Page 154 of Before I Loved You

And right now, there is no exception to my promise.

The gun that Greyson holds against Sarah’s temple clicks as he pulls back the safety, his cold blue eyes narrowing in on me as he coolly utters five words that ignite a raging inferno inside me.

“We’ve been waiting for you.”

thirty-three

SARAH

Exiting the women’s restroom, I take a left while looking down at my phone, scrolling aimlessly, when I clumsily walk right into someone.

“Oh, I’m so sorry—”

“Don’t scream.” Greyson grips my upper arm as his free hand pushes something into my side. Something cold, hard, and deadly. I swallow the lump in my throat, immediately knowing what it is.

All the air leaves my lungs as I’m discreetly dragged away from the crowd, with Greyson’s fingers digging into my skin, holding me hostage. My eyes take in his worse-for-wear appearance, deranged and unhinged. His hair is askew, deep purple bags appear under his eyes, a dark five-o’clock shadow covers his usual smooth skin, and a slight tremor vibrates in his touch.

“G-Greyson, please don’t—”

“Just keep your mouth shut and come with me.” He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything more as he forces me down the long hallway, eventually pushing open a large wooden door and yanking me into the team’s locker room.

“On your knees,” he grits out, shoving me down. I catch myself on my hands and knees before my stomach touches the ground.

“Please don’t—”

“I said, on your fucking knees! If you make me repeat myself, we’re going to have a problem,” he sneers.

He pushes the gun harder into my side, and before he can do any harm to my baby, I immediately prop myself up on my knees. The overflowing jersey covers any sign of a baby bump, and I hope to keep it that way.

I won’t let him harm my baby.

“I really don’t like being made to look like a fool, Sarah.” He shakes his head. “You thought you would get away with it. You thought I wouldn’t know that you erased everything from my hard drives. You have no idea how much you and your precious boyfriend fucked up.”

“I didn’t—”

The cold metal of the gun smacks me across the cheek, sending my face flying to the side as I catch myself with shaking hands.

“Don’t lie to me!” he shouts, fury lacing his words.

I push myself up, kneeling before him, as I taste the metallic flavor of blood from my split lip.

Placing the gun in the back of his pants, he takes out a roll of duct tape.

“Hold out your hands.”

My fingers tremble as I hold them before me, deciding it’s in my baby’s best interest to do whatever he tells me to do.

The tape digs into my skin as he wraps it around my wrist over and over again, ensuring I can’t move.

Furiously, he rips a piece off and then slams it across my mouth, smacking it onto my skin before tapping my cheek like his little plaything. Tears slowly dribble across the tape, falling onto my chest.

“I like you better when you’re quiet.” His jaw clenches as he looks down at me, proud of his hasty tape work. “Much better.” He removes the gun from his waistband, places it on the bench, and then sits beside it, resting against the wall. “And now we wait.”

My head rotates, facing him. Every part of me is a shaking mess, but his words have confused me.

Wait for what?

“Ah, let me explain.” He rests his forearms on his thighs, leaning forward, becoming insufferably too close for my liking. “You’re just the bait.”

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