Page 112 of Firefly (Redemption 2)

His hands fell, and he looked up as soon as I stepped into the room, his expression tortured.

“Come here.”

I walked slowly to him, stopping just in front of his legs. My teeth sank into my bottom lip when he leaned forward to run his hands up the back of my thighs, pulling me forward until I was crawling onto his lap, straddling him.

He leaned over, grabbing a glass of water and two pills from the end table before handing them to me. “For the pain,” he mumbled. Once he had the glass on the table, he sat up, his gaze falling over my body again and again. “How are you feeling?”

I lifted a shoulder. “I’ve had better days.”

“Why didn’t you scream, Elle?”

Because he came up behind me so suddenly I hadn’t even known he was there before he had me bent over the counter, my face smashed into the granite and his harsh words in my ear.

Because he’d had a knife inches from my face.

Because I didn’t want to die.

“Scream, and I’ll slit your throat. Lie, and I’ll gut you, you fucking rat.”

When he’d forced my arm onto the counter and dug the blade into my arm, it had been the first time I’d allowed myself to make a sound.

“That’s called payback, you Holloway whore.”

“I did when I could,” I finally said.

Dare pressed his head into my stomach, his back shuddering with his rough exhale. “I’m sorry. I’m so goddamn sorry.” His hand lifted to lightly trace the bandage, then dropped to grip my fingers. “I should’ve known something was wrong when he didn’t return, but I wasn’t expecting you back yet.”

“I told you I needed to leave so I could come back to you.” I tried to make my tone light and slightly teasing, but his back tensed and fingers tightened on mine in response. “Johnny’s actions aren’t your fault,” I murmured, pressing a kiss to his head. Running my free hand through his hair, I tugged so he would meet my gaze and tried to smile. But it felt forced.

I could see it, he was thinking about what Johnny had said to him . . . what he’d heard me admit.

“If you want to ask, then do it.”

“I don’t,” he said automatically. “I heard what you said.”

“But you’re wondering, and that wonder is going to turn into doubt. Just ask me what’s on your mind.”

“What’s on my mind is that everything I’ve been terrified would happen began this afternoon. That guy you saw? He was the business partner I told you about—the one I was supposed to meet. But he didn’t show, and I couldn’t get hold of him. When we got back to the house, he was here waiting. And I about lost my fucking mind because I had to act like there wasn’t someone in the house I didn’t want him to see—I had to act like I wasn’t terrified of him seeing you and realizing what you meant to me. And then the glass . . .”

“I’m sorry.” The apology left me automatically, effortlessly.

“Don’t be.”

But I was. Even though in that moment my world had felt like it was falling down around me, dying the way his fiancée had was Dare’s greatest fear. And I’d put him in a position where he’d revealed everything he’d wanted to protect and conceal.

“But when he left earlier, he should’ve never come back. The fact that he did . . .” Dare blew out a harsh breath, his eyes narrowing into slits. “Him being there, waiting for you when you came back and asking about us . . . it’s like starting a game. Only our games don’t end until there’s a body count and so much blood spilled you can’t seem to ever get clean again.”

The drop in his tone sent a chill up my spine.

His eyes scanned my face, searching for long seconds before he finally asked, “Have you ever heard of Holloway?”

I knew as soon as the question passed his lips why he was staring at me so intently.

He was waiting for my response.

And there was that doubt.

At the slightest dip of my chin, it was as if Dare’s expression had turned to stone. “Johnny demanded to know what my role was with them about a dozen times in the kitchen.”

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