Page 69 of Injustice and Absolution

Finally, he appears to have lost a bit of the edge he just had, and the Drew I’ve come to know begins to resurface.

Until he speaks, a dangerous edge to his voice and a threat simmering behind his stare.

“Forever, Delilah. I’llneverlet you go.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

ROYCE

I’ve been going through the motions of daily life for the past month, but with Delilah gone and Maggie grumpier than normal, it hasn’t been easy.

Maggie’s worried voice chirps in my ear, the words she spoke the day Delilah left on a loop in my brain.

She’s making a mistake...

I was hoping with time, the dread sitting in the pit of my stomach like a boulder would have lessened some. I’ve shut it down as best as I can, and even Draven told me I did Delilah a favor by letting her go. But it’s only gotten worse.

I’ve had to stop myself from looking into where she lives a hundred times. It’s a damn good thing I don’t know or else I’m afraid I would have taken up residence outside of her apartment by now.

“Royce!”Maggie frantically calls from across the house.

I step out of my office to intercept her, alarmed at the panic in her tone.

“Delilah’s in trouble,” she tells me, and the boulder in my stomach lodges itself into my soul like a cannonball.

“What do you mean?” I question.

“She’s been upset with me since the day she moved out.” She huffs, visibly upset and breathing heavily. “We’ve finally started talking again a little, but she kept dodging plans with me. When she told me she couldn’t meet up for lunch today because they’re doing inventory at the store, I thought I’d grab lunch and bring it to her. Like an olive branch, you know?”

Still panting from rushing her speech and adrenaline, she bends over and places her hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

“Here, come in my office, and have a seat.” I step out of the way so she can get by. Once she’s seated, I hand her a bottle of water, and she chugs half of it down.

“Anyway, when I got to the store, Sienna told me she doesn’t work there anymore. And hasn’t for three weeks.”

My eyebrows furrow with concern. This isn’t like Delilah at all. Immediately, my concern turns to anger for letting her leave in the first place.

“She said there was some kind of incident at the store. Delilah was by herself when two people broke in, robbed the place, and attacked her.”

“What?”I leap from my seat at Maggie’s words, ready to storm Delilah’s apartment and bring her home.

Why didn’t she tell me? I would have been there in a heartbeat.

She has someone else to protect her now.

The thought stirs up the pungent anger I’ve been trying to move past.

“Where does she live? I’m going there now.”

“Yeah... I tried that. I just got back from talking to her landlord. He said someone came and roughed him up about a week after she moved in—which,coincidentally,was right around the time of the attack. Told him if he didn’t let her break her lease and refund her money he would kill him. Gave him a black eye and a broken nose, too.”

The dread I felt before this moment was nothing compared to how monumental it is as I ask my next question.

“Did he say what this guy looked like?”

“Thirty-something. Built. Dark hair with sideburns...”

Fuck.

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