Page 132 of Say I Do

“You think I’m going to hand your victim over to you?” I growled.

“Don’t act precious,” he snapped. “We’re men who know what this world is like. There’s no place for fake morality in it. I indulge in my sins. So do you. Even if you lie to yourself and say it’s not true.”

I watched the blood roll down his face and drip from his lips. Every word that came out of his fucking mouth made me want to rip his tongue out of his head. There was a lot you could say about me, but touching kids? Yeah, that wasn’t fucking one of them. I would never fall that far.

“You’re pathetic.” I smiled. “I know I said I’d kill you, but I want to take that back.”

“Oh?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I laughed. “I’m going to watch Harlow do it. And if he can’t, I’ll help him.”

Qiang’s men advanced, but I’d already turned on my heels. I ran for the door and shoved my way down the hall. Shots rang out, making my ears throb in pain. I turned down another hall and kept running. One way or another, I would get out of there and return to Harlow. No matter what was between us, what problems stood in the way, I couldn’t let him go. How could I?

I burst out into the kitchen and slipped into the dining room. This time eyes lingered on me as I shoved my way through the crowd. I didn’t have time to be polite. I had to get out of there. Setting sunlight touched my skin as I spilled outside. Tony waited there, a worried expression on his face. When he saw me, he frowned.

“You have some blood,” he whispered.

I glanced around at the droplets that had landed on me from punching Qiang. “Get me out of here. You got extra clothes?”

“Always.”

I climbed into the car and ditched what I was wearing. Lowering the backseat, I reached into the trunk for the clothes Tony had stashed. I used my old shirt and a bottle of water to wash the blood from my face and hands. By the time we pulled up to the penthouse, I’d changed into a pair of sweats, a t-shirt, and a hoodie. I tugged the hood up.

“What happened there?” Tony asked.

I glanced in the rearview mirror. “I’ll tell you later. I need to see Harlow.”

Tony frowned but nodded. “I understand.”

I reached up and grabbed Tony’s shoulder before I gave it a firm squeeze. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked as his brows knitted together.

“Everything. For putting up with me, with him.” I laughed. “With us. And for always having my back.”

“What are friends for?” Tony asked as he grinned. “Although friends go out and drink together. It’s been a while.”

“Yeah, yeah, I fucking get it,” I laughed. “You, me, and a bottle of rum. Soon.”

“Soon,” he nodded. “Go on. Get your psychotic man.”

I laughed again as I let myself out of the car. Getting up to my place felt like it took longer than it ever had. As soon as I exited the private elevator, I looked around. The place was quiet. Too fucking quiet.

“Harlow?”

“Benny!" My mom popped her head out of the hallway bathroom and smiled at me. “I was wondering where you were."

I frowned. “Where’s Harlow? I need to talk to him."

She clicked her tongue. “Absolutely not. You know the rules; no seeing your partner before the wedding. You two can’t break that tradition. You’ll have nothing but bad luck if you sleep together tonight.”

I groaned. “Mom, where is he?”

“I told you—”

“What the fuck!" I snapped. "This isn’t a game. This is my life!”

Mom blinked at me before her eyes watered. ”You don’t have to be so mean, Benny. I’m just trying to make sure you have a good wedding."

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