Page 46 of Iron Heart

I’m caught between them, unsure of what’s happening.

Kingsley’s gaze is firm when he stares at me, then he continues, ignoring Lexy’s protest.“Miss Slater is experiencing trauma from her previous abduction.”

My heart races as his words hit me.His imperceptibility catches me off guard.How could he possibly understand that my fear stems from that?

“What?”Lexy exclaims, her confusion apparent.“That was months ago.”

“Post-traumatic stress doesn’t just vanish,” Kingsley asserts.“With my background and first-hand experiences, I should know.”

The discussion swirls around me, and the dam breaks.I begin to crack under the pressure.The threat of losing everything I’ve worked so damn hard to achieve overwhelms me, and tears well up in my eyes.I lift my gaze to Kingsley, and that’s when I let the tears fall.I can’t hold them back any longer.

“Viki,” Lexy’s voice is comforting while she pulls me close, and I let the tears flow freely.

The weight of it all, the pressure, it’s finally releasing.When I manage to open my eyes again, I catch Kingsley watching me.A pain in his eyes strikes me in the chest, but he makes no move to comfort me when I need it most.Instead, he quickly averts his gaze, staring out the window.

All I want is to bury myself in his embrace, but that’s not an option.Not here, not in front of Lexy.

“How about your place in the Hamptons?”Lexy asks.

15

Kingsley

It’s been just twenty-four hours since we arrived, and I’ve kept away from her, giving her space.We’re in the Hamptons, a place I should have visited back when my best friend, Carter, died in my arms in the East Somalian Hills.It’s where his child he never met and his wife still live.

I push the memories aside, a crashing noise from the living room catching my attention.Rushing in, I see her on the floor, picking up a shattered plate she dropped.

“You don’t have to,” she says as I come over to help.

“I know I don’t,” I reply.

Victoria just looks at me.She’s been quiet since yesterday, ever since her emotions overwhelmed her in the black suburban after her performance.The fear in her eyes when she froze on stage, then leveled me with a stare from the stage—I just knew I had to do something.I had to help her through it.And when she pulled through, I was so proud of her.So damn proud.

“You must think I’m childish and silly for how I acted yesterday,” she finally states, no longer looking at me.

Is she actually serious?I stop what I’m doing and lift her up.She’s so light, too light.

“Get over here,” I say and plunk her down on the island countertop, settling between her thighs and forcing her to look at me.

“I was so fucking proud of you yesterday for pulling through and coming out on the other side.”

She looks at me incredulously, as if I have two heads.“But I froze.Everyone saw it.I can’t bear to look at the media headlines again,” she says, turning away from my gaze.

I grip her chin and angle it, ensuring she has no choice but to meet my gaze.From this level, we’re face to face, and I stare into her beautiful, big blue eyes.

Her pain speaks to me.It’s like a voice I’ve squashed inside of me too.

“Don’t look.Focus on you.You have your first appointment with the psychologist tomorrow,” I tell her.

She shakes her head, and it drives me crazy the way she thinks so lowly of herself.

I grip her chin tighter.“You will start running every morning with me, Victoria,” I say, my voice an octave lower.

I feel her body shift in front of me.

“Was that in the arrangement, Sir?If so, I think I missed that part.”

“It wasn’t, but it’s new and necessary for your mental clarity.”

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