Page 11 of Absolution

“Fuck Gideon!” Gina jumped up from the bed with her hands clutched in fists. She was breathing hard and her expression was one of seething rage. “Fuck him.”

I reared back from the heat of her glare. Slowly, I gently reached out, waiting for her to pull away from me. It was what I was used to, so imagine my surprise when she didn’t jerk away at the touch of my hand on her arm. Her heaving breaths slowed in increments until finally she was breathing normally.

“He didn’t protect you, did he?” There was so many things that were still unclear, but one of them was becoming glaringly apparent.

Gina’s laugh was bitter. “No, Leo, he didn’t.”

“What did he do to you?”

Finally, she shook out of my grasp. “It doesn’t matter anymore.”

“It matters to me.”

“Look, thanks for coming to check on me, but I’m fine. You can leave now.”

Her dismissal was firm. My duty as a Dom was to provide for my sub. As much as I resisted, right now Gina’s most urgent need was to be left alone. Not wanting to cause her any more harm than I now obviously had, I honored her wishes.

I stood by the door and looked over my shoulder at her. “I swear on my life I thought I was doing what was best for everyone. I want you to know that I’m sorry for whatever happened after I left. I hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me.”

I planned on finding Gideon and learning the truth.

Chapter 7

Gina

Today had been awful.An entire shipment of clothing had been lost, so I’d spent half the morning trying to track it down. Then, Bridget asked me if I could close the shop, because her son, Alex, was sent home from school sick. Not that I minded helping, but I’d already been exhausted from staying up far too late thinking about my conversation with Leo.

He’d been so earnest in his apology, and I knew I needed to forgive him for leaving, but every time I looked at him, it was a reminder of what had happened when he was gone. Everything was intertwined with Leo and Gideon in one large tangled mess. The minute I tried to unravel a thread, I pulled the wrong one, and I’d spiral into the darkness. I knew the bitterness inside me was eating me alive, but I couldn’t seem to escape it.

My stomach grumbled with hunger. A quick glance at the clock, and I realized it had been hours since I’d last eaten. I’d just sat down at the kitchen table with a grilled cheese sandwich when my phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Mmm, I’ve wondered what your voice would sound like all grown up.”

The seductive purr made bile churn in my gut, and a heavy, leaden feeling followed. I stumbled backward and fell onto the chair.

“Gideon.” The name tasted sour on my tongue, and I wanted to throw up.

“So, you do remember me. I was hoping you would.”

I couldn’t speak from the boulder in my throat. Of course I remembered him. How could I forget my greatest nightmare?

“I hope you haven’t hung up, Gina.” The warning was clear.

“I’m here,” I choked out. God, I wished I was anywhere but here.

“Oh, good. Have you been getting my messages?”

“Yes.”

I had to force my voice not to quiver. There was only one thing in this world I feared, and that was this man. None of the ‘reminder’ calls scared me. Made me nervous? Yes. But actually hearing Gideon’s voice terrified me down to my soul.

“For eight years, I’ve been rotting away in this shit hole. Trading favors to stay alive. And one thing has kept me motivated. Do you know what that is, Gina?”

I swallowed hard.

“I asked you a question,” he barked, causing me to whimper.

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