Page 59 of Triple Power Play 3
The confirmation is even more gut-wrenching. “Go away.”
He blows out a breath. “I can’t do that.”
“Charlie seems to think you can. Just leave.”
He shakes his head. “I’m not leaving you.”
Tears stream down my face. “Fix the security and go home.”
“You’re my home,” he says with such conviction, I almost believe him.
“You said yourself I was playing you.”
Frustrated, he interlaces his fingers behind his neck and flexes his biceps. “Fuck, Aurora. I was caught off guard, and I didn’t mean what you overheard.”
“And everything else? The videos? The threat?”
“We’re just trying to protect you. It’s being taken care of.”
I sniffle, drawing a shuddering breath. “The videos everyone has seen but me?”
“No one has watched them but your husband.” He slips his phone from his pocket. “It’s not my story to tell. I’ll call him, and he can explain.”
“He’s at practice, and I’m leaving.”
Reece presses the phone to his ear. “I can’t let you do that, angel.”
I glance at the beach behind me. I’m more familiar with this area than he is. I can run, lose him, get an Uber. Women run while pregnant.
He lowers the phone from his mouth. “I’ll catch you. It’s been a while since I’ve chased a suspect, but I’ll do it. You’re not leaving my sight, Aurora. Don’t even try it. I’ll carry you back kicking and screaming if I have to.”
I scoff and walk away, following the edge of the pool. I step onto the grass, and the blades prick my feet, a sharp reminder I’m not wearing freaking shoes.
I’ll be fine on the beach, and I can book an oceanfront room or find an Airbnb using my phone, bypassing the front desk or check-in. Call me stubborn or petty, but I have no intention of playing their games or complying with their rules.
Just as my toes sink into the cool, soft sand, muscular arms wrap around me, and a hard body presses against my back.
“I’m gonna be honest with you, princess. The likelihood of you leaving is slim to none. Your husband has videos of you from years ago because he’s a full-blown stalker. Ethan will do anything to keep you and Jax safe. He met with his father the day before Kyle was killed, and I bet if I called him right now, he’d have zero remorse and redden your ass for threatening to take off.”
I swallow hard, my throat thick. “Sounds like more reason to leave.”
He ignores me and continues. “Even when I was away, I watched you in New York. I’d track your phone’s location and have Charlie hack into the surveillance cameras to see you. One of uswillfind you.”
“You’re all crazy.” Every breath I suck in feels strained, my lungs constricted, unable to fully expand. A suffocating fog descends upon me, making it difficult to articulate my thoughts.
I don’t even know what I’m angriest about. Reece lying to me when I thought I could trust him most?
I’m tired of it all. The lies. The pretending.
The tightness in my chest intensifies, throbbing with every beat of my heart, and I clutch his forearms.
He bends down and effortlessly lifts me into a bridal hold. “I understand you’re mad. I understand what I said hurt you, and I’m sorry, but you’ll have to be mad in one of the ten bedrooms.”
Pissed off and humiliated, I kick my legs and attempt to free myself from his grip.
The asshole chuckles, his body vibrating with laughter. “You’re so fucking adorable, especially when you’re furious, Tinker Bell. Is that where you got your middle name?”
I push against his chest. “Shut up.”
