Page 53 of Bound By Crimson
Taking a trip. I’m safe. I’ll check in soon. Love you.
She hit send before she could overthink it.
No going back.
Not because she was running away.
Because she was choosing.
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Kai was waiting by the Bentley, hands in his pockets, gaze unreadable.
When she reached him, he opened the door without a word.
She climbed in without looking back.
And the world she knew slipped away behind her like smoke.
As they pulled away from the curb, Kai’s hand settled possessively on her thigh.
“We have time before the flight,” he said. “Do you want coffee?”
Lyric nodded, the simple question making her breath hitch. Something about the normalcy of it—a coffee stop before leaving for Europe—made it surreal.
Thomas drove them into town. Minutes later, they stopped in front of the small coffee shop Lyric always went to.
Kai stepped out first, rounding the car to open her door. As she slid out, he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close, fingers flexing lightly at her hip.
As they walked toward the door—the bells above chiming softly in the breeze—someone stepped out holding a cup of coffee.
Lyric’s stomach tightened.
Eric.
His eyes found her immediately, narrowing. His casual smirk faltered as he noticed Kai’s arm around her.
Kai didn’t break stride. As they passed, he pulled Lyric even closer and deliberately bumped his shoulder into Eric’s.
Eric’s head jerked slightly from the impact. His jaw flexed. Normally, he would’ve launched into a scene—loud, defensive, ready to fight.
But not now.
One look at Kai—his sharp suit, the cold calculation in his eyes, the quiet strength in the way he carried himself—and Eric knew better.
Still, out of habit, Eric muttered, “Watch it.”
Kai didn’t even glance back. He guided Lyric smoothly inside the café, as if Eric were no more important than a gust of wind.
As the door closed behind them, Lyric leaned into him, pulse racing.
Kai lowered his mouth to her ear. “He’s not worth your thoughts anymore.”
She smiled faintly, the last threads of her old life unraveling behind her.
As they stepped back into the Bentley and the skyline rolled past, Lyric felt the weight of the past fall away—replaced by the thrill of what lay ahead.
Europe wasn’t just a destination.
