Page 56 of Ends of Being

Tony tries to tighten his grip on me, but I crack him in the face with my elbow, and he falls back, releasing me. Matt attempts to secure his hold on me next, his hands grappling on my arms as I whirl around, kicking him in the side. His grip on me loosens, and I yank out of his grasp and then I’m sprinting toward Darius, whose pained expression deepens as I leap onto him, wrapping myself around him.

He catches me, pulling me tight against him, and I bask in the strength of his body, the heat and smell of him. I squeeze my arms and legs as tightly as I can, soaking up everything in the few moments I have left with him.

“Don’t do this,” I’m whispering now, my lips pressed against his ear, my arms locked around his neck, and my pounding heart thumping erratically in my chest. “Please, don’t do this. Whatever it is, we can fix it.”

His arms tighten around me, and he presses his face into my neck, inhaling deeply as he whispers, “I have no choice, baby girl.” He leans his head back to look at me, pressing his forehead against mine so he can stare into my eyes as he whispers, “It will always be you.”

This can’t be happening. There must be something we can do, or there must be someone who can fix this. There must be some way for this nightmare to be over, to pause it, to change it.

I shake my head, sobbing, “No. No. No. No. No.” It’s the only word I can get out, and I can’t stop the tears from falling freely as I clutch at him, trying to keep him close to me. “No. No. No. No. No.”

I feel him gesture behind me, then strong hands are on me, yanking me away as Dare pulls my arms from around his neck and then my legs from around his waist. He makes sure Tony and Matt have a secure hold of me before releasing me and stepping back.

He doesn’t look at me, the resigned expression on his face sending chills down my spine as the broken horseshoe closes ranks around him, but I can’t look away. Even when I can only catch tiny glimpses of him in the middle of the swarm, I still don’t look away.

One of the men pulls his gun out, raising it up and smashing it down across Dare’s face, once, twice, knocking him to the ground, and then a gunshot breaks through the chaos, and once again, I’m screaming, kicking, punching, and biting to get back to him.

Tony and Matt hold me tighter, taking my blows as they come without flinching, refusing to turn back, unable to ignore the order to get me out of there. To protectme. To saveme.

They carry me out of the warehouse and down the block to a waiting van. They maneuver me into the back, Matt sitting behind me to keep me in a submission hold.

I vaguely make out his whispering in my ear, and I hear the pain in his voice as he tries to tell me everything will be all right.

But it won’t be all right.

And I’m still screaming as darkness surrounds me.

Chapter Twenty-One

Toni

Toni

Six months ago…

I’m unsure why I keep agreeing to go out with this jackoff. I know I tend to be a glutton for punishment; however, this form of punishment extends beyond acceptable norms, even for me. I feel like I’m holding it together well enough, laughing in the right places, staring intently in the right places, but a part of me only sees how hollow it is. And another part of me keeps getting this odd twinge of unease, like there’s just something about the look in his eye that twists my guts.

I agree to one last drink, but after that, I’m out of here, and he’s definitely going on the block list since he seems to be the type who doesn’t understand when you’re just not interested.

I excuse myself to go to the restroom so I can freshen up a bit and suck down some city water from the tap. I know that’s gross, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and I don’t have time to circle back to the bar.

When I get back to our table, our drinks are already there, and he looks as pleased with himself as ever. I figure it’s time to just get this over with. So, I sit right down and throw that drink back like it’s going out of style, then stand up and attempt to excuse myself. Of course, he can’t just let me leave, nope. He’s got to pretend to be all gentlemanly and walk me out to my car.

I wish I hadn’t parked at the rear of the building, so we could go out the front door, but it’s too late for that now. I stand and feel a little woozy, so I brace myself against the table and shake my head a bit to clear it. He takes my arm as we head out toward the back entrance, and that twist of unease deepens, so I attempt to stop and turn around, but he’s right there, herding me toward the exit. I try to say something, but my tongue is heavy in my mouth, and I frown as I attempt to concentrate on the words that are jumbled up in my throat.

The next thing I know, cold air hits my face, I take a deep breath in, and it works to clear the fog a little. He grabs onto my arms, his fingers digging in a bit painfully, and I straighten my spine, then shove his hands off me. “Don’t touch me.”

He laughs, and the menacing undertone is not lost on me, so I glance up at him. A shiver runs down my spine as he snarls, “I’ll fucking touch you all I want.”

My stomach drops as my eyes widen, and I gasp in outrage, furious at myself for not being more careful, while also recognizing that it’s a little too fucking late for that now. I step closer to him and open my mouth to tell him to go fuck himself when a squeal of tires turns into the parking lot, and that’s when I know I’m fucked.

The black SUV screeches to a stop beside us, and jackoff turns to me and says, “Get in, Toni.”

I balk and take a few steps back, but he’s right there behind me, shoving me towards the vehicle as the door opens, and then I’m sprawled inside. I attempt to struggle, but my limbs feel heavy. I try to scream, but my mouth is dry, and before I know it, he gets in beside me, slamming the door shut as I feel the vehicle take off.

I’ve watched a lot of crime shows, and I’ve read way too many dark romances and suspenseful thrillers. To say this is dire is a significant understatement, and even my blurry mind acknowledges the full extent of the deep shit I’m in.

I go to sit up, and that’s when I realize that my wrists have been zip-tied.

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