I didn't say anything. I didn't like the tone of his voice.
"One of those choices will only make it hurt more," he said.
"You're going to hurt me?!"
A cruel smile spread on his lips, as he once again crossed his arms, and clearly waited for me to either choose to come to him or let him come to me.
Chapter 23
-Dominic-
I couldn't believe she really thought I didn't hear her leave the room. I woke up the second I heard the door open, but I stayed on the bed, hoping she would see reason before she did anything stupid ... but then she did something stupid.
She left the room.
I had decided to wait for her to come back, and see the surprised look on her face when she saw I was awake, but then I heard Ace and Gabriel come up the stairs and walk past my room, and I got a bit worried. What if Lara had really just taken off like that? If they were here, that meant she might have found a way to run past them. I had been certain that either she came back on her own or those two would have caught her. It had me jumping out of bed, and putting on some black sweatpants before leaving the room. I tuned in my hearing trying to hear if someone was walking around on this floor, and it was then I heard the voices. Hers and Gabriel's.
I was fucking furious!
She came out of the door suddenly, running right into me. I could see the fear in her eyes and the realization when she understood how fucked she was now. She swallowed hard trying her best to remain calm.
"Ah shit ..." she said. "I was ... it isn't ... I can explain."
I didn't need an explanation. As she saw me looking towards the door, I bet she thought I was thinking something had happened, but I knew nothing would happen between them. I had full trust in Gabriel. Her ... not so much, and why she was in his room, I bet there was an explanation for, but I wasn't much up for listening to anything.
"Oh, do please try," I said, knowing there was nothing she could say, that would make me less mad right now
"I ... wanted something to drink."
She knew what a bad excuse that was.
"So, you went to find that in Gabriel's room?" I asked.
"I got ... lost?"
She tried something else, still failing though.
"And he led you to his room?" I asked.
"Yes ..."
I sighed, tiredly rubbing my eyes, I was done with this. So, I grabbed her arm, taking her with me, as she tried to come up with another excuse.
"I mean I needed air!" she said, struggling against me.
"On his balcony?"
"It got a good view!"
"I bet it does."
"Nothing happened!" she said.
"No, I don't believe anything did, that is not why I am pissed," I told her.
"I wasn't running!"
But she was. We both knew it. Running was what she did, but she had to see she was safe here. I wasn't her stepdad. I wasn't someone who was going to let her down, but I wasn't tolerating her doing something like this either. I couldn't protect her if she ran from me, and I would make sure to make my point very clear, so when we got back to my room, I had plans for her, but I wanted to see if she wanted to come to me on her own, accepting whatever punishment I had in store for her, or if she was going to make it harder on herself. There was only a couch between us, and I could easily catch her, but I believed she needed to see that for herself.