Some might have been frightened, but I found I wasn’t at all afraid. I sighed and grabbed him by the elbow. “Cade don’t kill him. Please. I like my penthouse, and I don’t want the memory of him dying here.”
Gerald looked at me like I was deranged. Surely, I must have been a little bit. I really didn’t care about him at all. He’d cheated on me. He’d antagonized me for a long time, and he was a virus to women. It showed in the way he lashed out immediately when I turned him down.
“If I wasn’t here to make you happy today, dollface, he’d be dead.” He yanked open the door to the apartment and threw Gerald out by his neck. He crumbled over onto the floor, wheezing. “Your name is this close to being on a hit list, Gerald. And my family doesn’t miss. Keep in mind, your company is about to go bankrupt. It will be by the end of the day. Go worry about that and forget my future wife exists. Forever.”
Gerald might have tried to say something but Cade slammed the door and roared at it in frustration. Then he whipped around and grabbed me by the hips, shoving me up against the island counter and stepping between my legs. “Izzy, I swear to God, he comes back here or texts you again, I’m killing him.”
Chewing my cheek, I tried my hardest not to give in and kiss him right then. “Did you do something to his father’s company?”
“Of course I did something to his company,” Cade bellowed. “I hacked their systems and exposed his infidelities to most of his clients. I’ve also had calls with his biggest investors questioning how well they can operate when I so easily am able to infiltrate their finances. He’s finished.”
“But why?” I whispered. “We didn’t get along then and—”
“He cheated on you. Hehurtyou. Do you not understand the consequences of when someone does that? No one is allowed to fuck with you but me, don’t you understand? You cried, Izzy. I had to see tears streaming down your face. For that, he’s lost his company, his savings, his whole career. And if he dares go near you again, hewilllose his life.”
“Cade, you can’t do those types of things for me.” I murmured, but my heart was healing, being pieced back together by each of his confessions.
“I can do whatever I want. I will always do that for you. You deserve it and more.” He tried to steady himself by taking a breath. “Don’t ever text him again. Matter of fact, I’ll be blocking him from all your devices. An ex texting my future wife is ridiculous anyway.”
I almost forgave him right then, my insides warming to the word wife, but he had much more explaining to do. “People can come visit me, Cade. I’m single and not the future wife of anyone.”
His eyes narrowed as he placed his hands on either side of me on the island counter. “You’re fuckingmine.”
I shook my head and lifted my chin higher, ready to fight him about it this time. “You left me. And I’ve moved on.”
“Bullshit.” He grabbed my wrist and clamped his gold bracelet back on quickly. He fought me to lock it and then winked when he overpowered me as it latched into place.
“Are you kidding me?” I yanked at it and shoved him, but he didn’t back up even an inch. “It’s not bullshit. You can’t leave and come back like I’m some mistress you call up every now and then. Maybe you were with other women, or maybe you got sick of me but want another taste now. It’s not happening.”
“Baby”—his forehead fell to mine—“you can’t believe that.”
“Why can’t I?” I said, tears suddenly in my eyes. “I was broken, and you left. You left me to handle it all on my own.”
“And you did,” he growled out. “You had it in you. You needed to be without me.”
“So you want me to be without you but not with anyone else either.”
“Look, I thought I would be okay with you being with someone else, just not Gerald, but then I knew that wouldn’t work. I know it’s selfish. I shouldn’t be here because I’ll always have a target on my back and you’ll always be in danger. But I flew around the world to try to make sure that, instead, I’ve made you as safe as possible.” he admitted, and it cut me deep. He was standing so close. I could feel the love radiating off him, and I knew he felt it too. “Honestly, you’re still better off without me.”
He had to feel my rage at his words. How could he think that? How would I be safe from myself, from heartbreak, from feeling so lost, I couldn’t see which way was up without him. He had to know his words would act as the last straw. “Don’t you dare say that again,” I whispered.
“Baby doll, you know it’s true. Your world would be easier—" he started, but I’d had enough.
My hand whipped out, and I swung at his face. The sound was so deafening I swear it echoed through the room, like we were in an empty cave that amplified our noise.
Cade didn’t flinch, nor did his face turn to the side. I wish I could say he didn’t lean into it, but I swear that man saw it coming from a mile away and wanted the pain of it.
“Again, Harley Quinn, and make it hurt this time.”
The noise I made as I reared back was animalistic. Tearing this man apart would be a job well done by me, I figured. No one should be subjected to the type of pain I felt when I wasn’t with him, to him coming back into my life and trying to lay claim to certain parts of me. “If you want the devil from me, you’re going to get it.”
He lifted an eyebrow, so damn cocky in his desire to ruin me. No part of me was right then. All the normal, calm parts of me disbursed and twisted. I was an algorithm ruined, I truly was glitching, falling apart, disassembling into nonsense, causing destruction as I did so. My hand didn’t just meet his face this time, but the muscle I put behind it did too.
One slap, two slaps, and probably ten more. Cade let me wail on him until I tired.
I shoved him back and screamed, “I hate you. You’ve ruined me. You’ve ruined everything.”
“Any more anger, dollface?” He smirked, nestling into my neck like this was normal, loving behavior between us.