Page 27 of Yours Suddenly

She doesn't say anything.

“Baby?” I say.

“I'm here, I'm listening.” I don't imagine the wobble in her voice. “I knew it was too good to be true. You have fun with work.”

And before I can say anything, she hangs up.

“Fuck!” I launch my phone into the wall where it shatters to pieces and storm inside the warehouse.

It's dark, but I can make out the men who are kneeling in a line. Their hands and feet bound, their eyes blindfolded.

Tristan walks up to meet me.

“Whose men do you think they are?” I ask him.

“Johnson’s,” he replies.

The old tech fuck I had a meeting with. He will pay for this. Not just for having people spy on my family. But for making me miss one of the most important moments of my life. We were going to fucking watchYours Forever, Sinclair. I mean, we could always watch it tomorrow. Or on Sunday or any other day of the week. But the point is me keeping my promises and spending time with her, especially since I’m already on marriage probation.

Now she thinks anytime I want to spend time with her, there's a high possibility I might cancel because of work. That I don’t prioritize her and I’m not committed to her, which couldn’t be further from the fucking truth.

“And you've 100% confirmed this?” I say to my cousin.

“100%. They were heavily armed.”

He points to a pile of guns and knives on the floor.

A dark laugh comes out of me. I don't enjoy killing people, but ever since I was a kid, some pleasure comes from taking out people who do nothing but cause misery to others in this world.

Without me asking him, Tristan hands me a gun, and I step toward one of the kneeling men to start interrogating them.

Afterward, when the place is smelling of blood and gunpowder, I commend Tristan on a job well done and then drive to Johnson’s place with a few of my men. The six p.m. news will say he died of natural causes.

At least after today, there’ll be no more bullshit. That's one thing gone right today, at least.

Everything will go back to normal.

Chapter 14

Alexandra

It's not like I wasn't expecting it.

When he told me he was taking time from work to go with me to the movies, I thought he was joking.

I'm playing tennis by the wall in one of our courts. There are four of them, but no one in the family is really big on the sport. The courts are just there for the sake of being there. It's a status thing, a rich person thing, to have some in your home, I guess.

I slam the ball against the wall and it comes hurtling back at me. I came here to take out my anger on a fluffy green sphere. But when I started to actually hit it, I realized there wasn’t much anger in me at all. I feel almost… indifferent. Which is worse.

After thirty minutes of this, I go back to the house. The kids are chasing each other in the grand foyer, the dogs playing along, and they ask me to join them in their little game. I'm exhausted, but it feels great to feel like a kid again, to chase them and to make growly sounds that cause them to scream and giggle. It reminds me of my sister and me. Reminds me of a happier time.

“You’re it!” I say to Sandra-Lee and she squeals as I run away from her.

I don't watch where I'm going and I slam into the wall.

Well, not a wall. It's just the very tall, hard body of a man.

Roman.

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