Page 48 of Stay for Me

“Diana!” Lucas roared.

I pulled the phone away from my face and pulled up Denver’s contact, my hand shaking so badly, I thought I was going to drop the damn thing.

Hallow Ranch was just ten minutes from my house, and knowing Denver, he’d be here in five.

“Please don’t kill him, Den,” I whispered as I dialed his number. As the phone rang, I raised my gun to the door, yelping as Lucas banged it hard.

He was trying to kick the door down.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up,” I chanted underneath my breath, raising my finger to the trigger.

On the fourth ring, someone answered, a jagged, deep voice filling my ear.

“Diana.”

Warmth slid down my back, chasing away the chill, and the pressure of Lucas’ phantom fingers around my neck faded away.

“M-Mags,” I breathed out.Where the hell was Denver?

“What’s wrong?” he clipped.

“Where’s Denver?” I whispered as my eyes dropped to the doorknob, watching it jerk. Thankfully, Lucas was too drunk to try and get in any other way, but I wouldn’t put it past him.

“At the house. Left his phone in the barn,” Mags answered before his voice changed.“What. Is. Wrong?”

“I need to speak to Denver, please,” I begged, panting. Mags couldn’t help me, no matter how much I wanted him to. The last thing he would do was leave Hallow Ranch to come for me. “Please.”

I heard movement in the background. “Only gonna ask you this one time, Firefly,” he growled, “and you better fucking answer me. Are you in danger?”

Firefly.

God, that nickname would end up being the death of me, and I knew I would never get to understand the meaning behind it. He’d only called me that a handful of times over the last few years, but those moments were some of my most cherished memories.

“God, I hope not,” I replied, answering him without thinking. The banging stopped, and I moved over to the security panel, checking the cameras. He was still on the porch, against the door now, his chest heaving as he tilted his head back, eyes closed.

Mags’ next words were filled with darkness, chilling every inch of my soul. “Where are you?”

“At my house,” I pushed out on a quiet breath, slowly making my way back to the door.

“Gonna need more than that, Diana,” Mags pushed. In the background, I heard more movement, followed by the slam of a door.A truck door?“What’s going on?”

“Lucas,” I rasped, watching my ex’s head lull back and forth on the camera feed.

There was a brief moment of silence. “Your ex.”

Heat climbed up my neck, spreading over my face. “Yes.”

“Where is he?”

“He was trying to get into the house. He’s drunk and high on something.”

There was no reply.

I chewed on the inside of my cheek, Mags’ silence unsettling me.

“You know, it’s probably okay now. He stopped banging on the door and shouting. I think he’s about to pass out, actually,” I rambled, my words coming out fast but not fast enough for my brain. “I tried calling Chase, but it went straight to voicemail, and I figured calling Denver would be the next best thing”

More silence.

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