His mouth covered mine, and he spun me so my back pressed against the wall as he hauled me into his arms. I instinctively wrapped my body around his, holding tight and refusing to let go. Being with Ben allowed me to feel alive. Now, more than ever, I wish I could go back in time, slap myself across the face, and make myself see that Ben hadn’t cheated on me. If I’d never left, we could have been together all these years, and we never would have been apart.

I never would have met Vinnie. I never would have spent months terrified of him, and what he’d do to me. I never would have lost myself, or given it all to him. I wouldn’t fear for my life right now. But, then again, each road we took in life led us somewhere. Sometimes the destination was nice, sometimes it wasn’t, and in this case, I might have gotten Vinnie on that road…but I’d also found a strength inside myself when I decided to walk away.

I’d grown stronger.

That mistake, that road, had made me who I was today. Could I really regret that? Maybe, just maybe, if I had stayed here, we would have broken up, and we wouldn’t be together now.

Life was crazy like that.

You never knew what you were going to get.

His hand slid down my hip and grabbed my butt, holding me in place as he thrust against me. I groaned, pressing even closer to him despite the clothes in our way. His fingers ghosted over my core, teasing me, but not fully touching.

He was everything I ever wanted. Everything I ever needed—and I needed him now. No foreplay. No gentle touches. Just him, inside of me, making me feel alive. “Ben. Now.”

Nodding, he fumbled with his pants, undoing his belt. They hit the floor, as did his boxers. As he slid my panties out of the way, he touched me, spreading the wetness over my core. When I moaned, he did it again, and again, urging me to let go and allow him to bring me to pleasure. The faster his fingers moved, the more I writhed against him and the wall, grasping for something I knew only he could give me. When I came, stars bursting in front of my eyes, I gasped, riding his thumb as I came down from heaven.

“So fucking hot,” he growled. He rolled a condom on and pressed the tip of his cock against me. His mouth melded to mine, and he thrust inside me with one smooth motion. I cried out, threading my hands through his hair as he withdrew, paused, and pushed inside me again. My stomach fisted, tightening into a ball, and I clung to him as each thrust brought me closer to that pinnacle I had just reached moments before. When I came, he was right there with me, moaning my name as he rested his forehead against mine.

We stayed there like that for an unknown amount of time. Neither of us breaking contact, or the silence. He was the first to shift away. It was too dark to see, but I felt his eyes on me. “You okay?”

I nodded. “Better than okay. Great.”

He touched my cheek. “Me too.”

I hesitated. “But…”

“We both know what the but is.”

Nodding, I closed my eyes. “Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone. No one will know.”

“That’ll only work for so long,” he said, his tone low. “You know that, right?”

I sucked in a breath. “I do.”

“Eventually, someone will notice. They’ll see the way I look at you, or how my eyes always follow you around a room. They do, you know. I always watch you, even when I try not to.” His knuckles brushed my mouth. “When you’re near, I need to look at you. I can’t help it.”

I swallowed hard, saying nothing. Truth is, I wasn’t sure what to say.

“Sarah…?”

I opened my eyes. “Yeah?”

“What we have between us…it’s real. This isn’t just me fucking around, or having a fling. For me? It’s you. It’s always been you.”

We were entering dangerous territory here, but with him buried inside of me, and the darkness surrounding us, I couldn’t help but be honest. “It’s always been you, too, for me.”

He let out a small laugh, and pressed his mouth to mine. I clung to him, happiness taking over me, and for the first time since coming back…hope, too. I was hopeful that this could end happy, that we could find a way out of being partners, and be together. That as partners, we could catch Vinnie, and the threat of him harming me would be over.

That I’d finally be able to breathe again.

There was a creak of a floorboard, a whiff of cologne, and every ounce of that hope I had went away. Because that cologne? That rise of goosebumps and fear that accompanied it?

They were all too familiar, and they belonged to only one person.

Vinnie.

Before I could even open my mouth to warn Ben, there was a sickening crunch, and his body fell lifelessly to the floor. I went down, too, as he unintentionally took me down with him since we were still entwined with one another intimately.

As we hit, I landed on my left arm painfully. I cried out, gasping for air because his lifeless body on top of mine was too much. I struggled to breathe, to push him off me, but one hand wasn’t enough. I was trapped under my lover’s body, who may or may not be dead.

Ben.

Sobbing, I tried to look at his face, but all I could see is the trail of blood coming out of his hair. Shut eyes, lax mouth. Struggling to breathe, I focused on his nostrils, looking for any sign of movement.

There it was. He was breathing.

Thank God.

Knowing he was alive, I searched the shadows for Vinnie. I didn’t have to search far. He flicked the hallway light on and knelt beside me, wearing all black. His pale skin stood out against the dark clothes. His glowering eyes reflected the hate in his heart. “Hello, Sarah.”

I still couldn’t breathe, so I tried to push Ben off me again, but it was useless. With my arm caught under me, possibly broken, there was no way I was freeing myself. Was this how I died, trapped under Ben while he lay lifelessly on top of me? If so, at least Vinnie didn’t get to touch me again.

At least I could deny him that.

“Let me guess, this is your mother’s room?” He tsked, tapping something hard against the wood. Oh God, did he have a gun? “And you fucked some asshole right outside of it?”

“Go to hell,” I gasped.

“Is that any way to talk to the man who could save your life right now?” he rested the tip of his gun against Ben’s head. “Not to mention your mother’s, and his…”

“Don’t,” I gasped.

He cocked his head. “Why not? He took what was mine.”

The way he said that, all calm and almost emotionless, was what made him so dangerous. He wasn’t like a crazy guy you’d see in a movie, who laughed manically as he killed people for fun. No, his insanity was a silent kind, the dangerous kind, and he truly thought I was still his. That what we’d once had was normal. That he was normal.

That’s what made him such a threat.

I knew how to handle him. Knew what I needed to say to save Ben’s life. Seeing the gun pressed against his temple told me something I’d already sensed but hadn’t admitted to myself.

I loved Ben.

Always had. Always would.

I couldn’t let him die for me. Couldn’t lose him.

While I might not want to leave here with Vinnie, if that’s what I had to do to save Ben and my mom, then I would in a second, without hesitation. So, I swallowed my hatred and said what Vinnie wanted to hear. “I’m sorry, babe.”

“Yeah, sure you are.” He stood, leaving me beneath Ben. The room was starting to spin now. “Let me guess? You want me to let him live?”

I nodded, trying to say yes, but failing because I was losing consciousness.

Concern colored his gaze, and he knelt beside me again. Effortlessly, he pushed Ben off me, scowling when he saw his state of undress, and my bunched-up skirt. I tried to push it down with my good hand, but he caught it. “Leave it. Show me who you really are.”

I swallowed hard, tears blurring my vision. “My arm…”

He glanced at it, completely unconcerned again. “Is it broken?”

“I don’t know. I…I can’t move it.”

He pursed his lips. “Serves you right.”

His gaze went back to Ben, who was beginning to stir. His fingers twitched on the trigger, and he aimed it at his head. I sat up, cradling my hurt arm in front of me, putting myself between Ben and a bullet. “No!”

Vinnie scowled. “Get out of my way, or I’ll shoot you, too.”

“You can’t do that. He’s a cop.”

He hesitated. “You clearly have a type.”

“If you kill him, they’ll hunt you down. They’ll never stop. He’s the captain’s son,” I said frantically.

Vinnie lowered the gun slightly. “I don’t give a damn.”

“But I do. If you kill him…” I struggled to my knees, right where he liked me best, licking my dry lips. My heart ached, and I felt like I was going to vomit. The pain…having to do this again…it was too much. “If you kill him, we can’t escape.”

That got his attention. “We?”

I glanced at Ben one last time, closed my eyes, and said the last thing I wanted to say. “Yes. If…if you help me stand, if you let him live, then I’ll go with you. We’ll run off together again, and I’ll be yours, and no one else will ever touch me again. But we should go. Right now.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why?”

“There’s a cop outside—”

He scoffed. “Not awake.”

“Then when he doesn’t answer, more will come.” I swallowed past my aching throat, ignoring the tears rolling down my cheeks. “If we don’t go soon, then we won’t escape before they come for you.”

He didn’t even question the fact that I wanted to leave with him. Just accepted it for what it was. “You’ll pay for what you’ve done,” he promised.

I nodded, trembling. “I know.”

After what felt like a lifetime of hesitation, he lowered the gun, finally taking it off Ben. Instead, he focused it on my chest, aiming for my heart. He had a better chance of hitting it when he’d held it on Ben. “Stand up.”

Silently, I struggled to my feet, stumbling a bit when I straightened because I had one heel on, and one heel off. As I bent to put the other on, Vinnie caught my hair and forced me back up. I gasped, tears burning in my eyes. “Leave it off. You don’t get to wear two shoes.”

He dragged me along by the hair, and I got one last look at Ben before I was out the door, in his car, and we were speeding down the road. His hand was on my thigh, dangerously close to where Ben had touched me just minutes ago, and he gripped me so tight I knew I would bruise come morning. As I sat there, staring numbly out the windshield, I knew one thing without a single doubt.

If I was going to die tonight, I was going to bring Vinnie down with me.