give me your hand,” she says.
I can barely move, frozen in fear. My right hand twitches up but she reaches down and grabs my left instead.
She focuses on the engagement ring on my finger. “Hmm,” she hums. “That’s beautiful.”
She twists my wrist, positioning my palm upward. I try to pull away, but she tightens her grip and lays the knife against my palm.
“I would sedate you, but…” she presses down, breaking skin, “I really want this to hurt.”
* * *
Thank you so much for reading CRUEL LOVE!
The final chapter of the Killer Love saga is coming on December 10th, 2019. The fight against the Boss has only just begun…
“You took my legacy, Fox. My family’s future. Is it not fair that I do the same to you?”
Click here to pre-order ENDLESS LOVE today!
Books by Tabatha Drake
Killer Love Saga
Killer Love
Secret Love
Tainted Love
Broken Love
Mad Love
Cruel Love
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About the Author
Tabatha Drake is the dark and dirty alter ego of USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Tabatha Kiss! She lives in Chicago, Illinois. You can probably catch her huddled up in a hoodie, reading a good romance beneath a tree with her trusty husky by her side. She enjoys roller derby, sushi, and is always searching for her forever bad boy. In the meantime, she writes.
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Copyright
Copyright © 2019 by Tabatha Drake
All Rights Reserved. Kindle Edition.
Cover Design by Cover Me Timbers
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the author.
This is a work of fiction intended for mature audiences only. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
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