I took a steadying breath and then exhaled, knowing I had to get outside because Bruno would be waiting for me. I didn’t want him to have an excuse to come inside and look for me.
That wasn’t the kind of attention I wanted.
I dried my hands, adjusted my bag, and gave myself one more lingering look in the mirror.
I told myself to find that inner strength and hold on to it.
And so I gripped the hell out of it until there was no way it would leave.
Never again.
Chapter29
Hades
She was all I fucking thought about. I couldn’t think, sleep, or even fucking eat.
I was glad I’d told Persephone about one slice of my life at the hands of her father and mine. Because a part of me wanted her to be closer than anyone had ever been.
But I yearned to see her. I fucking ached to tell her.
I’d burn down the whole fucking world if it meant I had her right in front of me at this very moment.
I dragged a finger across my busted lip, the blood smearing across my cheek.
Over the past forty-eight hours, I’d been doing fight after underground fight. I wanted that violence—needed it. It was a physical reminder that I was actuallyhere.
I couldn’t pretend like dropping that bomb in Persephone’s lap the other night wasn’t going to cause irrevocable damage. I should have just given her enough money to live off for the rest of her life, and left her alone.
But my pride… my vengeance had run too deep.
She didn’t need me.
But I fuckingneededher.
My body was bruised and battered, one of my eyes was black and swollen, and my bottom lip was split on the side. And even though the pain would have felt so fucking good, liberating to my core before Persephone came into my life, right now it barely scratched the surface of what I needed out of it.
Although I’d been staying away during the day, I had been coming back to the house well after I knew she was in bed. I found her easily, knowing she wouldn’t have stayed in my room, and not because I’d trashed the fucking place.
For the last two days, I stood in her room and watched her sleep, wanting to curl myself around her, to feel her, fuck her, make her mine and tell her I was never letting her go.
I changed into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, my body screaming at me with every move. I’d take a reprieve the rest of the day, but tonight I had another fight set. And I needed it.
I didn’t know how long I could go on doing this. Maybe until my body gave out. Maybe until I got my head out of my ass and stopped being a coward so I could face Bunny.
My cell phone vibrated across my desk with an incoming call.
“Yeah, Bruno?” My skin pulled at the side of my mouth after I spoke. I felt the wound open up slightly, and once again, the metallic tang of blood spilled across my tongue.
“Boss, I don’t know what’s wrong, but your girl’s acting strange.”
Every part of me went on high alert. “What do you mean?” I looked at the time and saw she was already out of school. I was grabbing my shit and heading out the door before Bruno even started speaking again.
“I don’t know. She’s just acting weird, calm, like she’s in shock. And then there’s blood on her sweater. I’m pretty sure it’s not hers, but—”
I hung up and was out the door before Bruno even finished speaking.
I tried calling Persephone when I left my office, and I got in my car. But when it went straight to voice mail, for the first time in my life, I felt… panic.