Page 98 of Until Tomorrow Comes
He laughs. The sound causes the hair on the back of my neck to raise and wipes away any temporary confidence. Every inch of me freezes as memories of that laugh play through my head.
The last time he laughed like that, he put me in the hospital.
“Called your little boyfriend?” He sneers. Swallowing thickly, I find my voice.
“Yes, which means the police are on their way.” Either that or he told Coop and Alan, but I keep that to myself. “Leave, Zack. We’re over, you’re not helping your case any.”
He moves closer, shaking his head.
“My case?” He questions sarcastically. “Mycase. All I’ve ever done is show you your place, you ungrateful bitch. You think I’m bad for that?” He rounds the corner of the island and I mimic the move in the opposite direction.
“You’re nothing without me. I gave you everything you could need, you’remywife.Mine.” He spits out, slamming his hand with the gun on the counter.
I flinch at the sound, but keep moving when he does, not letting him get closer.
“When I met you, you were nothing more than a poor business man’s daughter. I literally gave you and your family everything. You think I’m bad, yet the first chance you got away, you fucked someone else.” His voice is venomous, but we continue our slow steps around the island as he continues talking. “This is why it’s better to keep you locked away. It’s okay though, I’ll remind you of that. While you’re nothing more than a pathetic, cheating whore, you’re still mine.”
His Cheshire grin sends chills down my spine.
“You’ll regret letting another man touch you. Now the way I see it,wife, is that you have two options.” When he stops moving, the island still between us, so do I. Not wanting to draw his attention to the fact that the back door is now to my left, and the open front door is to my right down the hall, I keep my eyes on him.
“Your first option is to come with me willingly. No fighting or throwing any tantrums. When we get home, you’ll tell the police that you were doing this for my attention and to drop all charges. I’ll even be nice and not damage your pretty face any further in return.”
My jaw drops open as I gape at him. There’s no way that’s happening.
He chuckles, reaching up to scratch his jaw.
“Yeah, figured you’d have that reaction.” He moves to the side of the island and out of reflex, I step toward the front door. His gaze darts to the hall, realizing where I am. Zack points the gun back at me with a smirk. “The second option is you still come with me. Just a little more banged up and maybe with a bullet in you.”
Movement from the corner of my eye has me fighting to stay in place and not turn to look. Zack takes a step forward while he talks, oblivious to the two newcomers.
“I told you that you’re mine, something I will have to remind you and that douche who tried keeping you from me.”
“No one was keeping me from you, Zack.” I say without thinking it through. Before, I would have been careful about how I responded to him.
But right now I’m so fucking tired of the hold he has on me and my life.
“I left you. You’re controlling and manipulative. On top of all that, you literally beat me half to death!” I take another step away, keeping my eyes trained on him. “I didnothingto deserve this. I only ever tried to love you.”
He rolls his eyes, keeping the gun trained on me and acting as if I hadn’t spoken at all.
“I’m over your shit, Kat. God, I know your father said you can be stubborn but this is…” He scrubs a hand down his face with a heavy sigh. My heart drops and I can only gape at him.
“What?” I ask dumbly.
His laugh is humorless as he takes me in.
“Your father and I had a deal. He signs off on giving me a perfect housewife to break in, and I give him the connections he needs to get his business running.” He takes a single step forward, but I’m frozen in place. Gaping at him as he literally breaks my heart more than I imagined.
“He said you wouldn’t be easy, and I’ll admit you’ve tested my patience. But I’m two seconds away from being nice by letting you decide how this goes. So pick.”
“How ‘bout option three, dick face.” Cooper says, stepping out from the hallway with his own gun drawn. Alan steps beside him, weapon trained on Zack as well.
How does everyone have a gun? This isn’t a goddamn movie!
I turn back to Zack, expecting to see him lowering his gun and giving up. Only that’s not what he does, and everything happens before I can react.
Alan yells my name just as Cooper yells for Zack to stay back.
