my face with my hands. She thinks I’m gonna hurt her son? I can’t fucking believe it. “We don’t have family, but I have a friend in Texas.” Her voice is tight and full of tension. “It’s been a while, but-”
“Doll. I’m gonna need you to knock it the fuck off before I lose my self-control.” That at least gets her to shut up. “I’m not gonna hurt you, or your son.”
“You’re just going to let me go?”
No. My internal answer is immediate, but I don’t voice that. I don’t know what I want from her. I know I feel like shit about what happened, and that I want to make it right. But that’s all I know for certain. “You can’t go until we have De Luca.”
“Is that who took me?” she asks with a hesitant voice. We don’t talk business with women. They stay out of it. Always. I don’t know what to tell her. She’s just standing still in the shower. The water’s going to get cold fast if she doesn’t hurry her ass up.
“Doll, wash up.” After a moment, she reaches for the body wash. I want her to be at ease; I want her to relax. Letting women know about the business isn’t a smart thing to do. But then again, she’s involved already. “De Luca’s a dead man for what he did to you. I promise you that.”
Becca
I let my eyes close for a moment, just feeling the heat on my skin. Calming, relaxing. I focus on the positive. I breathe in deep and slow. It makes my chest hurt, but I ignore it. My entire body feels like it’s throbbing. The bandages around my ankles and wrists are soaked, and the heat stings my wounds.
Focus on the positive. We’re safe. My eyes pop open. That’s a lie. I’m not safe, and I haven’t the faintest clue if Jax is safe right now. My son is downstairs, supposedly. If I don’t do what Dom wants, I have no reassurance that Jax will be alright. Tears slip from the corners of my eyes. I’m at the mercy of the mob. I need to get us out of here. I need to get away. I can’t believe I let this happen to Jax. I’ve dragged him into this by being careless. By recklessly falling for Dom, for his touch.
Something deep inside me is soothing my worry, telling me it’s alright. Wanting me to believe everything will work out, and that Dom is telling the truth. But I’ve listened to that voice before, and I’ve been fooled. I refuse to listen to it now.
I should’ve called the cops the moment Dom showed up on my doorstep. Instead, I was foolish. Again. I lose all sense of judgment when he looks at me with those sharp lust-filled eyes. But I can’t afford to be weak. Especially not now. I just need a moment to figure something out. There has to be a way out of this. But my mind is blank. They’ll kill me if I run. Either the assholes who fucked me up before, or Dom and his mob.
My heart won’t stop racing. It’s trying to beat out of my chest or climb up my throat. My body shudders, and I realize the water isn’t quite as hot. It doesn’t feel relaxing anymore.
“De Luca’s a dead man for what he did to you. I promise you that.” I hear the threat in Dom’s voice, and it chills me to the bone. I know he saved me, but at what cost? What does he want from me? A shiver runs through my body. I know exactly what he wants. But for how long? How long will that keep me safe?
I hear a faint knock at the bathroom door, and it makes my entire body jump. My blood is coursing with adrenaline, my heart’s racing, and I'm struggling to breathe. I need my medicine.
No, I don’t! I can do this. I’ve done it before. I can get through this. I lean against the tiled wall and try to keep myself from having another panic attack.
“I’ll be right back, doll.”
Dom’s confident voice and use of that little pet name makes my body calm. A sense of ease and peace flows through me. I hold onto that for as long as I can. The door opens and a small gust of chill goes through the room, but then it’s gone. I wait for him to speak. I wait for something. But