Page 4 of Hate the Way You Lie (Hate 2)

I can’t take it any longer. I’m going over there.

Grabbing the keys off the hook, I speed out of here like a bat out of hell.

If she’s there and breathing, I’ll leave.Well, not leave, leave but make her parents think I’ve left. I’ll just patiently wait in the car and go wherever she does to make sure she’s safe. I don’t care how manyguardsNix has watching the house, I’m staying to protect her. Nix and his consequences can fuck off for all I care. If he doesn’t like me going, then he can fire me. I’ll go back to fighting if I have to. I can’t ensure her safety if I’m not here. I might trust Viper, but the person I trust most is myself. No chance. I shouldn’t have left in the first place; I know that now.

I pull up outside her parents' tiny, run-down house. Lights still glow from inside, giving me the sign that there’s life. I take a deep breath, hoping by some fucking miracle that my instincts are wrong. I don’t see Viper anywhere, making me even more uneasy. He should be here, or one of his men should be, but I don’t see a soul. Where the fuck are they at?

Climbing out of the Navigator, my eyes scan the neighborhood, searching for any sign of danger. Nix may have found me as a fighter, but I’ve been doing security for longer than I’ve known him. It’s another reason he hired me. With my physical size and ability to fight, being a guard was the first job I had that brought in good money for my family.

On instinct, I pull out my Glock 22 and check the clip. Full. I’m not saying she’s in danger—I certainly hope she isn’t, but you can never be too cautious. I click the clip back in place and slide the gun back into my concealed holster.

The wind picks up, causing branches of the tree in their front yard to aggressively sway back and forth, the leaves rustling loudly in response. The sky transitions from blue with clouds to a dark gray, becoming nearly black. There’s a slight shift in the air causing goosebumps to appear on my skin, and the temperature drops. A crack of thunder booms in the distance, vibrating the ground, and it feels like a scene from a horror movie. Dogs down the street howl in disagreement at the explosive sounds of the storm rolling in. Even with all the noise surrounding me, it’s like I can still hear my heart pounding roughly in my chest, ready to take flight and run to the girl who holds the key to figuring out this mess with Nix.

My pulse spikes as I make my way across the driveway until I’m standing at their front door.Please be okay. I need you to be okay.I take a deep breath before my fist raps against the old wooden door. My mind races with horrible thoughts the longer I stand here waiting to see her.

It feels like an eternity before the door opens. Internally, I’m praying that it will be Tara’s beautiful face staring back at me. Her bright eyes narrowing, as she asks me what the hell I’m doing here and for me to mind my damn business. I’d take that sassy mouth berating me more than anything.

That prayer is quickly rejected when an older woman, a spitting image of Tara asks, “Hello. Can I help you?” Her voice is filled with confusion, probably because of how late it is. I can see hesitancy in her facial features, most likely from my intimidating size and the sheer panic that must be coming off in waves.

“Uh, hi. I’m looking for Tara. Is she here?” My words come out more jumbled than I’d hoped.

She studies my face for a minute, looking for any sign of recognition. “Who are you?” she grunts. Okay, straight to the point.

Her bodyguard. Her husband’s security guy. The guy who made her come by her husband’s pool the other night.

“Her friend.”Friend. Am I her friend? Do friends know what you look like when you’re exploding in ecstasy? Or try to suck your cock? Do friends have an obsession with being near you all the time and crave the soft delicacy of your skin?

“Does this friend have a name?” Her question pulls me from my thoughts. She’s sassy, just like Tara, but I can tell I’m trying her patience.

“Rush. She told me I could meet her here.” That’s a lie, but it’s better than the truth.

“Tara didn’t mention a Rush was stopping by, but she’s not here right now.”

If she’s not here, then where the hell is she?

Nix mentioned she wanted to stay with her family. Well, that’s not where she is. Either she lied, or he did. My bet is on Nix at this point.

“Where is she?” I question rapidly before backpedaling. “Maybe she’ll be back in a few. She told me to meet her at…” I check my watch. “Ten.”

I can tell she’s trying her hardest not to roll her eyes. She sighs as her lips pull tight in displeasure by my intrusion. “Well, she must have forgotten because she left with her fiancé.”

My eyebrows scrunch in confusion.What the fuck?Fiancé? “Nix picked her up?” I ask, even though I know he hadn’t left the house since we got home earlier. I run my fingers through my dark curls, trying to ease some of the tension building inside me. That could be why I don’t see any Snakes here, there’s no way he beat me to the house if he left right after me.

“No,” she snaps in disgust. “She went with herrealfiancé, Zayan. They left right afterNixdid.”

Hearing his name almost knocks me off my feet.Zayan. She’s withhim.

Her monster.

Her abuser.

And Nix let it fucking happen.

Fuck.

“No, no, no. I’m sorry, ma’am, you must be mistaken. No way she would have left with him. She hates him.” I’m trying to convince myself that I didn’t let this happen just as much as Nix did. I should have checked. I should have told Nix about Zayan. I shouldn’t have kept my promise to her. My palms twitch as my heart beats erratically in my chest. This can’t be happening right now.

“I’m not sure who exactly you think you are, and after today, who knows what my wild, immature daughter has gotten herself into, but I know exactly what I am talking about. Zayan is her fiancé. He’s a good man who has done nothing but love my daughter since they were kids. They needed to discuss some things, so they left together.” It’s scary how she sounds so matter-of-fact but extremely delusional at the same time.

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