“It’s okay,” I manage, even though it’s not okay at all. What Xander and those men put me through... They’re fucking monsters. And once Heath finds out the atrocities they forced me to endure, I know he won’t rest until he’s killed every single one of Xander’s men that touched me. “Is everyone okay?”
Heath looks away, muttering, “The Serpent’s den is fine. But we had a lot of casualties. Lost a lot of good men who have been with us for a while.”
I nod, feeling number than ever. “And Xander?”
“We don’t know what happened at the place where you were being kept after we left,” he mutters. “Liberato says he saw both Xavier and Xander bleeding, but alive. The most important thing is, they don’t know where we are. And we need to keep it that way. Xavier has made it fucking clear he wants you back, no matter the cost.”
“Heath, please don’t let him take me.” I turn my pleading eyes to his. “Please. He’ll kill me.”
“He’s never getting you back,” Heath hisses. “I’ll kill the fucker myself if he even tries to come near you.”
I nod, momentarily distracted by his reassurances. “Are we safe here?”
“For now,” he grumbles. “But I don’t know for how long. We need to keep an eye out for Xavier and Xander. Both of them will be eager to get you back.”
Once again, I’m left feeling like a pawn in their games. But it’s a man’s world here—I’m doomed to being this chess piece everyone is fighting over.
Heath steps aside and I notice the envelope half-tucked into his pocket. I point to it, muttering, “What’s that?”
His hand rests protectively on it. “Oh, nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
I narrow my eyes at him. By now, I know when he’s trying to hide something from me, and this sure seems like it.
“Can I see it, please?”
“No, Rain.”
When he walks past me, I snatch the envelope from his pocket. All I see is my name on the front, written in Heath’s handwriting, but then he rips it away from me again.
“Naughty girl.”
“I want to see,” I demand. “It has my name for it. What is it?”
“Nothing you need to concern yourself with right now,” Heath mutters. “You’ll worry about that later, Rain. You need to focus on getting better first.”
“I want to see,” I repeat, pouting. “Did you write me another letter?”
“Something like that.”
He chuckles nervously, reminding me of the charcoal-eyed boy I met in the wheat fields. Despite everything that’s happened, I smile. I pick myself up from the bed and approach him, trailing a finger along the front of his short as I whisper, “Please, Heath. I want to open my envelope. Will you let me?”
“It’s stupid,” he mutters. “Just something I wrote while you were at Xander’s... It’s not the right moment for it.”
“Please?”
I can tell I’m swaying him, so I shoot Heath another brilliant smile. This seems to persuade him to let me have what he’s been hiding, although he’s still reluctant when he hands it over.
“It’s really not a good time for this right now,” he mutters. “You’ve been through so much and I want you to focus on getting better before you even think about what’s written in there...”
Eagerly, I rip through the envelope and pull out a card with Heath’s handwriting. My eyes widen when I take in the words written on the card.
“There’s a ring to go with it,” Heath says. “I just... Didn’t want to do it right now.”
“You want me to marry you?” I whisper, my words barely audible in the suddenly quiet room. “But Heath, I’m still married to Xavier...”
“You’re getting a divorce,” he says resolutely.
“I don’t think Xavier will ever go for that.”
“I’ll force him,” he hisses. “He can’t keep you captive to him in a loveless marriage. I’m sure he’ll want to find another wife eventually as well.”
“Have you spoken to him about this?”
“Not yet.”
“Then how can you be so sure he’ll let me divorce him?”
“If he doesn’t,” Heath grunts. “I’ll fucking force him. There’s not a chance in hell I’m letting you go back to that bastard. Not after everything you’ve been through.”
Suddenly I’m overcome with emotion. I throw my arms around Heath’s neck and hug him tightly. I feel his body stiffening next to mine, his cock throbbing next to my stomach. He wants me. Not that I had any doubt about that before, but I’m unsure whether I’m ready to have sex with Heath yet. Not after everything I’ve been through at Xander.
“Rain, I...” Heath starts. “I want to know what happened at Xander’s place.”
I pull back, refusing to meet his gaze. “He hurt me.”
“I know he did,” Heath mutters. “But tell me what he did, Rain. Please. I deserve to know.”
“You’ll just lose your shit again.” I manage a weak smile. “Are you sure you want to know?”