Page 46 of Unholy Cross

“Why are you here?”he demanded.

Lorelei jerked back from the harsh cadence in his voice.Why was he mad at her?

“I don’t want you here.”

She yanked herself from his hands.Who was this angry man?He wasn’t the compassionate, caring person who protected her.Did she get it all wrong?She thought he loved her, even though he never said the words.Stunned, she backed up, needing distance.

“Lorelei,” he said coldly.“Go home.”

The few women around them looked at her with pity.Turning, she practically ran out of the bar, ignoring as he yelled her name.If he didn’t want her, then she’d leave.Maybe she could text Saxon and he’d come for her, although she had no idea where to go.Everything had seemed so perfect.What happened to make Cross not want her?

Bursting out of the bar, she ran through the parked cars, tears streaming down her face.She came here because she felt threatened, and yet, this was a thousand times worse than feeling vulnerable.Her heart was raw, torn to pieces.

Before she could figure out where to run, a hand covered her mouth.The abrupt action caused her to drop her phone, where it shattered upon impact with the rocky ground.

“I have a gun in your back,” a low, menacing voice said in her ear.“If you make a scene, I’ll open fire and make sure I hit any innocent person that walks by.See that barely twenty-one-year-old woman heading to the door?Dead.See those others laughing with each other?Dead.Because of you.So, play nice.Understand?”

She gave one nod, and the hand left her mouth to grab her by the arm.He marched to the dark side of the building, where shadows dwelled.The only thought she had was there was no way she was going to be the reason innocent people suffered.

The night swallowed them, and Lorelei struggled in her kidnapper’s grip.Now that they were clear of innocent bystanders, she was determined she wasn’t going down without a fight.She endured too much to be taken again.Once more the gun barrel pressed against her temple.

“You move one more fucking time, I’ll shoot a body part where you won’t die, but you’ll be in extreme pain.”

She believed him.The problem, however, was that she’d rather be dead than dragged back to any prison cell.

“Lorelei!”

She jolted at Cross’s voice.He was searching for her with a frantic note in his tone.

“I’m going to enjoy killing that son of a bitch,” her captor muttered.“That asshole took my money.He said he was going to rescue you but he took you for himself.How did I get that so fucking wrong?I searched for you but you disappeared, so I went back to Noble Vale and waited.”

She wanted to ask why, but the words wouldn’t come.

“I wouldn’t have had to go through all this bullshit if Birsha had just given you back,” he continued.She started to recognize his voice because it had been a long time since she’d heard it.“When I sold you to him, I didn’t realize that one day I’d need you to cure my blood cancer.I had to take drastic measures and thought I hired that bastard to get you back, but he kept you.And then, lo and behold, another asshole showed up and killed Birsha.That couldn’t have been a coincidence, so I followed him here and found you.Payback is a bitch.”

The gun barrel left her temple and pointed in Cross’s direction.She tried reaching for the barrel but he grabbed her throat and squeezed.Her air was cut off.Then she elbowed him in his gut and he let go of her neck.She sucked in a lungful of oxygen.The she grappled with his arm, trying to throw him off center.In response, the man spun her around and backhanded her, sending her into the side of the building.The world tilted crazily.

“Lorelei!”

The gun took aim again, and if she didn’t do something, Cross was going to be killed.No.No, no, no!She couldn’t watch him die.She loved him unconditionally.Her mind started clicking through what she could do, and came to the conclusion she had to warn him.

Come on, she thought to herself.Save him!

She didn’t care about herself.If Cross died, however, she could never forgive herself.

Closing her eyes, desperation overshadowed everything.Her fear.Her past.Her self-preservation.Cross meant more to her than her own life.Everything tumbled through her mind.Through her heart.Desperation met with resilience.Opening her mouth, she screamed at the top of her lungs.Five years of pain escaped through that high-pitched wail.

Five years of anger.

Of hatred.

All the shit that had been done to her.The beatings.The starvation.Body parts removed.Her hope gone.Autonomy that lay cracked up on her broken psyche.Gone.Gone.Gone.Until she had given up caring about anything.Until she seized the chance to save herself.Escape or die trying.

“Shut up!”the man yelled, but she refused to give him what he wanted.

Then the identity of the man clicked into place and she stared at her uncle with hatred.Her mother’s brother, who had watched her with lecherous intentions.Even as a teenager, she knew he was a nasty pedophile.He was the one that sold her to Birsha.

All the puzzle pieces fell into place.

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