Page 80 of Pervade London
“Look, I know how to convince Ballad to give you another chance.”
“Why did you leave him?” I tried to make sense of it.
“I wanted something he couldn’t deliver.”
“And he can now?”
“Yes.”
“And you believe him?” I tried to read the truth in his eyes.
He looked away. “I need to get you somewhere safe.”
Xavier led me out of the room and down the whitewashed hallway. With each step we took, I couldn’t help but feel I was trading one trap for another.
The heat inside the military helicopter was oppressive—the noise so loud it almost drained out our voices.
Exhaustion pulled me down, my body aching, reminding me of my harrowing journey from Buckinghamshire and the rough treatment from my kidnappers. The view below gave me no clues as to our destination. Far below, sprawling homes and endless woodland merged together in a blur until there was nothing but open land.
“Water?” Xavier offered.
I studied his face. All this time I’d been living with a man and I hadn’t even known his real name.
I shouted over the chop of the blades, “Are we going back to London?”
“Somewhere a lot safer,” he replied.
I just wanted to go back to my hotel in Covent Garden. Seeing my boyfriend again came with a catch. The cut on my lip was a reminder of that. It hurt each time I tried to talk. There was an upside of having nothing to smile about.
Behind where Xavier sat was camouflage paraphernalia wedged behind mesh to keep it in place. Ballad had connections to the military. With each interaction, I learned more sinister facts about him…and this one was truly terrifying.
“I left my Strad in the hotel,” I called over.
Xavier loosened his necktie.
“Where were you going tonight?” I gestured at his tuxedo. “I’ve been in a living hell and you’ve been living it up with the boys.”
“You shouldn’t have gone to my family home, Em.”
“You don’t get it, do you?”
He shook his head. “You’ve complicated everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“You should have gotten on with your life.”
I leaned forward. “What kind of girlfriend would that have made me?”
“I told you I was going back to them. I asked you to forget me.”
“I’ve been out of my mind.” I pointed at him in frustration. “You…you never loved me. I was just a girl you used for a distraction until you were ready to go back to them.”
He sat back in surprise. “I’ve been trying to protect you. I think of you every second of every day. Seeing you hurting like this is ripping my heart out. Don’t accuse me of having fun while you’re out there living your life. What I do is impossible, and you were the only respite from that.”
“Why didn’t you explain?”
He drew in a calming breath. “If saving you means I have to do the unthinkable…”
