Page 38 of Tormented Kings

“Yeah.” I laugh lightly, smiling wide. “I’d love to be your girl, Collin.”

How is this even happening? The guy I grew up with, my best friend, my shadow; someone I crushed on hardcore, is now my boyfriend?

Weird. This is so weird. But a good weird.

He gives me a heart-stopping grin before leaning in to kiss me hard. “I’m going to do everything in my power so that you don’t regret this decision. To show you how amazing you are, how much I love you, and I’ll protect you like I should have been all along.”

I want to tell him he can’t be with me all the time, that he can’t prevent all the bad things from happening because that's just not how life works. But I don’t want to ruin this moment, so I just kiss him, enjoying the feeling of his touch and the way his lips move against mine, letting myself feel happy for once.

I end up getting the wings to go and promised Collin I’d eat them later. But I don’t, I’m sad when I just toss them in the trash when I get home. I didn't eat much else that night either, too stressed and worried. One or two missed meals isn’t going to hurt.

My therapist would think otherwise.

Chapter 9

Collin

Today is a good fucking day. A wonderful day. The best fucking day of my life... for now. Why, you might ask? Well, because the girl of my dreams doesn’t hate me. And she finally agreed to be mine.

I thought I lost her, and I wasn’t lying when I told her it was the worst fear I’ve ever experienced. It caused me to open my eyes.

Yes, I came on a bit strong when I came back, but I was excited, okay? After years of dreaming about making Sadie mine, I was finally in the same place as her.

I’ve been keeping tabs on her, so I knew she was dating and had a boyfriend. Didn’t mean shit-all because I knew when I came back into her life, she would forget all about him.

Turns out he was a raging sack of shit anyways. If I knew that, I would have come back sooner and ended their relationship myself.

I shouldn’t have left in the first place. I get why my mom did it, and maybe if I stayed, it would have caused more harm than good. But if I stayed, then the bastard who took advantage of her at the party wouldn’t have gotten close enough to her in the first place.

I’m still planning on getting that information out of her one way or another. Maybe I can coax it out of one of her friends.

I’ve done some fucked up shit in my past, but I promised to do better once I came back into Sadie’s life. Putting her safety at risk due to my choices wasn’t something I was willing to do. Instead, I hire people to do the things I need done and keep myhands clean. Once I get a name, I’ll be making some calls, that's for damn sure.

Even after all those changes, Sadie's life is still at risk. By my own fucking father, nonetheless.

To say I hate the man is an understatement. I despise him, and if there were ever a reason to slip into my old ways again, it would be to end him.

The only thing is, while I might be powerful and have my own connections, so does he.

My game plan, as of right now, is to get as much dirt on the fucker as I can, and see if he’s slipped up with the people he’s in dealings with. If I could find proof and bring it to one of them, they would take care of him themselves, and I’d get to keep my hands clean.

I’m not in the business of being a nark, but for this, I’ll make an exception. For Sadie and her safety, things need to be done.

I drop Sadie off at her place, and I’m just pulling out of her driveway when I get a phone call.

Frowning, I look at the caller ID on the car screen. It’s an unknown number.

Huh.

Probably a telemarketer. So, I press ignore. Not even ten seconds later, my phone rings again. Same thing, unknown number.

“What the fuck?” I mutter, pressing decline. Again, ten seconds later, my phone rings for a third time.

Irritation gets the better of me, and I answer. “Who the fuck is this? You better have a good reason as to why you’re calling me a million times,” I growl.

“Is that any way to greet your father?” His voice fills my car, sending a wave of unease through me.

My lips curl into a sneer as I grip the steering wheel so tightly that my fingers turn white. “You,” I snarl through gritted teeth.

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