Page 139 of Heart of Frost and Scars

Their possessive glares stay with me, and slowly, their bloodlust fades, replaced with a startling realization.

They’re going to be taken away from me.

I edge closer, squeezing through the mob as they’re hauled to their feet.

“I won’t be able to see you until Monty arrives, and maybe not even then.” A sob rises, and I choke it down. “You’ll probably spend the night in jail.”

Maybe longer.

“What about you?” Leo clenches his jaw, teeth grinding to hold back a roar.

“I’ll stay with the guards until Monty arrives. I’m fine.”

I’m not fine.

I’m barely holding it together.

“I love you.” Lunging past the nearest cop, I crash into Leo and take his blood-soaked face in my hands. “Remember what I said. The lawyer will fix this.”

As they rip him from my grip, I reach for Kody, capturing his elbow for a brief moment before they take him, too.

I watch, helpless and trembling, as they’re dragged away, their eyes burning into mine until they’re forced out the door and into the back of a police car.

The man they attacked lies on the floor, a mauled mess of blood and bruises, as paramedics treat him.

One drunken mistake nearly cost him his life.

The consequences of their actions compress my chest, making it hard to breathe. I brought them to this. It’s me. I’m at the center of every brawl, my presence the catalyst for their rage. They have aggression issues, and I make it worse.

I want to cry, to beg for forgiveness, but the sounds die in my throat. This is my curse, my never-ending cycle of pain and retribution.

The chaos in the restaurant closes in around me, diners murmuring in shock, employees cleaning broken furniture, and officers taking statements.

“We need to call Monty.” Carl sits on a stool, his face bloody from Kody’s fist, as a paramedic tends to him.

“I’ll do it.” I glance around for a quiet corner.

It’s too loud in here. The noise, the panic…I can’t hear myself think.

“I’m stepping outside to make the call,” I say to Jasper, my voice trembling.

He nods and gestures for me to lead the way.

“Are you okay?” I give him a clinical once-over.

“Yeah.” He smirks. “Just another day in the office.”

Outside, the drizzling summer rain pricks my skin like needles.

I step beneath an overhang and pull out my phone, my hands shaking. As I scroll to Monty’s number, my phone buzzes with an incoming call from an unknown number.

My lungs seize. My heart stops, and sinking dread buckles my stomach.

Jasper notices my hesitation and glances at the screen. “Answer it on speaker.”

The security team knows about the threats. Monty made sure of it after the text messages.

I nod, swallowing hard as I accept the call and switch it to speaker. “Hello?”

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