Lie (Betrothed 8)

He cocked his head slightly, his raised eyebrows saying everything his lips wouldn’t.

“I’m giving you a free pass, Damien. Drop this vendetta and live your fucking life.” I gave him a few seconds to respond, and when he didn’t, I turned to walk out the door, hoping this incident was enough to settle him.

“No.”

I heard his answer loud and clear, felt the breath enter my lungs before I released it as a sigh. My eyes stayed on the wooden door, wishing I hadn’t heard that response. My feelings toward Damien hadn’t changed, but as if Catalina were there with me, she grabbed my hand and steadied me, controlled me. I closed my eyes for a second before I turned around to face him.

He raised one finger. “You almost killed my father.”

I rolled my eyes.

Two fingers. “You helped Liam break through the glass of my bedroom. I don’t know what the fuck you did, but you gave him some kind of micro pulse to shatter the glass. And because of that, Annabella got shot.”

I was surprised he’d figured out that, actually.

Three fingers. “You paid off the hospital workers to remove her from her bed, even though she might have died.”

They said she was totally stable, but whatever.

Four fingers. “And then you helped Liam take Annabella prisoner.”

And I stole your sister…

He dropped his hand. “So, no, I’m not gonna let this go.”

With a blank stare, I returned to his desk, unsure how to handle this situation. A man just threatened me straight to my face, and the most logical thing to do was draw my gun and shoot him right in the fucking face.

But I couldn’t do that.

If Catalina knew I slaughtered her brother, she would leave in a heartbeat.

So, what the fuck was I supposed to do?

Damien seemed to think he was invincible because he was calm, as if he somehow knew he had the upper hand.

“I don’t want to kill you, Damien. But I will.”

His eyes stayed the same.

“Consider this your final warning.” My voice was quiet so the men wouldn’t hear our conversation on the other side of the door. I needed to make Damien back off, but I had no idea how to do that other than issuing a verbal threat. If I took Anna to teach him a lesson, it would just infuriate him more. If I did anything to Hades or his father, the problem would escalate.

Since I couldn’t kill him, I had nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

I turned the key in the lock and stepped into the apartment. “Baby?”

The TV was off, and there was no sign of life in the apartment. I listened for footsteps in the bedroom, but there was none of that either. I pulled out my phone and texted her. Where are you?

Her response was immediate. What kind of question is that?

Well, you aren’t home.

And how do you know that…?

I smiled as I stared down at the phone, knowing she would figure it out in a few seconds.

Oh my god, get the hell out of my apartment.

Sure. Just tell me where you are.

Her attitude was audible in her text. You can’t just walk into my apartment whenever you feel like it!

Why? I gave you a key to my place. Man, I loved arguing with her. I could picture her furious green eyes, the way her lips pressed tightly together as she tried to suppress her scream.

But I never gave you a key to mine.

Come on. What if I get horny in the middle of the night?

Then you call—like a normal person.

But isn’t this more romantic? I started to pace her apartment as I typed, grinning.

Not at all.

Where are you?

You have a key to my apartment without my consent, so why don’t you just track my phone too? Her words were so sarcastic.

Okay. I was about to call one of my guys.

Wait! Don’t you dare.

See? I could completely violate your privacy if I wanted to. But I don’t.

The three dots appeared, disappeared, appeared, and then disappeared again.

I stopped walking and waited for a response.

She finally sent her message. I’m out with my friends.

Where?

I’m not telling you.

Alright. I’ll figure it out on my own.

How about I just text you when I get home? Or I guess you can wait there if you really want.

Baby, are you still trying to hide me?

No dots at all.

See you soon.

After a few phone calls, I tracked her down. She was at one of the bars she frequented, wearing a short red dress with her long hair in a slick ponytail. The dress had a sweetheart neckline with sleeves that dropped off her shoulders and hung down her arms. Her ass looked incredible thanks to those black heels, her legs so long and toned. And that ponytail was pretty sexy too, even though I preferred her hair down and all over the place. She stood at one of the high-top tables and talked to her friends, a cocktail in her hand.