“Disable the elevator by hitting the blue button.”
I didn’t care if I could never get to the bottom floor. I smashed that button with my palm so damn hard, I nearly broke my hand. The doors opened, and I stepped into a living room, decorated in the same style as Maverick’s home. “What is this place?”
“It’s my place in the city. There’s a pistol hidden underneath the coffee table.”
I got on my hands and knees and grabbed it. It was the first time I’d ever held a gun, and now I realized just how heavy it was. It must be loaded with this amount of weight. Feeling it in my hand reminded me this nightmare wasn’t over. That giant could crawl up the side of the building like an animal if he really wanted to.
“I have to go, Arwen.”
“Wait, hold on.” He couldn’t help me over the phone, but letting his voice guide me was an immense comfort. “What’s gonna happen?”
“I’m almost to the city. My men have been dispatched, so we’ll scare him away from the area. Keep your eyes trained on the door. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“How are you going to get up here?”
“The stairs.”
“Oh…of course, there are stairs.”
“Keep that gun, but I’m sure you won’t have to use it.”
I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor, terrified because that cruel man could still get to me. He’d lifted up my dress and pushed his hard dick against my ass like he owned me. I’d never felt so violated, so disgusted. If he walked through that door, I would empty that clip so fucking fast.
“I’m gonna be the one that walks through that door, alright? Don’t shoot.”
“Okay…”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I wanted him there now. I wanted my wolf. “Please hurry…” I kept the tears out of my voice but barely. I’d never needed this man more in my life than I did right then. If it weren’t for him, no one else would help me. I would be snatched off the street and raped and tortured. He was the only person who actually gave a damn about me. “Please…”
Twenty minutes later, a door opened.
I rose to my feet and pointed the gun, my finger on the trigger even though I didn’t know how to use it. I just needed to look formidable, at the least.
But thankfully, it was Maverick.
Dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans, his muscled frame entered the apartment, and his concerned expression landed on me.
I set the gun on the counter, relieved I didn’t have to use it. My shoes were on the carpet, coated in blood from my feet. My dress was ripped in the places where that asshole had grabbed me. But now that my gaze took in Maverick, I knew I would be safe.
With pain-filled eyes, he walked toward me, his expression anxious.
I threw myself into his arms and rested my face against his chest, relaxing for the first time since the chase started. Shedding tears in front of other people was something I never did, but with him, I showed my most vulnerable side without caring. Tears soaked into his t-shirt, and I gripped him around the waist as I shook in his embrace.
His hand cupped the back of my head, and he rested his lips against my forehead. “Sheep, it’s okay…”
“Did you kill him?” When that man was dead, it really would be okay.
His silence gave me the answer I didn’t want to hear.
I pulled away and looked into his expression, not caring that I looked like absolute hell.
His hand moved to my cheek, his thumb grazing over my soft skin. His eyes shifted back and forth slightly as he looked into mine, like he was absorbing all my pain into himself. “By the time I got here, he and his men had scattered.”
“Kill him, Maverick. I want you to kill him.” I was ordering someone’s death like an executioner, but I didn’t feel any remorse for it. If I hadn’t been able to slip away, he would have raped me right in that alleyway, then did it again…and again.
His hands moved to my arms, and he gave me a gentle squeeze. “I will.”
I got what I wanted, but I still wasn’t satisfied. “He yanked up my dress and almost raped me—”
“Please.” It was the first time he dropped his gaze, like he couldn’t handle the horror story I was about to tell. “Just don’t…” He stared at the ground for a couple of seconds before he lifted his gaze to meet mine.
When I saw the hurt on his face, I knew how real this was. I knew this wasn’t just a relationship we were forced to be in. We really were husband and wife. We really were a team that would do anything for each other.