Page 7 of Forever

“Richard Pruitt has been off his game for years. Ever since his grandson was born. His heart just isn’t in the business. And my boss is done taking orders from him. And we’re definitely never going to take orders fromyou.”

I felt the tears falling down my cheeks again. “It was you.” He’d killed Miller. He’d put the bomb in my car. “You killed my husband.”

“No. Not me. Unlike your father, my boss likes getting his hands dirty. He did it himself. And the bomb was meant for you.”

“I’m going to kill him,” I said. I was surprised by the words that tumbled out of my mouth. I wasn’t even sure I meant them.

But I hated that he laughed. “Sure you are.”

“A life for a life,” I said. I held back a sob as I twisted my wrist, trying to break free and failing. I’d wanted to kill my father for Miller’s death. I hadn’t been able to pull the trigger then. Maybe I’d be able to pull it on a stranger. A stranger who’d stolen everything from me.

“That’s the whole problem. You already took a life out of retaliation. You killed Luigi Locatelli’s only heir.”

“I had nothing to do with that.”

“And now he’ll stop at nothing until your whole family is wiped from the map,” he said, ignoring me.

My whole family? Jacob.My heart started racing faster as the restraints dug into my wrists. I needed to get back to my son. I needed to protect him.

“That’s no use,” he said and grabbed my wrist so I’d stop fidgeting. “You’re not getting out of this. My boss will be here any minute to finish the job.”

“You don’t have to do this,” I said. “You don’t have to listen to your boss. You can be free. You can do whatever you want. I can help you.”

He didn’t respond. Which seemed like a good thing. It probably meant he was thinking about it.Please be like Miller. Please want an out.

“If you let me go, I’ll help you,” I said. “I promise. You don’t need to work in this business. We’ll figure a way out together.”

“Not everyone’s life is a fairy tale,” he said.

Was he kidding? Did it look like I was in a fucking fairy tale right now?!

“And even if I did let you go…he’d still find you. He’d find you and kill you. And then he’d just kill me too.”

Honestly he was probably right. Look at what happened to Miller. We’d just wanted to be free. I pictured our lake house. And him proposing under the lights hanging in the sky. The smile on his face. “We’re written in the stars.”

Tears started streaming down my cheeks again. I’d gotten Miller out. But his life was still cut short.

There is no out.

Fuck.I leaned over.I can’t breathe.

There’s never an out.Miller knew.

I gasped for air and leaned over more. Miller knew his past would eventually catch up with him. That’s why he’d written me that note. That’s why he’d taught me how to defend myself. He knew he wouldn’t be around forever.

There is no fucking out.There never had been. I’d been living in a fairy tale, just like my kidnapper had said. It was a dream. It was never going to last.

I can’t breathe.

And who was I kidding? I hadn’t saved myself 16 years ago when Isabella had left me naked and stranded in the middle of the city. I’d run to James for help. And my dad had shown up.

Whenever I was in danger, I always ran to someone for help.Miller. Matt.

God, Matt.I squeezed my eyes tight as my lungs refused to expand.

When I was a teenager, Matt had a bad habit of not showing up when I needed him. But ever since I came back to New York, he’d always shown up. And I needed him now. If my life was a fairy tale, I needed him to be my knight in shining armor.

And wasn’t he? He’d been the reason I kept breathing when I first moved to the city. He held me when I cried about my mom. He’d been there for me after my uncle’s funeral. And he’d loved me fiercely for 16 years.

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