Page 4 of Vows From Hell

Whether he liked it or not.

My perfect little doll.

II

STORM

This wasn’t my first time visiting New York.

The first time was with Sierra. We took a trip and celebrated once I got my master’s degree. It was only for a weekend, but it was magical. Since Sierra was originally from the city, she took me sightseeing, and later on, showed me the best clubs.

But now, I absolutely abhor this city.

I arrived Monday evening and the first meeting with Kyle took place as early as seven on Tuesday morning. Time was of the essence, though I wasn’t too pleased to be up that early. Especially since my hotel was thirty minutes away from his place.

Officially, I worked as his assistant on this case, a consultant. We agreed on a solid price, and I couldn’t turn down that amount of money.

“When do you think you’ll be back?”

With the new information Kyle gave me, I was sprawled across the floor while on FaceTime with Sierra, who was scheduling all of my author events for the near future.

“I’m not sure,’’ I yawned. “I took time off work, but I can’t stay here for more than a month.’’

“You think you’ll resolve this in a month?”

“Absolutely not.”

“In December, you have two signings. I already paid for the arrangements, so you have to appear.”

It was already October, and two months wasn’t enough for me to be prepared. Mentally, I needed at least six months to ensure I’d be okay. Somewhere along the ride with Micah, I came to despise crowded places even more, to the point of having a panic attack if I was stuck in a crowded area for too long.

“I know,’’ I replied with a sigh. “Prepare everything else, and I’ll probably just meet you there.’’

Sierra groaned on the other side of the phone, pinching the bridge of her nose. “How are you feeling?”

The atmosphere changed. She was serious, with a look of concern morphing her features. Not a day went by without her asking me that. I was grateful to have her in my life, but her worry was getting overbearing. She was like a mama bear protecting her cub.

“I’m fine.’’ My response was honest, yet my heart thumped against my ribcage as soon as the words left my lips.

Why?

“You don’t sound fine,’’ she countered, quirking an eyebrow. “I told you; this is a bad idea, Storm. What will happen if you get entangled in his web again? This time, I doubt you’d get unscathed.’’

Sierra was one of many people who was shocked at how little it had affected me mentally. Although there were some bad days, it was nothing compared to how it should’ve been. Even at times when I was found sobbing, wailing and screaming, no one was able to understand that it wasn’t severe depression or trauma; it was anger.

Because he dared to abandon me.

Abandoning me after making me feel like the most loved person in the world was truly fucked up.

“You worry too much. Besides, I made a deal with Kyle. The moment I feel threatened or get the feeling something might happen to me again, I’ll leave. He’ll even grant me witness protection.’’

“Still, that man is not someone who could be stopped easily. How many people has he killed in the past year, and they were still unable to catch him? I don’t like your odds here.’’

I smiled. “Thank you for worrying about me, Sierra. I promise, I’ll be fine.’’

She blinked, clearly not believing a word I said. Instead of arguing with me further, she simply sighed and shook her head.

“I have to go now.’’ She yawned through her words, both of us clearly in need of some rest . “I’ll call you in the morning.’’

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