Page 26 of He Will Come for Me

Her eyebrows furrow and she slowly nods. “Yes.”

I try to swallow, but my throat doesn’t seem to be working. Heat rises up my neck and my heart pounds. Hands grip my shoulders and rub down my arms.

“McKenzie?” Phoenix’s voice is full of concern.

I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’m not twenty-three, am I?” I ask.

He turns me around in his arms and looks at me with concern. I beg him with my eyes to tell me the truth.

“No, no, you’re not,” he replies.

I’m twenty-six. I lost three years of my life.

“That auction. It happened three years ago?”

One of Phoenix’s hands slides up my arm, over my shoulder, and to my neck. He cups the back of my neck, massaging the sore tendons there.

“Three and a half.”

Chapter 12

“Iwant to go home.” My voice is hoarse. I’m trying to keep it together. We’re in a public place, a restaurant Phoenix owns. I don’t want to embarrass myself or Phoenix.

“Can you tell Luke we had to leave?” Phoenix asks the bartender.

“Of course, Mr. Stone.”

He places two one hundred-dollar bills down on the counter. “One for you and the other for him.”

Before she can respond, he’s wrapping his arm around me and guiding me toward the elevator. I’m vaguely aware of Rex following us. Somehow we wind up in the SUV headed home.

Phoenix’s arm and thigh are pressed against me like he’s trying to provide support the best way he knows how. I pull my lips between my teeth before releasing a long breath.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I ask. Phoenix wraps his arm around my shoulders and turns, so his lips press against my hair.

“I wanted to,” he murmurs against my head. “The first night when you said that mantra of yours, but…” He trails off as he sucks in a breath. “I was trying to be careful. I wasn’t sure if you were willing to hear it or if you’d accept it. I’ve been contemplating telling you for the past couple of weeks. I’m sorry you had to find out that way.”

I want to be angry with him, but at the same time, I understand. “It seems like you’re always trying to protect me,” I whisper. He hums, but doesn’t say anything. I want to ask about his wife, but I’m enjoying this bubble we’re in right now.

“How long did you have me before I was kidnapped?” I ask.

He goes completely still at my question. “When I rescued you, you had been kidnapped three months prior,” he replies.

A whimper escapes from my chest. “How is it that in three months I forgot three years of my life?” I ask.

“I wish I knew, Kenz.”

I rest my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. He cards his fingers through my hair the rest of the ride home.

When we get home, I tell Phoenix I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. He says he has some work he needs to take care of. Once in my room, I undress and head into the bathroom. Turning the shower on to warm up, I stare in the mirror and try to will myself to remember.

There has to be a way to jog my memory.Stepping into the shower, I let the hot water wash over me and hide the tears I can no longer keep at bay. I’ve had to process so much information in the past week.

My father tried to sell me, Phoenix bought me, and I’ve forgotten three years of my life. I’m twenty-six, not twenty-three. How did I not notice that? How could I not tell?

Rubbing my hands over my face, I try to bring my emotions under control. Thinking back over the last few months, I try to recall any clues. I remember Dr. Chamberland asking me when the last time I saw Phoenix was. At the time, I thought it was a strange question, but it was probably his way of seeing what I remembered last.

The last time I remember having seen Phoenix was at graduation. He invited me to a party that night, but I declined because my father and I were flying out right after the ceremony. It was the first time Phoenix had paid any attention to me when we were in school.

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