Before I Die

“I apologize there are no blueberry martinis here.”

Blueberry martinis? Oh! My drink of choice at the club. “How do you know what I was drinking at the club?”

Ethan sighs, tension tightening around his eyes. He slides next to me, his body so close to mine, the warmth from him radiates into me. Reaching across me, he picks up my untouched glass and drinks it in one swallow. For a few minutes we sit next to each other in silence. I feel him staring at me, but I don’t look his way. The front door slams shut and I jump, my body bumping into his. He glances at me, clearly unaffected by the loud noise.

“Don’t you two look cozy.” Logan.

My heart comes to a stop before speeding up. It was stupid of me to think I would never see this man again. Ethan called Logan. My suspicions being confirmed. They’re working together.

I’m going to be sent to be somebody’s sex slave. I’ll never get to see my parents again. Or Blaire. Or attend my brother’s funeral.

Ethan stands and walks over to Logan, and my hand twitches to pull him back, to beg him to protect me, which is quite ironic since not too long ago he had his hand around my throat.

“Cozy isn’t a word I would use to describe the situation where a woman tries to kick me in the balls, elbows me in the ribs, and slaps the fuck out of me.”

Logan laughs. “You should have slapped the fuck out of her. That’s what I did when she fought back. Crazy fucking bitch.”

My body tenses and my eyes find Ethan, who looks back at me, his gaze going to my busted lip before he turns his attention back to Logan.

“You hit a fucking woman? What is wrong with you?”

“The bitch attacked me!”

“What the hell is she even doing here? I told you to bring her to me.”

“I fixed everything. I’m getting back almost triple the money her brother owes you and we don’t have to worry about her running her fucking mouth.”

Ethan sneers. “If you had handled the situation with her brother correctly, there wouldn’t be anything to fix. What the fuck did you do to fix the problem you created?”

I close my eyes, fighting back the tears at the mention of my brother. What did Ethan mean by that? Was Logan not supposed to kill Stephen? Or is he mad because I was there and I’m now a problem to be fixed?

“She’s been sold. I know a guy who knows a guy. It’s done, Ethan. Two birds; one stone.” Logan shrugs then continues. “The less you know the better. I just came back to grab her. I had to junk her car so nobody would find it. Don’t worry, you won’t hear from her again and everything will go back to normal.”

This is it. I’m on my way to being sold. All because my brother apparently had a gambling problem. It makes sense now, though. The expensive remodeling of his bathroom. The way he acted so spooked. His final words to me. He must’ve known he was in trouble.

A sob rips through me, and Ethan glances my way—completely devoid of all emotion—before he continues his conversation.

“I think the more I know the better. You’ve already fucked this all up enough. You won’t be taking her any-fucking-where. Not on my watch. I don’t know what you’ve been doing behind my back, but it’s over, Logan.”

My heart swells at his words. He didn’t know about Logan trying to sell me. Maybe he will save me after all.

Logan shakes his head. “You don’t understand. These people…you don’t fuck with them.”

“Wrong!” Ethan shouts, making me jump. “You don’t fuck with me.”

Ethan stalks over to me and, taking my hand in his, pulls me up, then walks us past Logan without saying another word. Logan starts calling Ethan’s name, but he ignores him.

We walk out the door, and I try my best to wiggle out of his grip, hoping to run far away from here, but quickly lose the battle when his hand moves up my arm and his fingers grip my bicep. “Stop fighting me or I’ll change my mind and leave your ass here.”

With his threat, I immediately stop fighting him. I have no idea what the heck is going on or who to trust, but the last place I want to be is here.

We stop in front of an expensive-looking silver car. It’s sleek and beautiful and looks like it should be sitting in a showroom of a dealership.

“Get in the car,” Ethan orders, while opening the passenger door. I freeze, unsure of what to do as I stare down the driveway then back to the house where Logan is standing outside his front door, not daring to walk any closer. I could try to run, find a neighbor and ask them to call the police. But what if I don’t make it? Will Ethan really leave me here? It was obvious from his argument with Logan, he wasn’t on board with me being sold, which means as of right now, Ethan is my only hope at being saved.