will stop her.”
“Not even you?”
“Not even me.” He stares at his watch. “But shouldn’t you be worrying about Sebastian?”
My upset stomach tightens at the mention of him and the thought of what he must be going through.
The unknown awaits us, but this time, I won’t let it rip us apart.
43
Sebastian
My eyes slowly creak open.
Pain assaults the back of my skull and black dots form in my vision even as I slowly get used to my surroundings.
Where the fuck is this place?
The last thing I remember is writing that text to Naomi, the last one as Akira, then I headed to the parking garage because my headache was getting strong and I needed to sleep it off before meeting her later. But when I got there some sort of a bag was thrown over my head.
After that…nothing.
There was absolutely nothing.
I blink a few times and inhale deeply, only to be assaulted by the stench of piss. Grunting, I place my palms on the ground and sit up.
My head pulses with pain and my tongue feels too big for my mouth. A bitter taste floods my throat with each swallow.
The gray walls circle around me and the world spins. Or maybe I’m the one who’s spinning.
I shake my head, closing and opening my eyes a few times so I can focus better.
The blur covering my vision slowly disappears and the place I’m being kept in comes into focus. My memory kicks in with a vengeance.
I couldn’t forget this hellhole even if I lived a thousand years.
This is where Naomi and I were kept and emotionally tortured. This is where they broke her so she’d play into their hands without any second thoughts.
The metal door that she walked through stares back at me with the same sturdiness as before, as if it’s mocking me.
As if telling me it’s happening again.
Or maybe it’s already happened.
I search my surroundings, but there’s no trace of my Naomi.
Did they take her, too? Is she being kept in a separate place?
Using the wall for balance, I stagger to my feet and walk to the door.
I bang on it the hardest I can. “Open up! Open the fuck up!”
There’s no sound or movement from outside, but I kick and punch it with both hands until I bust my knuckles.
I don’t stop to think about the pain.
Or the grogginess.
I don’t stop to consider anything but my Naomi. There’s no way in fuck I’ll stand by as they torture or threaten her.
Before, I believed the facts instead of believing in us.
I let my insecurities take control and wholeheartedly thought she’d left me.
Not now.
Now, I’ll fight for her.
I’ll be there if it means my fucking death.
The door creaks and I jump back, ready to punch whoever is coming in. Either I save her or I die trying.
A man with Asian looks steps in. He’s tall and has long hair, and sharp eye contact that only people in a high position of power, such as my grandfather, possess.
He stares at me for a second and I stare back, my hands balled into fists.
He doesn’t have a weapon or any guards with him, so I could possibly overpower him and step past him—
“I wouldn’t recommend it,” he cuts off my train of thought. “If you touch me, I’ll cut you, and even if by a miracle you manage to move past me, this place is full of guards. Armed guards.”
“What the fuck do you want? Where’s Naomi?”
“My name is Kai and I will be your host for the day.” He slides his attention to his watch. “Or for the next few minutes, anyway.”
I walk closer, squaring my shoulders. “I don’t care who the fuck you are.”
“You should. My name will be engraved in your memories, because that’s what will come to mind if you think about hurting Naomi. If you look at another woman, I’ll be there. If you make her cry, I’ll also be there. The glint of my sword will be the last thing you see before life leaves your miserable limbs.”
“You don’t scare me.” I stare at him square in the eyes. “How Naomi and I treat each other is only up to us.”
“It’ll be up to me, too.”
“Who the fuck do you think you are?”
“The one who saved her from assault when you weren’t even in the picture. I killed for her once and doing it again will be my pleasure.”
“You…killed Riko’s boyfriend, Sam?”
“Ex-boyfriend, since he’s rotting as we speak.”
So the reason I haven’t been able to find the miserable