Page 69 of Text Me, Take Me

Don’t do this…That’s what he thinks he has to say.

“But you won’t. You know what my answer is. I’ve been running for too long. I have to do this.”

He sighs, kisses me again. “When this is over, we’ll be happy. You’ll see.”

“The Keepsake and her Warden. Do you think you’ll still want me when you can’t keep me in a cage?”

“I don’t want power over you, Evie. I just want a relationship worth fighting for. Before you, I didn’t think that was possible.”

I love you. I think, but don’t say. I won’t cross that line, not yet, not until I know for sure that we’ve got a future.

The brutal fact is, this could be our last hug, our last words, our last kiss.

I stand at Mom’s grave, studying the headstone, blinking away tears. After running from The Vultures, I was always wary of coming back here in case someone recognized me. I lay flowers on it, then lay the rucksack on the ground.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. It’s Dom.

Dom: No sign of him yet. Part of me hopes he won’t show up.

This isn’t a jail broken phone this time. I can text and call anyone. I could call the cops if I wanted, but I’m way past that.

Evie: He needs to show. This can’t end if he chickens out. I know you’re worried, but soon, this will be over.

Dom: I don’t want you to see what happens to a person when they’re shot, Keepsake. When the time comes, drop to the ground, cover your ears, close your eyes.

Evie: I’m tougher than you think.

Dom: You don’t need to be tough. That’s my job.

This text appears, then another immediately follows it.

Dom: I need you to know that I meant what I said. I love you. Maybe I’ve got no right to say it. Perhaps I’m moving too fast when too much is going on. But it’s the truth. I love you.

Evie: Moving fast is our flavor of crazy.

It might not be what he wants to hear. He probably wishes I’d tell him I love him, too. And heck, maybe that’s true.

Dom: Put the phone away. I hear a motorcycle. And remember–if he makes a move I don’t like, I’m going to drop him.

Evie: Let me get him to delete the video first. He might have a backup!

Dom: You’re in control, Keepsake, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let anybody hurt you. Ever.

I slide the phone into my pocket. “Wish me luck, Mom. It’s probably fitting, right? That asshole made your life hell before the car crash, and now you’re going to get to watch him get sent straight to Hell.”

My breath catches when I see Mason swaggering across the empty cemetery. The sun has set, and no one else is around. I know that Dom and the others are watching from all around us through their rifle scopes, but I can’t see them. My old fear threatens to grip me.

I stand up straighter, even when he smirks at me, laughing, trying to belittle me just like he used to.

“I knew you’d come back to me, little flower.”

That makes me cringe and want to slap him.

“But I’m not an idiot,” he goes on. “I know you’re not here for me. You’re not here because you want me or any of that crap. And I know you don’t want tomarryme.”

“Why am I here then?”

“To pay me off, so I’ll delete the video and leave you alone. It’s simple.”

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