Page 81 of Texting My Valentine

“Why are we here?” I demand. “I know Mom made a mistake, but hurting us won’t turn back time. People cheat, Damien. It’s wrong. I hate it. I’d never do it, but it’s a fact of life. You don’tkidnappeople. You don’tstalkpeople because somebody cheated on your dad. Can’t you see how warped that is?”

“You think I’m some evil piece of shit, don’t you?” he says wearily, as though he’s got the weight of the world on his shoulders. He walks over to the couch and drops down, resting the gun against his knee. In my head, the seconds tick by.

What if Alex storms in here before I get a chance to lure Damien to the porch? What if my man smashes through the window when the gun is still aimed at me?

Why did this have to happen now when my body is still sizzling from what we did?

“You’ve kidnapped an innocent woman,” I snap. “You stalked her daughter to a bar and got a job there just to?—”

He laughs, shaking his head. “You’re not that special, Tori. I got a job there because I needed a damn job because my dad made me promise to try and stick to the straight and narrow before he died.Before he died.” He glares at Mom. “You heard that, didn’t you, Monica? My dad died because of what you did to him.”

Mom sniffles. “I’m sorry… I’m so sorry.”

Mom, you don’t owe him an apology, I almost say, but then I think better of it. Antagonizing him probably isn’t the best idea.

“We Kents have a reputation, it’s true,” Damien says. “But we’re not as bad as people like to make out. We’ve got fingers in pies, but only because that’s the only way to make some damn money in this city. At least, it was before Dad… Monica, tell your daughter why my father took his own life.”

I gasp.

Mom shudders, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I didn’t plan on any of this. He was so intense, so possessive…”

In the back of my head, I think about Alex, how intense and possessive he is, and how much I like it.

Focus, Tori.

“You cheated on my dad,” Damien says. “You got rid of his child. The pain was so bad, he took his own life.” Damien speaks numbly, but there’s emotion beneath the surface. It almost makes me feel sorry for the lunatic.

“Mom,” I whisper.

Mom sobs, shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m just so sorry. Please, if you’re going to hurt anyone, hurt me. Tori has nothing to do with this.”

“I was going to make Tori love me,” Damien says in a distant voice. “When I realized who she was, that was my plan. Woo the bitch. Make the bitch love me. Break her heart. But you, Tori, you were so damn stubborn. Now, I’m going to simplify things.”

He stands up, aiming the gun at me. “Stick that gag back in her mouth.”

Terror seizes me. I want to tell him to go to hell, but it’s difficult to summon any words with the cold barrel of a gun aimed at me.

“I’m sorry, Mom,” I whisper, picking up the gag.

She shudders. “You shouldn’t have come here.”

“It’s going to be okay,” I assure her. “You’ve made mistakes, but you’re not a bad person.”

“Ha,” Damien grunts. Once I’ve replaced the gag, Damien strides up to me and nudges me with the gun. “On the kitchen counter, there’s a glass of water. Drink it.”

I urge myself to grab the gun, yank it from his grasp, to do something. When I told Alex I needed to come here, I thought I might be able to force myself to take action. It all seemed so much more possible when I wasn’t one trigger pull away from the final act.

Walking to the counter, I look down at the water, little bits of white powder floating in it.

“What’s in it?” I ask.

“Drink,” he orders. “Or I’ll make you watch me kill your mother.”

What choice do I have?

Oh, God, this was a mistake.

My hand trembles as I raise the glass and drink down the thick liquid, granules of powder sliding down my throat. Instantly, my vision grows hazy, and my balance feels off.

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