Ambrosia.
Even if it was a lie.
“Talk to you tomorrow, honey,” Tommy said. “Now go home, get some ice on your face. You want me, call me. I’m there.”
I nodded yet again then moved as quickly as I could in my tight skirt and heels, pulling my bag I’d completely forgotten I had and somehow held on to throughout it all down my arm.
I got out my keys.
I got out of the warehouse.
I got into my car.
I shoved my sunglasses on my nose, the throb in my face and sting in my wrist completely unnoticed seeing as I was more focused on the ice that was forming around my heart.
I reversed out of my spot.
On my way home, I looked in the rearview mirror once, seeing who I knew (but had never met) was one of Nick’s men trailing me. Trailing me like he’d probably done often over the years. He wasn’t obvious, but I saw him.
I didn’t see Harry but now I knew he could be back there.
He’d played me.
God, I didn’t even have Harry, such as he was, a reminder of a golden time when I still hoped. When I still had it in me to believe.
Now I’d learned. Definitely learned.
Gold didn’t exist. It was all fake and tarnished.
My phone rang. I looked to the dash to see it was Nick.
That ice crawled up my throat, frost crackling and spreading.
I ignored it as well as the strange coolness of the tears sliding unnoticed down my cheeks.
My phone stopped ringing but it did chirp with a text.
It would do this repeatedly for some time.
But I kept ignoring it.
I was too busy.
Too busy reminding myself.
Too busy reminding myself never, not ever, not ever again to forget.
There was no Brightside.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Dark
Nick
11:49 – That Same Day
Tweaked and pissed off that he knew Olivia left that fucking warehouse, made it home, but didn’t return a single call or text, on his way to her house to check on her, he ignored Knight’s first call.