“What in the fuck are you talking about? What game are you playing?” The muscles in my body spasmed, and my mind whirled with memories from the day Tina died.
“I told you if I couldn’t have her, neither could you.”
“What does that mean? She’s dead.” Pain shot into my left arm. I gripped it, sweat beading on my forehead. “Dorian, she’s dead.”
“Are you feeling okay, old friend?” He assessed me with an evil grin. “Calm down. Don’t want to give yourself a heart attack.”
I unbuttoned my collar and opened my desk drawer.
“Looking for something?” He removed a prescription bottle. “I found your nitroglycerin when you went to the bathroom earlier.” He shook it in front of him.
“Please, Dorian.” My pulse pounded faster than ever before.
“Oh, I see. You need a pill. Of course.” He twisted the cap off and put a tablet in the palm of his hand.
I reached my trembling right hand out, willing him to move faster to give me a pill.
Dorian came to my side and whispered, “Everything you love is mine. Brynne is mine.”
“Why are you doing this?” I gasped.
“Because you stole Tina from me. You planted your seed in her because you knew I wouldn’t want her if she wasn’t a virgin.”
“So?”
“So? So?” he yelled, grabbing me by the throat. “So Tina’s alive! Alive and as beautiful as ever… more so. She’s happily in love and has two children.”
“What?” I shrieked and pressed my hand to my heart.
“That’s right, the exquisite Tina is alive. I may not have her, but I take solace in knowing you don’t either. But, I’ll have the next best thing… Brynne is a carbon copy of Tina.
I gasped for oxygen and reached for the pills.
Dorian’s victorious expression was the last thing I saw before the room went black.
13
Raul
My eyes flashed open, feeling disoriented. I didn’t recall spending half the night comforting my woman. Nightmares tormented her regularly. I had only slept through the night a few times since the day she entered my life, the day our lives changed forever.
Tina had been a terrified, traumatized, and shattered woman after she escaped her own death and left her little girl behind. The hell she’d been through had been the unbelievable kind in books and movies. But real life was stranger than fiction.
Years later, I always heard Tina when she mumbled in her sleep during a bad dream. I’d pull her as close as possible, press my lips to her head, and whisper words of comfort to her. It usually worked, and she’d calm down, remaining glued to my side. If she could’ve crawled inside my body to hide from her nightmarish past, she would’ve.
I wouldn’t rest until my woman had her daughter in her arms. Her ex, Bruno Gallo, had better not interfere, or he’d get the beatdown of his life for how he had treated Tina. When I found her in the alley behind the gun shop, she was malnourished, bruised, burned, and had broken ribs.
Bruno Gallo would die. I’d see to it.
I flicked my gaze at the window, noting the sunbeam filtering through the blinds. Another day had arrived, putting us one step closer to rescuing Brynne. Only, I couldn’t feel Tina’s warm body beside me.
My heart rate shot through the roof, and I vaulted into a sitting position. “Sweetheart, you in the bathroom?” I called in a croaky, raspy voice.
“Yeah, be right out.”
I dissected her tone. Did it sound thick with emotion like she’d been crying, or was there a slight tremble to show she was scared? I didn’t notice either, which was a huge relief.
I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes while my gaze never left the bathroom door. If my woman stayed inside much longer, I’d barge in to check on her.