Page 28 of Forbidden Obsessions

“Please, I’m just trying to help, Olivia,” she says, her voice breaking as she stares at me blankly. Before I can respond, her demeanor shifts. She retreats slowly as wild terror flashes through her green eyes.

“I’ve been looking for you two everywhere,” a low voice croons in my ear. Taking a shuddering breath, I pivot and try to steel my nerves. Nathan is mostly the same: six-foot-something, icy blue eyes, and a cocky smirk. It’s obvious that he’s spent those months in house arrest working out. His shoulders, arms, and chest are broader and rippled with muscle. His grin widens as I drag my eyes over his body in alarm. I may be able to take Vanessa in a fight, but I definitely wouldn’t win against him. Still, though, I need to try.

“Funny, becauseI’vebeen looking for you, too.” My hands move of their own accord, dragging my battered, razor-sharp fingernails across his face like a rabid raccoon.

“You little fucking cunt. Still as bratty as ever, I see.” His tongue darts out to lick a drop of blood.

My feet catch up to my brain as it pleads with me to run, to put distance between us. All of my pleading, frantic cries fall on deaf ears. Drunk people scurry and stagger out of the way, watching Nathan speed walk behind my sprint. I need to ditch my shoes, the damn stilettos teetering under my feet, but there’s no time to stop.

As a last ditch effort, I sprint upstairs and lock myself in the bathroom I found Vanessa in earlier. My chest heaves as I barricade the door with a trash can and my body, searching for anything else I can use. A strangled noise breaks free as I realize there is nothing. Between me and some discarded tissues, I doubt we’ll deter those muscles for long.

I wait and wait and wait, holding my breath. The longer that the bathroom stays eerily silent, the more nausea and fatigue grip me. Sitting on the floor, the coldness of the door keeps me grounded. My chest heaves as the tequila threatens to make a resurgence. Honestly, if it did, I’d probably feel better. I try to ignore the feeling.

Kicking my shoes off, I take stock of the situation. Weapons? The stilettos Mia bought me. Communication? Nope. Phone is gone. Stealth mode? Negative. Nathan knows exactly where I am.

The only hope I have is that Mia and Lex realize I’ve been gone for an extended period of time. As much as I love them, they’re probably fucked up. We had back-to-back tequila shots, and neither looked like they had plans of stopping.To summarize—I’m fucked.

My mind goes back to Mom. She fucked up by not telling me. Theyall did. But from how she seemed tonight, she’s giving herself grace. She knows—we all do—that she’s living on borrowed time. If I die tonight, she’ll outlive me. I know if that happens, it will destroy her more than the cancer will. It’ll tear Dad apart, too.

I don’t know how long I camp out in the bathroom before I decide to say fuck it and throw caution to the wind. Armed with stilettos, I twist the knob, willing myself into whatever chaos awaits.

When I get enough courage to twist the handle, I find the hallway deserted. Along with the thrumming bass of the music, the flashing red strobe lights are borderline crippling. My bare feet kick empty cups and crushed beer cans. My skin crawls from the sensation. Besides that, despite being alone, I swear Nathan’s eyes are boring into me like needle points from somewhere. Every time I turn my head, thinking I found him, he’s not there.

As I near the last door of the hallway, a hand wraps around my mouth, muffling my scream and pulling me inside. Vanessa raises a bloodied finger to her lips as she locks the door.

“Look, you don’t need to like me. You and Tomas don’t need to forgive me. But you need to listen to me if you want to make it out of here alive tonight. I didn’t set you up. I didn’t tell him you would be here. He did his own research. Do you have a weapon or anything on you that we can use? Pepper spray? A pocket knife? Anything?” she whispers frantically.

Her face crumbles as I shake my head no. I raise my stilettos as tribute, which earns a heavy sigh. “It may come to that,” she shrugs.

“Why is he hell bent on getting me? I’ve barely said two words to him,” I lament.

“You’re collateral,” she whispers, shaking her head.

“To who?” Although I know the answer—Tomas. I still don’t understand why, though.

“Me.” She averts her gaze to the floor. I’m not people-savvy enough to understand if she’s truthfully sorry or if she’s crafting a story to earn trust. It looks like we’ll be in here for a while, so I guess we have nothing but time.

When Vanessa lifts her head, the look of defeat on her face almost guts me. “I don’t follow,” I say softly.

“I was once just like you: a young, horny student in DeLuca’s class, desperate to keep him.” She pauses as I grind my teeth. “I don’t mean it as a dig. It’s true for both of us, but it’s not my point. Yes, I repeatedly propositioned and flirted with Tomas. It was probably harassment, but I was desperate for him. I should have left him alone.”

“Get to the point, Vanessa,” I warn. My fists ball at my sides. I try to relax them, but I’m wound up so tight that they recoil instantly.

“Jonathan married my mom when I was fourteen. Nathan’s been obsessed with me since. I’ve been telling him it’s disgusting for as long as I can remember. It just spurs him on. The more I say no, the sicker, more perverse, it gets. He set the camera up in Tomas’ office unbeknownst to me,” Vanessa continues, her voice breaking as she recounts the truth.

My heart cracks a little more tonight. “Why didn’t you go to your parents or the police?” I hate that question, but it doesn’t add up.

“Jonathan beat us both so badly that we could barely stand up afterward. Nathan blackmailed me with the footage and released it when I didn’t comply. I’m sorry for Tomas, and Tomas doesn’t know—doesn’t care to know. Honestly, who could blame him? You might have realized from the trial, but the family has the police department in their pocket. They’re all corrupt. I didn’t know what kind of revenge he was plotting, but I knew it was something. In the end, I convinced Jonathan to mandate me into Tomas’ lab so I could keep tabs and warn him.”

I feel like an ass. “I’m sorry about Nathan. I’m not sorry that I have Tomas, though. He saved me from my past and saves me every day from myself. I think he’s the love of my life,” I admit softly.

She shakes her head. “He’s water under the bridge. I just want to go somewhere else—out west, maybe—start something new, become someone new,” she tells me, a faraway look and glimmer of hope shining brightly in her eyes.

Her expression sobers. “We just have to find a way to get out of here. I experienced life with him while he was on house arrest. He’s dangerous, delirious, and desperate on my account. He’ll hurt me any way he thinks he can, and he’s proven more than once that he believes hurting Tomas will accomplish that goal.”

“Do you have a plan?” I ask with cautious optimism.

“No,” she sighs, defeated. “Let’s wait in here until we can’t any longer. Maybe get some sleep while it’s quiet. It won’t be that way for long,” Vanessa warns ominously. The truth of her words settles deep in my bones.

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