Prisoned - Marni Mann Page 0,96

in the coma, I had dreamed of you doing that. But…just…wow.”

Of course she had.

I didn’t ask her which one was better.

I knew.

Thirty-Seven

Kyle

“Hey, Kyle?” One of my employees opened my office door and poked her head through the crack. “The Snyders are thinking they want to go black and white for the wedding colors—”

“Silver font,” I said, not bothering to look toward the door to see who was asking or even letting her finish because I already knew the question. It was always the same question. Over and over. “Put their names in script, and keep the rest of the invitation in serif. Make sure they order inner and outer envelopes, and if they want the addresses written out in calligraphy, there’s an upcharge for that.”

“Thank you,” she said. Before she closed my door, she added, “It’s good to have you back.”

I waved and continued to stare at my inbox.

Work was the last place I wanted to be. Being at the shop meant Garin was gone, and I was having a hard time accepting that. We’d spent over a week together, and from the moment I confessed to the minute I dropped him off at the airport this morning, we had acted like a couple. He had held my hand as we walked around town. He’d cupped my face when he kissed me. He had asked my opinion when he was emailed questions about the hotel and casino, and he listened to the feedback I gave him. And he made love to me. Constantly.

Now, I didn’t know when I’d see him again.

I ached at the thought.

I needed him.

I needed more time with him.

And the last thing I needed was work. I cringed at the sight of the emails that were waiting to be answered, at the problems that needed my solving. My mom had run things while I was gone. She told me she’d heard from Garin just after the accident, and he’d kept her updated on my progress, but she needed to be at the shop to make sure the money was filtered correctly. I wasn’t surprised when she had acted more concerned about Anthony’s next trip to Florida than on my recovery. She didn’t care.

Anthony didn’t care.

And I didn’t care about this place anymore.

The clock on my computer showed it was just after four. I’d been in the office since nine that morning, and I hadn’t done a thing. I hadn’t returned a single email, I hadn’t ordered any of the products that were needed for inventory, and I hadn’t met with any of the clients who had come in. All I had done was answer questions when my employees had them and stared at my computer.

I grabbed my bag, locked my office, and walked out the back door, so I wouldn’t see anyone out front. I drove straight home. When I pulled into my driveway, my phone rang. Garin’s name and number showed on the screen. I hadn’t spoken to him since he’d left, but I knew he was in Atlantic City. He’d told me his destination just before he had gotten out of my car and stepped onto the plane.

And, because he was in Jersey, I knew something was about to go down.

I shifted into park and continued to hold the steering wheel. “Hi.”

“Hey, you.”

I hated that he was so far away. I hated that he wasn’t whispering those two words in my ear. And I hated that the tone of his voice told me something was wrong.

“I didn’t think it was right to text you this. I thought it would be better to tell you over the phone.”

He took a breath, and I knew. I felt it in my whole body as it started to shake. My throat tightened. My heart pounded.

“It’s done,” he said.

My eyes closed, and I rested my forehead on my hand, pushing it into the steering wheel. “Anthony’s…gone?”

“Yes.”

I knew this was coming. I knew that was the reason Garin had gone to Atlantic City. When he had told me that Anthony was going to fucking die, I knew he wasn’t kidding.

So, why was I shocked to hear it?

And why did it hurt?

I stared at my lap, clenching and unclenching my fingers against my forehead. My joints burned. My chest ached. I didn’t know why; I couldn’t explain it. I wanted it to stop, but it just wouldn’t.

“Was it quick?”

“I’m not going to lie to you.”

“I don’t want you to.”

“No, it wasn’t quick…and it wasn’t painless.”

I winced from his honesty and tried not