Page 47 of Blaze

I shake my head. “Anyone who has ever helped me has ended up hurt, or worse… dead.” I take a step forward, and Sydney falls back, clearing the way out of the office. She doesn’t say anything as I walk by.

“He’ll follow you, you know,” Sydney finally says. “Blaze cares too much about you.”

I don’t stop until I’m beside the Suburban. I look over my shoulder at her, my eyes stinging. “I’m in love with him, Sydney.”

Her lips pinch for a moment then her face softens. “Yeah, I figured as much.” Sydney looks out the open bay door towards the clubhouse, the windows glowing yellow in the night.

“If I stay,” I continue, suddenly needing to explain, “Enzo will come here and he’ll kill Blaze. I can’t let him die for me, and Enzo will never stop. At least if I leave, Blaze and you and Lacy and”—I wave towards the clubhouse—“everyone will be safer. He’ll move on.”

“Doubt it,” Sydney says under her breath, but nods. She gives me a shrewd look. “If you don’t want Blaze coming after you, it’ll take more than disappearing into the night.”

Her words are bland, but there’s an undertone of pain. I think of how she spoke about the binding ceremony earlier. My brows furrow. “What happened between you and Reaper?”

Sydney’s face goes blank and she strides over to me. I think she’s about to lash out, but instead she pulls me into a hug with her lean, strong arms. “I don’t agree with this,” she says softly next to my ear. “But I know what it feels like to need to make your own decisions. To take control of your own life. If you ever need anything, I’m here, Kennedy. You will always be welcome at The Styx.”

I throw my arms around Sydney, a few tears escaping down my cheeks as I hug her back. “Thank you.”

She clears her throat and pulls away. “If you’re going to leave, you need to head out now. Reaper has them all corralled, but any minute now, he’s going to have them patrolling the property.”

I nod, fighting back the tears. She stands in the garage, watching me as I get into the driver’s seat and start the engine. She nods once when I look at her. This is the last time I’m going to see her. I fell in love with Blaze within a week, and in that same time, Sydney became one of the best friends I’ve ever had.

Swallowing past the ping-pong ball in my throat, I shift into drive. I don’t turn on the headlights, not yet at least. I don’t want to give any sign that I’m running away.

Only when the clubhouse is growing smaller in the distance do I let the tears spill freely and turn on the headlights.

My heart hasn’t broken. I’ve left it entirely behind. It’s with Blaze, whether he wants it or not. In its place is a hollow void. I swear I can feel the gaping wound where my heart once was.

This is all Enzo’s fault.

My pain swiftly transforms into anger, which fills the hole inside of me like a broken dam. I hate Enzo more than I ever have right now. Enzo has taken so much from me. I’m not going to let him take any more.

I look at my tote in the passenger seat, where the handgun is barely visible.

I reach over and dig around until I find Lacy’s cellphone. Gripping the wheel with one hand, I unlock her phone with the pin she shared this afternoon while planning her binding ceremony. I pull up the call menu and, keeping half an eye on the road, I punch in the number I’ve had memorized for years.

It rings four times before the voice of my nightmares answers.

“Who is this?” Enzo says.

I shudder, nearly ending the call right then.

“Enzo,” I answer.

There’s a moment of silence. “Darling?”

I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to react to his endearment for me. “Yes.”

“Where are you?” His voice is low, filled with a mix of concern and anger.

“I’m not with the Knights,” I reply, making sure he knows exactly who I mean. “I left when I heard you were close.”

He laughs, and my stomach knots. It’s the same laugh as when he was eager to punish me.

“Off to scurry to another hole, like the mouse you are?”

I grip the wheel tightly. “I’m so sorry, Enzo.” I use the submissive voice I relied on for our marriage. “I’m so sorry, Enzo. I don’t know what I was doing. I’m ready to come home now. I’ll do whatever it takes to earn your forgiveness.”

A long moment of silence has me holding my breath. “Good. Because if you’re not, darling, you know the punishment for disobeying me.”