Page 83 of Wrecked By You

He had them.

“Where are they?” I whispered, my throat raw. “Where’s Chloe?”

“She’s safe.” He strolled toward me with the confidence of a man who knew he’d cornered his prey and was deciding whether to toy with it for a while or end its miserable life where it stood.

Me. I was the prey. I always had been.

“Ginny?”

“The old lady?” He arched a brow. “She’ll live. Might wake up with a bit of a headache, though.”

My stomach lurched, nausea sloshing around, crawling into my chest, my throat. I swallowed.Keep calm. Think. Don’t do anything stupid.

“How did you find me?”

“With difficulty.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “But then I had a stroke of luck. A business associate was at Fiorelast night, and he saw you flaunting yourself with another fucking man.” His voice rose with each word, and by the end, he was screaming, spittle gathering at the corners of his mouth.

I flinched, backing up. He followed, his face painted in fury, the rage of a man who’d had his prized possession stolen from him, only to find it damaged when he recovered it.

Johannes. I had to keep Johannes safe. Make out he meant nothing to me.

“He’s no one, Mateo. Not like that. He’s my boss. I had to earn money to eat, to feed and clothe Chloe, to keep a roof over our heads.”

“No, you fuckingdidn’t!” he hollered. “You had a home, the finest clothes, top chefs catering to your every whim. You had it all, Eloise.”

“I was a prisoner!” I yelled back. “And you lied to me our entire marriage. You and your fucking drugs almost got Chloe killed.” He flinched, but I powered on. “I willneverforgive you for putting our daughter in danger. Never.”

“That shouldn’t have happened. I told you I’d take care of it, and I did.”

“Oh, yeah.” I laughed bitterly, the vision of bodies and blood running on a loop inside my head. The sounds of gunfire.Pop, pop, pop. Me inside the closet, holding Chloe, my hands clamped over her ears as I tried to protect her from the worst of it.

“Yeah, you took care of it all right, Mateo. Until the next time.”

“There won’t be a fucking next time.”

I laughed. I couldn’t help it. His blindness to the dangers of his chosen business astounded me. “There willalwaysbe a next time. And I will not have my daughter brought up in that environment.”

He cornered me, boxing me in between the dining table and the wall. No way out.

“You don’t have a fucking choice.”

He grabbed me, spinning me around. I fought. God, I fought. Lashing out with my hands and feet. He grunted as I kicked his shin. He pressed a white cloth over my mouth and nose. My eyes closed.

Darkness.

Chapter27

Johannes

This time, I’m not going down

without a fight.

How anyone walkeddown the Las Vegas Strip in the blazing heat of the day bewildered me, yet people crammed the sidewalks, every inch of space taken.

Going for a walk had been a terrible idea.

I ducked into the nearest hotel and took a seat in the lobby. How long should I give her? An hour? Two? Longer? Ash had warned me that I could lose her by delving into her private life without permission, but in typical me fashion, I hadn’t listened to my wise older brother. I’d pressed on, intrigued at first, then outraged that she’d lied to me about something as important as a ring on her fucking finger.