Part 26 (2/2)
”A note?” Hope's brows furrowed.
”Yeah,” I choked out. ”It said I'm coming.”
”You don't open doors to strangers, Thorn. You f.u.c.king got that?”
”What the h.e.l.l have you gotten her into this time?”
I gasped as awareness smacked me straight in the face.
”DID YOU THINK WE WERE GOING to sit back and watch you and that s.l.u.t have everything after destroying our world?”
JD's familiar voice filled my ears and my blood ran cold. Every ounce of fear and anger I was feeling escalated at a rapid pace.
Conscious of Teagan watching my every move, I stormed into the bedroom and out of earshot. Lucky followed after me, closing the door in his tracks. I appreciated it. Teagan was already terrified. I didn't need her hearing this conversation.
”Leave her out of this,” I warned him, pacing the room. ”I f.u.c.king mean it, a.s.shole. This is between you and me.”
”And where would the fun be in that?” he sneered. ”No, I'm enjoying this little game of cat and mouse. But I have to say, I don't blame you for losing your head over her.” Chuckling, he added, ”I'm going to enjoy breaking her in.”
”You'll never get within sniffing distance of her,” I hissed with a death grip on my phone. ”And if you try, I will kill you.”
”Big words, little brother,” he chuckled. ”I wonder if you can back them up.”
”Oh I can back it up,” I snarled. ”Face me like a f.u.c.king man and I'll show you just how well I can back it up.”
”Did she like the gift?” he added, taunting me, f.u.c.king driving me bats.h.i.+t crazy. ”I have to say, it's not like her to stay out all night. But then again, she was always stupid when it came to you.”
”What?” I deadpanned.
”I know all about your little thorn, Messina,” JD laughed. ”Where she lives. The gym she works in. The friends she hangs out with. h.e.l.l, I even know what time she leaves her apartment each morning and returns each night. I've had eyes on her for years now, you stupid little p.r.i.c.k. She looked real good in that little white dress last night...”
”Why now?” I demanded, chest heaving. ”If you've been watching her all these years, then why make your move now?”
”Where would the fun have been in taking her before you two kissed and made up?” he laughed cruelly. ”You know how I like to play with my kill. I'm going to take her from you. You'll never see it coming, and when I do, she's going to wish she was dead.”
”This isn't about her and you know it,” I managed to grind out, jaw clenched. ”This is about me. So f.u.c.king come at me. Leave her out of this.”
”On the contrary,” he countered. ”My father held a particularly nasty grudge against the little b.i.t.c.h for taking his prized fighter away.”
”She didn't do s.h.i.+t, JD.” Running my hand through my hair in frustration, I hissed, ”I was never staying with your father.”
”In fact,” he continued, ignoring what I had said. ”His dying wish was for me to drain that little b.i.t.c.h's body of blood while you watch helplessly.”
”Try it and I guarantee you I'll be waiting for you, a.s.shole,” I snarled. ”No one is going to touch her. So you can send your army. f.u.c.king bring it. Because I will take every one of you motherf.u.c.kers down.”
”Clock is ticking, Messina. I'll be seeing you two real soon,” he said and then the line went dead.
”He was in her G.o.dd.a.m.n house,” I roared, flinging my phone across the room. ”He's been watching her all this f.u.c.king time, Lucky.” I choked out, sinking down on the bed. ”How the h.e.l.l am I supposed to tell her?”
”I don't know,” he replied calmly. ”But she can't be left in the dark, Noah. Not about something like this.” Walking over to where my phone was, Lucky bent down and retrieved it. ”Listen,” he told me as he tapped at the screen. ”I'll go over to her apartment and pick up some stuff. Stay with her. I'll meet you both at the airport in an hour.”
”Make sure you bring a photograph of her mother,” I told him. ”There's one on her nightstand.”
Lucky nodded once before putting the phone to his ear. ”Hey man, it's me. I need a favor...” I heard him say before moving towards the window.
”Noah!” Teagan's voice boomed through my ears as she marched into the bedroom. ”What are you hiding from me?”
I couldn't look at her face. It was too f.u.c.king painful.
There was only one thing I could think of and that was Teagan was making it out of this mess alive.
If I had to die in the process then so f.u.c.king be it.
”NOAH!” I ROARED AS I STALKED through the suite towards the bedroom with my heart hammering in my chest.
Stopping outside the bedroom door, I inhaled a deep calming breath, and braced myself before pus.h.i.+ng it inward.
”What are you hiding from me?” Clamping my hands firmly on my hips I drank in the sight of Noah, sitting on the edge of the bed with his head bent and hands hanging loosely between his legs.
Lucky was standing by the window talking low and fast into his phone. When he noticed my presence, he nodded to Noah and walked out of the room, phone still welded to his ear as he barked orders to whoever was on the other line.
”What's going on, Noah?” I repeated. Him being unable to look me in the eye was my first warning of trouble. The swell of obscenities he muttered under his breath was my second. ”I'm no wallflower, Noah,” I added in a shaky tone. ”And I'm not stupid. I know you're hiding something from me.”
”I'm thinking here, Thorn.” Jerking off the bed, he stalked over to the window. With his arms braced against the sill, Noah hissed, ”Give me a minute. Please.”
”No,” I shot back, marching towards him. ”I will not give you a minute.” Grabbing his arm, I forced him to look at me. ”I'm being threatened. Some freak filled my bedroom with roses and put a bullet on my f.u.c.king pillow,” I screamed. ”So talk to me, dammit.”
Noah's eyes flashed with anger and for a moment I thought he was going to explode. ”I'm so f.u.c.king sorry for dragging you back into this,” he choked out.
”Dragging me back into what, Noah?” I whispered, terrified.
”JD is back.”
”No.” The moment those words came out of Noah's mouth I began to shake. ”I thought that was over.” Tears filled my eyes. The ground fell out from beneath my feet as I spiraled into a full-blown panic attack. ”Please tell me this isn't true.”
”This is my fault,” Noah choked out, eyes wild with fear and anger. ”He's using my feelings for you against me, making you a target...” his voice broke off and he groaned like he was in physical pain. ”Making you the only f.u.c.king target.”
”He's coming for me?” I whispered in a small voice.
”You think I'm gonna let him get near you?” Noah demanded, pulling me into his arms. ”Not a chance, baby. You're safe. I f.u.c.king promise you, I will not let anything happen to you,” he snarled, holding me tightly. ”Why the h.e.l.l do you think I want you on that plane with me?” Leaning back, Noah looked into my eyes. ”I've been trying to figure out how to get you on there since I found out he was back.” He shuddered and pressed a kiss to my forehead. ”I need you with me, Thorn, so I can keep you safe. If anything bad happened to you because of me, it would kill me. I can't be responsible for that.”
”Is that why you came back for me?” I whispered, stepping out of his arms, my blood turning to ice in my veins. ”Why you want me to go back to the states with you out of duty?”
”What?” Noah blanched and shook his head. ”No. Of f.u.c.king course it isn't,” he growled. ”I want you to come so I can keep you safe.”
”See, there's that word again,” I muttered, taking a step back. ”Safe.” Wiping my cheeks, I looked up at him and said, ”I don't want you to want me with you for those reasons.”
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