Page 116 of Exposed

“Wait,” he calls. “Let me walk you up.”

I don’t wait.

Not after what he told me.

“Ruff!”

“Goldie!” Mr. Elrod calls for me.

“Sorry, Mr. Elrod. I don’t have time to talk.”

Mr. Elrod doesn’t care. “What happened to your fiancé? If he’s into any trouble, it’s not too late to call it off. We don’t need any crime following him back here like that. And who’s that guy?”

“Don’t worry about us. Everything is fine,” I lie in a fake chipper tone without looking back. I’m at the top of the stairs and round the landing with Rocco tight on my heels.

“Goldie,” he calls for me. “Before you go in there, just remember, Brax told me he’s fine.”

“Fine is a relative term,” I hiss and grip the door handle.

It’s unlocked.

I push through.

Rocco grips my hips to keep from running me over when I stop at the threshold from the sight in front of me.

King is sitting in the middle of my sofa—his legs set wide and his head tipped to the wall. His eyes are closed, and he’s holding a bag of ice to the side of his head.

He’s bare from the waist up—bruised and cut and bloodied.

“King.” His name drags like gravel across my lips. I feel it all the way to my gut from the sight of him.

His hand drops from where he was holding the ice and he looks up at me.

The sight of him takes my breath away.

I’ve never loved anyone besides my mom. Heck, I’ve never cared about a man long enough to stay with him for more than a few months, and even then I knew it would never amount to anything.

I’ve never seen anyone I care about hurt. Not like this.

Even in his state, he manages to greet me. “Hey.”

Rocco gives me a little shove. It’s enough to break me out of my shock from the sight of King.

My purse falls to the floor as the door slams. I’m around the coffee table, next to King, and inventorying the state of his injuries. “What did they do to you?”

He pulls in a deep breath. “They made a point. Or tested me. Whatever the fuck it was, they seemed content when I left with their money.”

I put my fingers to his chin lightly and tip his face for me to inspect his eye. “I hate him. I’ve never hated him more.”

“Brax said you took it and never came close to calling for help.”

I look to Rocco and bite, “You didn’t tell me that.”

He crosses his arms. “I was told not to tell you too much, so you didn’t freak out before you got here.”

I look back at King and take the ice pack from him. “Nothing could have prepared me for this. Have you taken anything? Do you need stitches? That cut through your brow isn’t small.”

“Do you need anything before l leave?” Rocco asks, like King has a sore throat instead of being beaten to a pulp.

---