Page 66 of Darkest Sin

My other guard hovers way too close for the rest of my shift, and by the time I’m closing up and stepping out onto the street, it’s well past two in the morning, and yet I find myself frozen to the spot. My gaze lingers on the dark street, and all I can picture is the asshole who snatched me.

My body shakes as the trauma of that night bubbles up, leaving me rooted to the sidewalk in fear. Despite being the type of woman who doesn’t like to ask for handouts, I can’t help but glance toward the two men lingering in the familiar SUV.

They watch me through the open window, probably wondering why the hell I haven’t made a move yet. “You guys are heading back to hover in front of my apartment building like fucking stalkers, right?”

“Nowhere else we’d rather be,” Travis mutters as he rolls his eyes.

“Would it be completely inappropriate if I rode back with you?”

“Thank fuck! I thought you’d never ask,” Travis says with a heavy sigh of relief. “Do you have any idea how frustrating it is having to roll behind you at a snail’s pace? Don’t get me wrong, the view from behind was great, but goddamn, you need to put a little more motivation into your walk.”

“Fuck, man,” the other guard says, slapping his colleague’s chest. “Are you trying to get us fired? Why the hell are you commenting on the view from behind? The boss is going to fucking slaughter you.”

I roll my eyes as I cross the street and help myself into the back of the SUV. “What the boss doesn’t know won’t hurt him . . . or you for that matter.”

I laugh to myself at my lame attempt at being funny, but truth be told, no joke is ever funny if your heart isn’t in it.

The driver takes off, and within moments we’re pulling to a stop outside my apartment complex, and the guard whose name I haven’t gotten, looks back at me. “You good to make it up to your apartment or do you need one of us to accompany you?”

I give him a tight smile, grateful for their presence tonight. “I’ll be good. Just make sure nobody attempts to snatch me off the street and put me into a human trafficking ring.”

“Fucking hell,” Travis mutters, sounding shocked by how blasé I speak about it, though he doesn’t know the way my chest sinks with hollowness every time the images of that place flash in my mind.

“Alright, well . . . thanks,” I say, pushing out of the SUV and cutting across the sidewalk to the door of my complex while noticing the streetlight that always used to be out is suddenly shining brighter than it ever has before.

Taking my ass upstairs, an exaggerated yawn tears out of me, and just as I turn the corner to make my way to my door, a shadow steps out at me. My heart lurches in my chest, fear consuming me until I force myself to take him in.

His hands are out, a universal sign that he means no harm, and I have to take a moment to catch my breath. “What the fuck, Derek?” I demand, taking in the ex I’d spent years going back and forth with. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve been trying to call you for weeks, and after ghosting me for so long, I figured something happened to you, but then my friend from college was at the bar tonight and said you were back, so I figured I’d come around. But I suppose you’ve changed your locks.”

“You were trying to get into my apartment?” I ask as a chill sails down my spine.

“Where the fuck have you been?”

“That’s none of your business,” I say, striding past him to the door and digging the key out of my bra. “Look, it’s late, and I want to get to bed. So can we do this another day, or perhaps not at all? You and I were over a long time ago, and I’ve moved on and realized that we were never good together. I deserve better, and now that I know what that’s like, I’m never going back.”

“The fuck did you just say?” Derek demands, and as he steps closer to me, I smell the alcohol on his breath and let out a frustrated sigh. He was always particularly nasty when he’d been drinking. “I was the best fucking thing that ever happened to you, bitch, and after everything I did for you, you repaid me by kicking me out on my ass. All you were good for was a fucking payday, but now that you’re back, it looks like my luck’s about to change.”

“What the hell are you talking about? What payday?”

Derek laughs, creeping closer. “Oh, you still haven’t figured it out,” he mocks as his gaze begins to darken with something sinister. “It’ll just make taking you again that much better.”

Horror grips me like a vise, but before I can fully comprehend what he’s telling me, a voice sounds from down the hall. “Time for you to leave, asshole,” Travis says, standing there all imposing and intimidating, a stark contrast to the laidback man who was commenting on the great view my ass offered.

Derek takes one look at him, and without question, we all know who’ll come out second best here. He backs up, putting space between us, and I take a deep breath, not having realized just how badly my hands were shaking.

Derek spares one more look toward me, his stare making me sick. “See you ’round, Chiara,” he purrs, and with that, he slinks away like the piece of shit he is.

Did he really just tell me he was responsible for me ending up at that fucking auction house? Surely not. I know he was an asshole, but we were together for years. I knew him better than that, and sure, he was an ass a lot of the time, but he would never have done that. At least, I don’t think he would have.

Travis waits at the end of the hall for Derek to completely disappear, and once he’s finally gone, he meets my horrified stare. “Tomorrow, we’re leaving your bullshit pride behind and walking you right to your door.”

“Yeah,” I agree. “I think that might be a good idea.”

Travis nods and gestures to my door. “Take yourself to bed, Chiara. I’ll wait here until I hear your deadbolt sliding into place.”

“Thanks,” I murmur before turning on my heel and shoving the key into the lock. The door opens, and I offer Travis one more friendly smile before finally diving into my apartment, and despite the long night I’ve just endured, there’s no comfort here, not anymore.

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