Page 19 of Hold On

“You can’t win, Sebastian!! Luke has money and power and a paid army to back him. He’s got planted moles in law enforcement looking the other way and deliberately keeping the police off his scent. He will never let me go. My debt increases daily and after this fucking stunt with you showing up and beating my client, I’m sure he’ll make it even harder for me. I knew when I accepted Luke’s threat of employment that I would die working for him. It was welcomed. Until you appeared yesterday and made everything that much more complicated,” she sneers ungratefully. I’m blown away, trying to process everything she’s said. Lina’s face is a mask of fury as she gets up to enter the shower. “I will never belong to you again. It breaks my heart too,” she continues as more tears leave my eyes. I turn away, irritated at my show of emotion. “Please, just listen to me and save your beautiful fucking self, Bash. If you want to do something for me,dothat!”

“I’m a piece of fucking shit, Alina. You’re the only one who’s ever called me beautiful or thought I could be considered as such,” I spit at her as she moves the curtain to the side.

“I feel the same way about me, baby. You wishing things were different won’t make them magically change.” She climbs into the steaming water and disappears. I scrub my hands down my face, feeling empty and hopeless and mad as all hell.

“We need to get you to a hospital,” I say in a daze. I feel like my heart is shredding inside of my chest.

“No hospitals,” she protests quickly. My eyes roll into the back of my head. Of course, she’d say that. “It looks worse than it is. Luckily, he didn’t break my nose.”

“Why don’t we go back to my place, then?” I suggest and when she doesn’t immediately shoot me down, I continue. “Like I said before, I’d like to have someone come in and clean your house. You can stay with me until it’s done.” I cross my fingers, hoping she’ll take me up on my offer. I just need to be able to see her, to calm my racing heart and frayed nerves that her one evening of absence caused. In reality though, it’s been a hell of a lot longer than that.

She releases a long sigh. I feel the weight of her troubles laced within the sound as it leaves her. She opens the curtain, our eyes finally meeting. She’s crying and I’m crying and everything we’re each not saying is hanging between us like garbage. Pure, fucking trash. “Why?” It’s so much of a whisper, I almost don’t hear it. But I figure the truth is what this situation calls for. If I want to hear it from her, then she needs to hear it from me.

“Because I’m still fucking in love with you and need to keep you safe, Lina Girl.” It feels so scary, yet so right to just let that be. To allow it to exist. My love for her. It never stopped. Her face crumples and so do her legs. I’m suddenly jumping over to her, holding her against my bare chest as she clings to my body from inside the tub.

“I never stopped loving you either, Bash,” she admits and when I hear it from her lips, something inside of me springs back to life. Something I’d lost so long ago. I don’t know what it is, other than to say that a piece of me has returned from the land of the dead.

And it’s all because of her.

“Let me help you,” I respond as I shimmy off my pants, briefs, and shoes and join her in the shower. I lean her up against the wall as I wash her hair, taking my time to ensure that the vomit is gone. She stands with her eyes closed, but her hands are softly resting upon my outer arms for support. She looksso peaceful. It’s hard to imagine the carnage that must’ve taken place here the previous evening.

I have no idea how I’m going to get her out of this. And suddenly I wonder if maybe going to the source would be better. I could buy Alina out of her contract from the douche bag outright. She wouldn’t have to be involved, and I could skip town with her immediately after, finding someplace new to start a life together.

I’m not sure it’s the right thing to do. And honestly, I’m more inclined to slit this fucker’s throat than work alongside him. So, I let it marinate in my mind as I wash her delicate body. Besides, she’s coming home with me anyway, so I can at least watch her for the next few days. I’m not sure I’ll let her out again if she tries to return to work though.

I’m so goddamn fucked. But it’s always been like that when it comes to Alina Timber.

Chapter Thirteen - Now

Alina:

The car is silent as we drive to Bash’s place. But his hand is firmly holding mine. It’s the safest I’ve felt since I left his house last night. Our fingers are solidly locked together. Neither of us is letting the other go. The weather hasn’t improved much. It’s not pouring rain, but it’s cloudy and a chance of it could be lurking around any corner. Bash doesn’t turn on the music and I don’t ask him to.

He pulls up to his side of the house, letting out an exasperated sigh as he quickly undoes his seatbelt and looks at me. “Just stay in the car,” he says in a rush. I’m confused until I see a short, blonde woman walking towards us. Sebastian gets out and meets her before she can get any closer than she already is. I try to hide my face by looking away, obviously not in a state to be formally meeting mothers. Or anyone, honestly.

Luke accomplished his task.

He’s broken me.

Maybe not fully though, as I seem to be enjoying playing with the fire that is Sebastian Cox. Which is purely selfish on my end, knowing exactly what Luke is capable of when he gets jealous. But Bash isn’t backing down or walking away. It makes me smile a little inside that something in me isn’t completely empty. I still have some fight left.

“Are you going to eat dinner with me tonight?” his mom asks, bringing me back to the present. Bash shakes his head no.

“I’ve got some shit going on, mom.” She looks towards me sitting in the car. Her eyes narrow in on my face, like she recognizes me. I do have a reputation around here. And she’s seen me before, back in the day.

“You shouldn’t be hanging around with that girl if you care about your sobriety,” she says disapprovingly, eyeing his bare chest questioningly. That nagging feeling I get of wanting to disappear and die rears its ugly head. Bash stiffens as her eyes go wide. She takes a step back under his dangerous gaze.

“Let’s get one thing straight,” he says way too calm, closing in the step she took. His mom looks frightened, but he doesn’t move to hit her like his father would have. He only speaks to her in a clipped tone. “Alina is the only person on this planet who has ever been there for me. You mean less to me than she does by a considerable amount. When you ignored my bruises in high school, Alina helped me ice them. She is the most genuine person I know. You will never slander her or judge her again. Do you hear me?” I see his jaw clenching and unclenching as his eyes bore into hers.

I’m so taken aback that I don’t even realize I’m crying at Bash’s words until a tear hits my hand from above. I straighten in my seat and unlatch my seatbelt, feeling braver. Stepping out of the car, I walk proudly up to Bash and put my hand into his. His mother looks horrified, but she says nothing more as she pales and retreats to her side of the house.

I follow Bash into his.

Sebastian:

She’s sitting on my fucking bed. I unbutton my pants, fully undressing from my already half-clothed state, before grabbing Alina from the mattress and bringing her into my chest. “I won’t hurt you,” I whisper as she nods, trusting me. I tenderly kiss herforehead, her cheeks, her swollen lip. She’s wearing a jacket and sweats she threw on before we left. She didn’t even bother with underwear.

We had to get the fuck out of there. The air was thick with trauma and regret. What she endured inside those walls was nothing short of hell. I told her to leave it all, that I’d buy her anything she needs. Including a fucking house if that one’s tainted to her beyond repair.

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