Page 95 of No Longer Safe

“You’re an absolute evil genius.” I laughed then. “How did you even find it?”

“Oh, I’m not done!” She sang and didn’t answer my question, she was too proud of all of her hard work. “I colored in the IR sensor on his TV with a sharpie and then decided it wasn’t good enough and came back with some black tape.”

“You were there for a long time.” I couldn’t help it, I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her tightly to me. “Where was he?”

“I don’t know, he thought Ace was going so he left a key.” She pulled away from me. “You know that evil-looking map on his wall?”

Uh oh. The one with all of the establishments he owned. I didn’t want to know.

Idesperatelywanted to know.

She smiled like I imagined a master mind would. “I pulled them all out.”

This time I did laugh, I laughed so hard I couldn’t help it. When tears streamed down my face and I was doubled over from laughing so hard, the pain came back even worse right through my chest as if I’d been struck.

The tears were no longer of how entertaining my best friend was but instead, how hurt I still felt. Every article on his new date, every night out on the town… it made it feel as fresh as the day he’d dumped me and then took someone else out in my place. Carina wrapped her arms around me and held me while I fell apart again. I hated how weak I was, I hated how weak he made me feel, and I hated that he could move on like I was nothing but I was just stuck sitting here hurting.

“It wouldn’t hurt for you to download those dating apps again,” Carina suggested.

I sighed. “I don’t think I’m ready.”

“Well, I’ll be here the entire way until you’re better again.”

Chapter Sixty-One

Alexei

“Areyou going to tell me what’s up with you?” Axel said as I punched the bag again. This time there was nothing to fuel my anger. Not even my heartbreak could force me into this gym like it had before.

“There’s nothing to tell.”

Because how on earth could I explain what was happening? My own father threatened my girlfriend’s life all because in his eyes she wasn’t good enough. I couldn’t even speak to my mother about it. She’d breezed through my front door a week after it all happened with a newspaper and an angry gleam in her eyes. She slammed the newspaper down on the counter in front of me and asked what I’d done. All I could do was shake my head. She spent an hour in my penthouse trying to get answers out of me, but there were none.

“Alexei, we’ve been through a lot together. It shouldn’t be that difficult for you to divulge what’s happened with Audrey.”

“She’s too good for me.” It was all I could come up with because, in the scheme of things, it was true. I was dreading the upcoming wedding. I hadn’t seen Audrey since everything happened. It was a blessing and a curse. She stayed away from Central Park. Lu only showed up every once in a while as if shecouldn’t enjoy her favorite spot anymore because of me. I’d tried to talk to her but when she turned and walked away from me, I was thankful because I didn’t know what I would actually say when it came down to it.

I’m sorry?

Yeah, right. I could be as sorry as can be but I had no reasoning behind breaking up with her friend besides the fact that I was an asshole.

“You aren’t lying. So she dumped you?”

Another punch, this one lacked most of my strength. I didn’t have it in me. My father stole everything from me but my money and now I found that I didn’t even want it if it meant having to live without the woman I loved.

“No.” Even my response sounded weak.

“Make it make sense, dude.”

I shrugged, yanked my gloves off, and jumped out of the ring. I just didn’t have much left in me. I needed to save my strength for the cameras because I knew if I wasn’t convincing enough, my father would kill Audrey anyway.

Chapter Sixty-Two

Audrey

Weddings were stressful.I didn’t know if I ever wanted to get married after dealing with all of this mess with Carina’s. I didn’t think there was anything that could convince me all the fuss was worth it. Not even love. But at this point in my life, I didn’t know if I would even find love to get married. I was so close to tasting it with Alexei. It was right there, I was ready to fall completely head over heels but then it all came crashing down around me.

“One week,” Carina held a paper bag up to her mouth and started breathing into it.

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