Page 86 of Provoke You

“Let’s give them a minute.” Chase grabbed Kitt’s shirt and pushed him out of the room.

“I’m more than ready to do all the groveling you need.” He sat back on his heels, his wet hair plastered to the side of his face. “I love you. It scared the shit out of me to see you like that. I don’t want our lives to be that.”

I glared at him. He still thought the version of me he saw at the hospital was the real me. But if he thought I was the kind of person who would drink herself to death, why was he here? “What do you want them to be?”

“You make me happy. I want to do the same for you. If you give me a second chance, I promise I’d do anything you ask to make you happy too.”

I pursed my lips and slapped him as hard as I could. “That’s for not believing me.” I removed all the towels and kissed him hard. “And that’s for coming back for me anyway.”

“I was an idiot for leaving you in that place. They wouldn’t let me see you. How did you get out?”

A smiled pulled at the side of my lip. “I punched the nurse in the throat. And the ribs. And then pumped her full of the drug she was using on me.”

He laughed. “Shit. That was you? I saw her. She could barely speak.”

“She was kind of crazy.” I rubbed the hem of my hospital gown and then my inner elbow where the bruising from the needles had already turned different shades of purple and green. It was over. “I want to get out of these damn clothes.”

He nodded and propped me up. Being in his arms again felt so good. No matter how hard Dad tried to chase Matt away, he had come back to me. “Dad told my friends I was in Paris. Even after he knew I hadn’t left. Why would he do that? Do you think he was hoping his investors would finally win and get rid of me?” Dad. He wasn’t my dad. He never was. I was a means to an end, a paycheck. “We can’t let the bad guys win.”

“No. They won’t win. I promise you.”

I rested my head on his shoulder. This had been the longest day ever. “Please tell me you know where Ben is.”

“We know,” Kitt yelled from the other room. “He’s at the other safe house with the housekeeper.”

Matt shrugged, beaming at me. “He’s at the other safe house with the housekeeper. We’ll go see him first thing tomorrow. Okay?”

I met his gaze. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

“Tomorrow.”

“No. Now. Tell me.”

He dug his hand in the back pocket of his jeans and took out a badge. “Do you know this guy?”

I teared up and scooted away from it. “He was at the restaurant. I think he’s the one that drugged me.”

Matt’s face drained of all color. “I can’t believe I had him in my grasp and let him go.”

“What happened? How did you get this?”

“He was at the hospital. Your dad hired the nurse to keep you there indefinitely.” He reached out for my hand and squeezed it, maybe for support or to keep me from running off. “He also hired this guy to watch you in between shifts.”

“When I passed out after this guy left the bar, I saw Dad. He picked me up and took me to his car. I thought it had all been a dream, but now I’m not so sure. There was someone there too, forcing vodka down my throat. It hurt so bad.”

“You drank all that alcohol while you were unconscious.” Matt took a handful of his hair and gripped it. “I’m so sorry for the way I acted.”

“It was a scary scene Dad painted for you. I don’t blame you for walking away.” I placed a hand on my forehead. “It was all a setup from the beginning. Wasn’t it? The sale of the hotel, the attempt at the lake, and the assault outside the restaurant.”

“I think so.”

More than once I’d felt as if Dad sometimes did and said things to make me think I was going crazy. Every time, I would discard the idea because who would want to do that to another human being? It sounded so farfetched. He had no reason to want to hurt me. I never wanted to take over LB Industries. “I would’ve let him have it all.”

“Some people are just not right. It has nothing to do with you and all to do with him. Do you understand?” He cradled my neck and kissed my temple. “Let’s get you upstairs and out of those wet clothes.”

“Yes, please. I can’t stand to smell like hospital soap.”

Matt winced and hugged me when I stood. “I can’t stand the smell of it either. Too many bad memories.”

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