“I need it,” I whine as we walk out of her place now all dolled up.
“Marrying the sexiest man in this country isn’t all it’s cracked up to be?” she jokes.
“It’s not.”
“I’m sorry.”
My phone rings again, and when I see his face, I answer and FaceTime him and it’s the worst mistake. Because now I can see his beautiful face.
Stupid drunk me.
“Where are you, Everly?” He’s quiet when he says it, but loud enough for May to hear. I eye her and she rolls her eyes, making me laugh.
“Everly.”
“Goodbye, Gunner.” I throw the phone and it lands on the street. May screeches as a car runs over it.
I shrug my shoulders. “Let’s go dance.”
“You’ve lost your mind.”
“Maybe, but freedom is what I need right now.”
“I can’t believe you did that.” She giggles again.
“I had to call him, I can’t carry you,” I hear May mumble into my hair. She strokes it back from my face as I hug the bowl in the women’s bathroom.
“You shouldn’t have.” I wipe my face and warm hands wrap around me as I’m picked up.
“It’s all right, squirt. I got you.” My head lies on Alec’s shoulder as we walk. He’s careful with each step as we make our way outside.
May touches my shoulder. “Don’t be mad. Okay? Your drink could have been spiked, and I know you didn’t want me to call ‘the husband.’” She uses air quotes. “So, Alec was the best option.”
“You just want to sleep with him,” I say lazily.
I hear her screech.
“No, she doesn’t mean that. I mean, unless you know… you want to?”
“No,” he says then I feel him moving.
Ouch. I’m not going to hear the end of that.
“Squirt, go to sleep.” I feel him move me into a car.
And that’s the last thing I remember.
27
A loud bang wakes me up, then an even louder voice. My head hurts, and the bed I’m in isn’t my own.
“Squirt.” Alec’s voice makes me jump. I place my hand to my heart and look around.
“Where are we?” I don’t recognize this place.
The banging on the door continues, and a muffled voice is yelling from the other side of it.
“You’re at my condo. Listen, Everly.”
“Everly,” I question him. He never calls me that.
“Look, we need to talk.”
The banging becomes much louder, and I go to get up but my head hurts.
Shit! I drank way too much last night.
“Bathroom?” I ask covering my mouth.
Alec points, and I run, opening the door and just making it in time.
“Shit, squirt. I’ll get you something.” His footsteps disappear, and I don’t hear when they come back because my head is back over the bowl. I’m physically ill until my stomach hurts and nothing’s left.
“We don’t have long.” I barely hear him as I manage to sit next to the bowl, wiping my mouth. He hands me a cloth and water. I rinse my mouth before I spit it back out.
“Who’s here?”
The banging doesn’t stop and my head throbs in time with each new pound on the door.
“Your husband.” I sit taller when he says that.
“How?”
Alec shakes his head, his hand running through his dark hair. “I don’t even know, but we need to talk before he gets past security.” The door bangs loudly, and footsteps are heard. Alec stands in front of me. I reach for him, pulling myself up. When I do, I see Gunner’s shoes now standing in the doorway.
“Get out of my way, Alec.”
“No. She doesn’t want to go with you.”
“What? And she wants to stay with you?” He laughs while shaking his head.
When I step to the side of Alec, I see a very angry Gunner. His hand comes up and he offers it to me. “Everly, let’s go, you need to stop this nonsense. You’ve had your fun.”
I cringe at his words. “Fuck off.” I put emphasis on the words, and then I realize how much they have hurt my head when I speak because it makes me feel physically ill again.
“You know what happens if you leave, Everly. You. Are. Mine.”
I can hear Alec’s breathing becoming heavier next to me.
“No, I’m not. I may love you, Gunner, but this is all so fucked up. And before you, I was living a normal life.”
“You knew you had to meet me eventually. I simply changed our fate. Made it happen more on your terms. It should have made you happy.”
I scoff, loudly. “Happy? Happy that you lied to me and then you did this to me.” I pull down my top showing him my breasts and the bite marks that cover them. Also the bruising.
Gunner grinds his teeth. The look of anger is worsening. “Close your fucking top.”
I do, and he looks at Alec.
“Did you tell her?”
“He doesn’t need to tell me anything. You need to leave.”
Gunner ignores me. “So she doesn’t know.” Gunner smirks and with it I want to hide. “I’m going to go, Everly, so you can see. But you have twenty-four hours to come home. And then, if you don’t, I won’t be so forgiving. And the first person I will kill, will be him.” He points to Alec and then turns and walks out.