Matthew lets out a long, drawn out sigh. He glances over my head and then back to me again.
“You want me to put a stop to this?” he asks.
“Yes,” I immediately hiss back.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” I repeat impatiently. Isn’t that what I’ve been asking all along?
His hand lowers to his waist and his fingers brush across the top of his gun. “Okay. I’ll deal with Simon…”
Wait. What?
My fingers tighten in his shirt as he tries to rise. “What are you going to do?”
“I’m going to put a bullet in Asad’s head,” Matthew says with annoyance.
I start to relax and my fingers begin to let go.
“Then I’m going to put one in Simon’s.”
“No,” I gasp, yanking on his shirt. “Don’t you fucking dare…”
I don’t even have to think twice about it. I swear, if he lays one hand on my man I’ll rip him apart.
“Don’t I dare what?” Matthew asks, one brow arching while a smirk threatens to spread across his lips. “The only way to put an end to this, to stop Simon from protecting his family, is by killing him. Isn’t that what you want, Meredith?”
“No,” I growl at him.
“Good,” Matthew says and he begins to relax, allowing the smirk to finally takeover his mouth.
God, is there no end to this craziness? How much more can I endure?
“I would hate to have to kill my best friend…”
I narrow my eyes and shoot him a dirty look. Knowing what I know now, I honestly think he’s being serious.
“You’d do it, too, wouldn’t you?” I accuse.
Matthew looks me dead in the eyes as he answers seriously. “Yes, Meredith, I would.”
Fuck. I don’t know if I want to hate him for threatening Simon or love him because he’d kill his best friend for me.
I settle on accepting a little of both.
Shaking my head, I take a deep breath and lean back in my chair. Trying to reconcile all the shit that’s in my head while I tune all the stuff going on behind me out.
“How are you holding up, princess?” Simon calls out to me suddenly, pulling me out of my thoughts.
How am I holding up?
“I’ve been better,” I answer back.
“Not much longer, I promise,” he says.
I sigh wearily. How fucking long does it take to torture a man to death? Shit. Did I really just think that?
“Does he treat you well?” Matthew asks quietly.
I glance up at him in surprise. Does Simon treat me well? What a tricky question. It was rough in the beginning, yes, but now that’s he completely enamored with me things have been going rather well.
“Yes,” I answer tentatively. “The only complaint I have is that I’d like to get out more…
Once again, Matthew’s brow quirks up, and there’s something about that brow that makes me feel like I need to add, just in case he gets any ideas, “I’m sure once this… message is sent though, it won’t be a problem.”
Matthew nods his head and says, “I’ll speak with him. Tell him to bring you around the compound more.”
I smile at him. “Thank you.”
“Evelyn has been asking about you. And I’m sure you’d like to get to know your nephews better.”
My heart swells a little at the thought of spending more time with my family.
My family… I have a family. Well, I’ve always had a family. I guess it’s only real now that I’ve forgiven Matthew.
I answer him honestly, “I would.”
Matthew nods his head and we fall back into a comfortable silence again.
A couple of minutes later there’s a loud squelching noise and James starts to gag. “Fuck, I didn’t know a cock could do that.”
“Stop fucking whining and put it in the box,” Simon sighs.
Despite Simon’s promise that it will be over soon, it feels like I stare at the wall for eternity. Thinking of everything we’ve gone through. Thinking of what he’s doing right now to protect me…
Then I blink my eyes and he’s suddenly there, grabbing my hand and pulling me up.
“Is it done?” I ask.
Relief floods through me now that he’s standing in front of me.
Simon nods his head. “It’s done. Fucker is going back to his father in pieces to show no one fucks with the woman I love.”
Love.
That word slams into me so hard I nearly fall on my ass.
Did he mean to say it? Searching his face, I don’t think he did.
But now that he has, I’m not going to let him take it back. No, I’m never going to let him forget he said it.
Fuck. To be loved by this man…. To be the beginning and end of his craziness… To drive him to do such dark, twisted things for me… for us… for our baby…
It fills me with a purpose no game in my past ever has.
After everything I’ve been through today. After having my world broken, my sense of identity shattered over and over again. Reliving the nightmare…