Page 117 of Vow to Hate You

“I can pay your gambling debts,” Jack tried to calm him. “Consider them gone.”

“I don’t need to pay them if I leave.”

My scream was drowned out by the deafening shot when the gun fired. My hands flew to my mouth as Jack grabbed his stomach before slumping to the cement. I jumped to my feet, my breath catching in my chest, when Percy swung the gun toward me.

“Now,” he panted between heavy breaths, “you are going to show me the money. Then you’ll transfer it to my account. Understand?”

“Yes,” I breathed out, fear making my voice tremble.

It wasn’t going to be easy. The account I had the money in was overseas and secure. I couldn’t do an easy wire transfer. But I wasn’t about to admit that when Percy stood in front of me with a wild look in his eyes.

If I said one thing he didn’t like, he’d shoot me like he did Jack.

CHAPTER 46

damian

I snuck another look at my phone as Ash and Rhyett talked around me. I’d texted Talie over an hour ago and was still waiting for her response.

“What do you think? Damian?” Ash snapped his fingers in my face. “Are you even listening?”

“Yeah,” I muttered, tossing my phone on my desk.

“We’ll sign the papers tomorrow,” Rhyett said, thumbing through a thick stack. “Your dad won’t know until the sale is done.”

My phone rang, and when I saw an unknown number on the screen, a slice of unease hit me. I answered it before putting it to my ear.

“Hey, Damian. I’m calling from a friend’s phone.” Charlotte’s voice came over the line. “Is Talie with you? I tried calling her, but she’s not answering. We were supposed to go out to dinner, but I lost my phone. When I went to your apartment, no one answered.”

“You’re not with her?”

“No,” she said slowly. “I figured she was with you.”

“She’s not. Where were you two supposed to go?”

“The new sushi place.” She paused. “I don’t think she would have gone alone.”

“Then where the hell is she?” I put the call on speaker before going back into my texts to send her another message. “I’ll call you back. Let me know if you hear from her.”

“What’s up?” Ash asked.

“We don’t know where Talie is.”

Rhyett shrugged. “Maybe she’s going to a music gig.”

“She would have told me. And Charlotte always goes with her.”

Ash raised his hands. “I’m gonna play devil’s advocate for a second. Are you sure she’s not doing something she doesn’t want you to know about?”

“Yes,” I snapped. “She’s not hiding anything from me. Even if she was, then her sister would know where she was. Something’s wrong.”

Turning my attention back to my phone, I pressed on Talie’s name, keeping it on speaker as it began ringing. My heart raced faster, panic creeping in as it rang again and again. Right when I thought it would go to her voicemail, the call connected even though she didn’t say anything.

“Talie?”

After a few more seconds, she finally responded. “Damian, I need Ash to do me a favor.”

I froze at her quiet, trembling voice. “Where are you?”

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