Page 90 of Mine to Keep

“I know you said not to mention her name, but you did. Can I ask when she’ll be here?”

He didn’t answer me right away. After he disposed of the mess, he leaned against the counter. “When I acquired Nicole, she was a mousy little thing. Craved guidance, needed submission. I saw her one day leaving her high school crying,and I rescued her. I gave her everything a woman could want. Love, affection, and all I asked for was obedience. She thrived in a strict environment; you will too. But the last few months, she was displeasing. When I told her I was in love with you, she cried.” He rolled his eyes.

“She was lackluster at that point, not shiny and beautiful like you. I sent her to Greg’s house, knowing he likely had been compromised. Poor Greg, so clueless. Always had been. Anyway. I heard on the police scanner that Nicole killed herself.” He sighed. “So pathetic.”

I was speechless. He spoke so frankly, as if he were telling me the scores of a baseball game. She was his wife; at least I’d thought she was. Either way, he’d spent years with her. Clearly she’d been an obsession of his at some point. Is that what I was?

“So you’re saying once you’re tired of me, you won’t care if I off myself?”

He rushed over to me and cupped my cheeks. “No, Matt. We are forever. I’ve never felt for anyone the way I do for you. Every time we part ways my heart hurts, every time we’re close, my cock stirs.”

Okay, I was going to throw up.

“Let me finish this soup so you can eat it; then I’ll wash you up and show you just how much I love you.” He pressed his lips to mine and forced his tongue inside my mouth, and I almost did vomit everywhere.

When he walked away I shot up a silent prayer for Nick to find me, and fast.

CHAPTER FORTY

Nick

Shep droveto the library where Nicole had worked, but there was no sign of James or Matt. Angel went over to Matt’s apartment to see if for some reason he was there, but he wasn’t.

I was sitting on the couch in James’s stupid apartment when my phone buzzed. I put it on the table and hit speaker.

“Tell me you have something, Noel.”

“I might, but it’s a long shot. I went through all the tenants in the building. Thought something would hit, and he’d be hiding out in another apartment.”

“That’s risky,” Angel said.

“Right, but then I found something. A year ago a William Black passed away, leaving his apartment vacant. Funny thing is, James never rented it out to anyone else.”

I turned to Angel, hope beginning to flare. “What apartment?”

“Top floor, there are two apartments there, 801 and 802. Black was in two.”

“Thanks, Noel. I’ll let you know.”

“And, Nick?”

“Yeah.”

“I heard the scanner; police are en route to the apartment…Hurry.”

Without hesitation, Angel and I ran to the elevator. We got on and went to the eighth floor.

“You can’t break down the door, Nick. We don’t know what it’s gonna look like in there. If he has anything that could hurt Matt near him, he might use it.”

“We can get in the front; it’s the only way.”

“It’s not.” I was confused and Angel, clearly noticing, elaborated. “The fire escape. I’ll go downstairs and climb up that way. Wait until I give you the all-clear that I’m there—we go in together. Maybe I’ll be able to see in as well.”

“Okay.”

When we got to the eighth floor, I got off and Angel went to the ground floor. I went to 802 and kneeled in front of the door, my lockpick kit out, and my phone on vibrate. I would be ready to open the door on Angel’s say-so.

I pressed my ear to the door but couldn’t hear anything. I leaned near the crack, and realized it smelled like someone was cooking or had just cooked. This wasn’t a vacant apartment, and everything in my gut told me that this was where Matt was.

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