Page 243 of If You Give an Artist a Killer Muse

This time, there is no answer.

Okay.

Yup. It’s official. I’m going fucking crazy. Why else would I be hearing my dead nanny in my head?

I laugh.

I laugh because how could I not?

“Focus, darling.”

I clear my throat. Yup, I’m fucking crazy. But I’ll listen to that crazy part of my brain because she’s right.

Rurik needs me.

“What’s wrong with her?” One of the men asks, looking a little nervous.

The door behind them opens, and I don’t think they even notice it. I look at both of them, ignoring the pain on my face as I grin widely. “You shouldn’t have threatened the love of my life, misters.”

Before they could react, my best friend, my sister, and my family comes in with — wait, is that my dagger? — and stabs one of them in the head, with Oscar rushing in and shooting the other guy.

I stare at them both with wide eyes.

“A fucking dagger?” I cry out seconds later, feeling like I’m going to combust from the adrenaline coursing through me.

“What?” Nat grins, passing it to me. “You’re right. Using it made me feel like some fantasy hero.”

“C’mon, you two.” Oscar snaps after looking over me for any injuries. “We have your artist boyfriend to save.”

Chapter 37

Rurik

What a fucking shitshow my life is.

There I was, minding my own business and just trying to enjoy my lunch break from work when some fucking asshole decided today would have been an excellent day to kidnap me like I’m some helpless child.

Seriously though? How fucking dare they. I’m the senator’s stepson, for God’s sake. A shitty senator, I realize, but still a senator.

The fucking audacity of these people.

Then, one of the kidnappers had to go and threaten Briar and tell her to leave the State. After asking for money. Again… the fucking audacity. Why are people like this? Why?

Fuck. My heart hurts.

Literally and figuratively.

My heart literally hurts. I feel like someone’s fist just punched through my chest and is now squeezing my heart so little by little that I could barely breathe.

But my heart hurts because I can never get rid of the vision of the look on Briar’s face when she watched me. Like she’s afraid for me. And Briar is never scared of anything.

I just want to kill everyone here and kidnap her somewhere, which is saying something because here I am, having the audacity to think of kidnapping.

Now here I am, listening to these two kidnapping assholes talking amongst themselves as if I’m not here.

“Do you think that worked?”

“It has to, he said to do whatever it takes.”

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