shouldn’t have let Rory fall in love with you.”
I turn and nod. “You’re right. I never should have let him love me, but I don’t remember being that girl. I don’t care who BenjaminDash is. I care that I am Jane Spears. I am a shopgirl. I am happy and stress free. Since all of this started washing back up in my life, I’ve been stressed. I feel funny in my skin for the first time in years. I don’t think Sam was a good person, and I don’t want to be her. I don’t want her baggage or her bullshit.”
The car stops at a red light, and I see my store. “I’ll get out here.” I open the door and walk out into the night. I take my usual route home. My cell phone rings in my pocket, making me nervous Derek is home, but when I answer, it isn’t his voice screaming in my ear. It’s Rory.
“He’s not with that car in Bellevue. It wasn’t his car we were tracking. He must have known you put the tracker on and dumped it on another silver Mercedes. The guy just got back—he’s a rower. That means—”
“He’s home and waiting for me.” I finish his sentence. Dread and guilt battle for the top spot in my emotions.
“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”
“No. Go to the airport. He won’t hurt me.” I hang up the phone and walk behind the building to the street where our house is. Seeing his car makes me gag a little, but I keep walking. I force my steps. Every inch of me wants to run except my heart. My heart drags my feet across the street and up the driveway.
I open the unlocked door, peeking into the darkness. The silent house is still. Even Binx stays hidden. My stomach is in my throat as I close the door, pressing my back against it. Images of him rampaging with a knife in his hand flicker through my mind. I turn the lock on the door, slipping my shoes off. I walk into the kitchen first. It’s dark, with the pale-blue glow of the appliances the only light. I walk into the dining room, but he isn’t in there.
So I turn to the living room, but again it’s empty.
This isn’t me. I have been drawn into their madness, locked away in their fears, and let them rule me. I believe I am safe in my home with my boyfriend. But strangers have me scared by all the what-ifs.
I swallow hard, tiptoeing past the French doors that face the backyard to the hallway where the bedrooms are.
When I open the door to our room, I notice the sweat on my palms as I turn the handle. In the glow of the moonlight and streetlights, I see him sitting in the chair like Norman Bates. His silhouette and the shadow he casts are more frightening than a single thing I have done in the past couple of days.
I close the door, leaning against it and trapping us both in the dark.
“Did you come to kill me?” His voice is soft and yet strong, not defeated as his shadow on the floor might suggest.
“No.” Shit. My heart is breaking as the silence and simple words become all the proof I ever needed.
He lifts his face, showing me his eyes as they reflect the light from the window. “You must know their version of everything.”
“No.” The words are a lie, but I want nothing like I do our peace and to return to our life.
He stands, making every hair on my body stand on edge, and crosses the floor slowly. His steps are soft and deliberate. When he reaches me I swear I see him hesitate. “Do you know my name?”
My stomach sinks as I nod, feeling a single tear slip down my cheek. There is a terrible feeling inside me that facing him is like facing a wild animal.
“Say it.”
Glancing up into his beautiful face I say the name I want to say. “Dr. Derek Russo.”
A smile crosses his lips, but it’s not the one I love. It’s bitter and filled with what I fear is the end of us. “Say it.” He doesn’t specify. He doesn’t have to.
I swallow hard, letting the words fall out of my lips. “Benjamin Dash.”
“And who are you?”
A sound leaves my lips. It’s defeat in its simplest form. “Jane
I turn and nod. “You’re right. I never should have let him love me, but I don’t remember being that girl. I don’t care who BenjaminDash is. I care that I am Jane Spears. I am a shopgirl. I am happy and stress free. Since all of this started washing back up in my life, I’ve been stressed. I feel funny in my skin for the first time in years. I don’t think Sam was a good person, and I don’t want to be her. I don’t want her baggage or her bullshit.”
The car stops at a red light, and I see my store. “I’ll get out here.” I open the door and walk out into the night. I take my usual route home. My cell phone rings in my pocket, making me nervous Derek is home, but when I answer, it isn’t his voice screaming in my ear. It’s Rory.
“He’s not with that car in Bellevue. It wasn’t his car we were tracking. He must have known you put the tracker on and dumped it on another silver Mercedes. The guy just got back—he’s a rower. That means—”
“He’s home and waiting for me.” I finish his sentence. Dread and guilt battle for the top spot in my emotions.
“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”
“No. Go to the airport. He won’t hurt me.” I hang up the phone and walk behind the building to the street where our house is. Seeing his car makes me gag a little, but I keep walking. I force my steps. Every inch of me wants to run except my heart. My heart drags my feet across the street and up the driveway.
I open the unlocked door, peeking into the darkness. The silent house is still. Even Binx stays hidden. My stomach is in my throat as I close the door, pressing my back against it. Images of him rampaging with a knife in his hand flicker through my mind. I turn the lock on the door, slipping my shoes off. I walk into the kitchen first. It’s dark, with the pale-blue glow of the appliances the only light. I walk into the dining room, but he isn’t in there.
So I turn to the living room, but again it’s empty.
This isn’t me. I have been drawn into their madness, locked away in their fears, and let them rule me. I believe I am safe in my home with my boyfriend. But strangers have me scared by all the what-ifs.
I swallow hard, tiptoeing past the French doors that face the backyard to the hallway where the bedrooms are.
When I open the door to our room, I notice the sweat on my palms as I turn the handle. In the glow of the moonlight and streetlights, I see him sitting in the chair like Norman Bates. His silhouette and the shadow he casts are more frightening than a single thing I have done in the past couple of days.
I close the door, leaning against it and trapping us both in the dark.
“Did you come to kill me?” His voice is soft and yet strong, not defeated as his shadow on the floor might suggest.
“No.” Shit. My heart is breaking as the silence and simple words become all the proof I ever needed.
He lifts his face, showing me his eyes as they reflect the light from the window. “You must know their version of everything.”
“No.” The words are a lie, but I want nothing like I do our peace and to return to our life.
He stands, making every hair on my body stand on edge, and crosses the floor slowly. His steps are soft and deliberate. When he reaches me I swear I see him hesitate. “Do you know my name?”
My stomach sinks as I nod, feeling a single tear slip down my cheek. There is a terrible feeling inside me that facing him is like facing a wild animal.
“Say it.”
Glancing up into his beautiful face I say the name I want to say. “Dr. Derek Russo.”
A smile crosses his lips, but it’s not the one I love. It’s bitter and filled with what I fear is the end of us. “Say it.” He doesn’t specify. He doesn’t have to.
I swallow hard, letting the words fall out of my lips. “Benjamin Dash.”
“And who are you?”
A sound leaves my lips. It’s defeat in its simplest form. “Jane
Similar Books
