Page 87 of Buying Time

“Really? I figured you’d be happy if they were killed so you didn’t have to wait any longer.”

“I’m surprisingly patient when the prize is right. I’m fine with adding pressure to help you make up your mind, but I have no wish to win by default. If that happened, you’d forever be thinking ofthem,forever seeing me as second.”

“So what do you want?”

“I told you—I want you to pick me. I want you to see me for what I am, which is your perfect match. I want to give you the chance to fall for me the right way. I am curious, however, what is it about them?”

“What do you mean?”

“You cling to them. I’ve seen pictures, heard how you speak about them. They are important to you, and I am curious as to why.”

I glanced at the picture I’d painted, my gaze tracing the lines while I thought about the best way to explain it.

“They watch out for me,” I said softly.

“So? I would do the same. When you choose me, I’ll ensure no harm ever comes to you. You may not like my more vicious side, but the opposite side of that coin of that is that I would keep you safe. Nothing in the world would touch you. What happened yesterday? It would never have happened if you were in my care.”

“It’s easy to say that. People always like to say how they’d do things so much better when they aren’t in the situation.”

“You think my words are empty? Because just prior to calling you, I sent my own men to deal with the rest of that group who targeted you.”

“Why would you do that? They weren’t involved…”

“Because they should have stopped the others. They were complicit. They knew what the others would do and allowed it, so they’re just as at fault.”

“Please, don’t,” I asked, my voice softening as I thought about the death he was talking about, about the useless taking of life. Already there were six people dead, and I didn’t want any more on top of that.

“I do not take threats to you lightly,” he assured me.

“You want me to fall for you, right? Then show me by doing this for me.”

He sighed, the sound drawn out. “I knew relationships would mean compromise, but I find I do not like this. However, as proof of my seriousness, I will do so. I will call them back and let those others live. You, however, are far too soft. Perhaps it’s fortunate that you have me—otherwise, I suspect you would get eaten alive by this world. I wonder sometimes how you survived in California, how you survived surrounded by Mafia families and killers. You remind me of something too soft and too sweet, that would be crushed beneath the feet of those around you.”

I shuddered in relief at the fact he’d given in. The last thing I wanted was people dying just for me.

The speaker in the corner of the room clicked on and a staticky voice filled the small room. It announced an event starting in the large auditorium, making me wince because it was far too loud for the size of the room.

“I will let you go now, since I have to call to make arrangements and stop my men,” Lorien said. However, as his voice spoke above the announcement, I frowned at a strange sound in the background.

I’d grown so used to hearing him through the voice changer that it sounded normal to me. It altered all the sound that came through, twisting it slightly so the sound of a horn honking would change to something mostly unrecognizable. Usually he seemed to place himself somewhere quiet, mostly due to the calls occurring at night, which meant I rarely heard anything in the background.

This time it was different, though. Around his voice, something else came through, a background noise buzzy and unclear.

An uneasy feeling filled me, an idea that I couldn’t quite believe.

“Can I call you back in a few minutes?” I asked. “I want to know for sure that you stopped those men.”

“You doubt me?” He had a laugh in his voice, as though my worries amused him. “Like I would deny you speaking to me. Of course. Give me ten minutes to ensure I finish the task.” He didn’t wait for my response before hanging up.

I stared at the phone, fear creeping through me. I thought about what Hayden had said before, what I’d thought. He had to know me, right? If he’d fallen for me, if in his twisted mind he loved me, he had to have met me.

I’d assumed that it had been in my old life, but what if I was wrong?

I left the painting where it was, gripping my phone, leaving my purse behind. Nothing mattered except the idea in my head, the one I couldn’t shake.

I left the small room, Hayden already on his feet and approaching me as I headed through the library.

He said nothing until we left the quiet space, but even when he spoke to me, I didn’t answer. I couldn’t. My brain couldn’t keep up with anything except for what was in my head even as I told myself I was wrong.

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