“Then how…?”
“Juliette,” Killian muttered. “Maraveet said this was all part of her plan.”
Frank frowned. “Her plan?”
Killian only shrugged, not understanding that woman either. “How is she?”
“I overheard the doctor say she was fine. Dehydrated mostly. A few bruises. But she’ll be okay.”
“She seemed okay,” Killian mused.
Frank nodded very slowly, dark eyes pinned to the open doorway. “Young Cruz may have mentioned that Miss Romero had already incapacitated the men before you arrived.”
Memories of how beautiful and fierce Juliette had been on that boat swelled over him like a warm flood of sunlight. It laced with pride and a smug sort of satisfaction he really had no right to feel, but couldn’t stop. She hadn’t let them take her down without a fight. She had stood her ground and kicked the shit out of them. If he wasn’t already madly in love with her, that would have solidified his resolve.
“Aye, she did. She was amazing.”
“She’s very special,” Frank went on casually. “Not the kind of woman you’re likely to find again.”
Killian shot him a sidelong glance. “Are you trying to say something, Frank?”
“No sir. Just making an observation.”
The officers left Juliette’s room. Killian tilted his head away until they were out of sight.
He contemplated walking away, just leaving and not looking back. It would have certainly made things easier, not just for him, but for Juliette who wouldn’t have been in the hospital had it not been for him. It was his fault her life had become so fucked up. But his body had all but shut his brain off, refusing to listen as it started forward. The sweet sound of Juliette’s laughter greeted him before he reached the threshold. It tangled with Vi’s voice as she explained all the things Juliette had missed in her absence.
“That is horrible!” Juliette was saying in between fits of giggles. “He must have been so angry.”
“No!” Vi said. “I mean, I totally expected him to strangle me, but he didn’t.”
“There might still be time for that later.” Juliette laughed. “I hope you apologized at least.”
“I might have momentarily considered it.”
The two burst out in giggles again that made Killian shake his head slightly in amusement. But at least she sounded happy, he thought. She would never forget what happened, but at least she hadn’t let it darken her ability to move past it. That was what he wanted, for her not to live in those couple of weeks. If he had his way, he’d make her forget it entirely.
Then maybe you should let her go, said the sensible voice in his head, the one pinning him to the floor right outside the room. Seeing you would only bring back everything that happened to her. It will remind her of what you did and how you weren’t able to keep her safe.
His body drew away from the door, no longer only aching to see her, but wanting to save her from further pain.
“Killian?” From the wide eyed look of surprise on Vi’s face, she hadn’t been expecting to find anyone blocking the doorway. She exhaled a bit nervously and offered him a sheepish little smile. “You’re here.”
He didn’t know what to say, so he gave a slight nod.
Vi licked her lips and shot a glance towards the side of the room where he suspected the bed was. Her brows drew together for a second before she was looking at him again with an innocence he didn’t buy.
“I’m just on my way to get some poison in a cup so I’ll let you guys talk.”
He heard a hiss from the room that could have been words, but she ignored it as she skipped through the door. Killian moved to let her pass, but she stopped in front of him and threw both arms around his shoulders.
“Thank you for bringing her back,” she whispered in his ear before letting him go and stepping back. She offered him a crooked smile. “You should have brought chocolates.”
Killian blinked. His gaze dropped to his empty hands like he had no idea where they’d come from. Vi laughed as she sprinted past him and hurried down the hall with Phil falling into step alongside her. Killian remained, staring at his palms and wondering if he should get something from the gift shop. That was what normal people did when visiting someone in the hospital, wasn’t it? But it was too late for that now. He was already there and she knew he was there.
Drawing in a breath, he stepped into the room.
It was the exact replica of Maraveet’s room. Dull white walls, crude, blinding lights, a window overlooking the parking lot, and a bed bracketed by two end tables. Juliette sat in the center of it, hooked to an IV and wearing a green gown that matched the blankets tossed over her lap. Her face was streaked with dirt and her hair was matted, but she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen.
“Hey,” she whispered.
He dared a single step closer. “Hi.”
She fidgeted slightly with the blankets, tucked a lank curl behind her ear and swallowed before speaking again. “How are you?”
Killian almost laughed. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
God, why was this so hard? Every moment thrummed with tension and unease and he didn’t understand it. He couldn’t recall a single moment between them that had ever felt so intense or awkward. Not even their first time and that had been an odd experience for him.
She broke the silence.
“How’s Maraveet?”
“Good.” He moved to the foot of her bed and braced his palms on the plastic footboard. “She already left.”
Juliette nodded. “Good. I’m glad she did.”
“She mentioned a plan.”
Her cheeks flushed and she chuckled.
“What was it?” he pressed when she didn’t elaborate.
She peered up at him with a sheepish half smile. “That we tell the police everything. That we were taken and held captive on that ship by Cyril and his men. That they were going to sell us, but we managed to take them by surprise and we ran. I made sure Maraveet told them we’d never met before and she was supposed to use a different name, just in case. But at least they got her statement and that will help put Cyril away. I also made sure none of this was traced back to you. I doubt Cyril will tell them you killed his parents, not without revealing that his killed yours first, or that he’d spent the last ten years plotting revenge. I also didn’t mention Marco. I said I didn’t see who grabbed me so … as far as the police are concerned, Cyril was a human trafficker and we were victims that got away. I’m also kind of hoping his men won’t talk, but if they do, it’s their word against mine and they’re criminals so I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that.”
Something tightened in his chest. It coursed through him, propelling his body to do something completely crazy like go to her and gather her up into his arms. The weight of the last couple of weeks hadn’t diminished, not even in that moment. It sat heavy on his chest, a suffocating force crushing his lungs. It killed him to see her there and not be able to go to her, or touch her, or love her. It hurt to stand there and not know what to do.
“That’s very elaborate,” he mumbled. “You really thought it through.”
Juliette gave a little shrug. “I had a few weeks to really perfect it, on the off chance we actually escaped.” She peered at him. “You didn’t kill him, did you?”
Kill him? No. Cyril was still very much alive, if not seriously rethinking his life choices. Killian may have promised Juliette he wouldn’t kill the little fuck. But even she wouldn’t have been able to stop Killian from beating the last two weeks into him.
Killian shook his head. “Tied him and his men up and left a note for the police. Frank stayed to make sure the police got them all when they arrived.”
She exhaled her relief. “Okay good.” She nibbled on her lip, a frown knitting her eyebrows. “What was Arlo doing there?”
He almost laughed at the disgruntled question. “Would you believe me if I told you he was there to help find you?”
> Her eyes narrowed. “At what price?”
That was the question. Arlo hadn’t said anything when he and Killian parted ways by the ship, but he knew the Dragons would expect some kind of thank you gift, especially since Arlo was the one who actually found Juliette.
To Juliette, Killian shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. You’re safe. That’s all I care about.”
Her gaze lowered to her lap. “Thank you for taking care of Vi. I’m really sorry about your windows. I’ll pay for the damages.”
Killian shook his head. “It’s not important.”
“Still, I should—”
“I don’t care about the windows.” The sharpness in his voice had her eyes lifting back to him and the sadness in them punched him in the chest. “The only thing I wanted was to get you back,” he murmured. “I know I said some things I shouldn’t have, but I’ll always be here for you.” His head dropped forward so he was staring at the twin peaks of her feet under the blankets. “You can come to me for anything. I won’t ever turn you away.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
Thank you. That was it. But what had he expected? That she’d tell him she loved him and wanted to be with him forever? That she’d forgiven him for the horrible things he’d said to her? Even if she did, that didn’t mean he could bring her back into his world. Not ever again.
He drew in a breath. “Goodbye, Juliette.”
Her brown eyes held his and no matter how hard she fought to keep her face smooth, the gathering tears tore at him. It reflected in the tremor of her chin and in her white knuckled grip around the blanket. A pink tongue snuck out and wet her lips before disappearing once more.
“Goodbye, Killian.”
It was incredible how something so tiny could feel like she’d taken a bazooka to his chest. Two little words that it felt as hollow as her voice. The plastic beneath his hands creaked under the force of his grip. He relinquished it quickly and pushed back. He began to turn away, needing to leave before he did something infinitely stupid like beg her take it back, but he stopped. He reached into his pocket and withdrew his mother’s pendent. He set it gently on the foot of the bed, not trusting himself any closer to her.
“Take care of it for me,” he murmured, unable to look at her, knowing that if he did and she was crying, he’d never leave. “It’ll just collect dust if I keep it. You could give it to your children one day.” Children she wouldn’t have with him.
Children she’d create with some other man, someone who could give her children, someone who could give her the normal life Killian couldn’t. Someone who would get into bed with her at night and touch her and hold her and make her come apart. The man didn’t even exist yet and Killian could already feel his blood boiling. The very idea of this faceless person touching Juliette made his vision go red. But he didn’t take it back. Instead, he turned on his heel and stalked to the door.
“Don’t go.”
He couldn’t be sure if it was a voice in his head or if the words had actually been spoken, but when he glanced back, Juliette was staring out the window, her eyes unblinking and bright. Her arms were clasped tight around her and she was cutting a gash in her bottom lip.
She looked up when he stopped. Her eyes met his and a tear cut down the curve of her cheek to cling to the corner of her lips. Something hard kicked him in the stomach, hard enough to nearly send him to his knees. His chest tightened and he was sure he was about to die of asphyxiation. Her lips parted and Killian left. He ran before she could let the words he could see in her eyes spill through the room and further destroy him.
Chapter 30
Juliette waited until his footsteps had faded before letting the walls crash down around her in a flood of agony. The pain of watching him walk away devoured her all over again with a fresh urgency that made her insides feel hollowed out. It cut into all the tender places that were already torn open from their original break up and ripped the crude stitching wide open. She reached for the pendant and broke into a fit of sobs that mostly had nothing to do with Killian. It was as though the dam she’d built during her captivity burst and she was swamped with everything she’d kept locked behind it. It flooded over her, pulling her under until she was sure she would die. Even to her own ears, the sounds escaping her weren’t quite normal. They were the wails of someone under immense torture, which was exactly how it felt.
“Hey.” Thin arms wound their way around her, pulling her forward into a body that smelled of orchards and citrus. “It’s all right,” Vi whispered. “It’s going to be all right.”
Juliette couldn’t even push away the wild drumming beating down on her long enough to give an answer. She didn’t even know what she could say that would justify her complete meltdown. How could she explain that she was only just starting to feel the full impact of the terror she should have felt during her stint in the cage? How could she possibly make anyone understand what she’d gone through? They may not have beaten her like Maraveet or raped and tortured her like Killian’s mom, but the never knowing what they would do was a sort of torture beyond words. It was waking up and wondering if that would be the day they would finally break her. It was the prayers that went unanswered and the guilt of being powerless. Tangled amongst all of that was the loss she felt at losing Killian and knowing it was the right thing. She couldn’t stay with him when he refused to leave that life that had put her in the hospital in the first place. She couldn’t stay with him knowing it was a possibility that she could be taken again. She couldn’t stay when her presence in his world made him weak. He’d said as much himself and Cyril had confirmed it. She would be his death and she would never allow that.
“When can I go home?” She lifted her wet, blotchy, and swollen face off Vi’s damp shoulder. “I need my bed.”
Vi gave her a sad little smile. “Not until tomorrow, but I’m going to stay right here with you, okay? So, just lie down and rest for now.”
She did, not because she’d been told to, but because the thought of sleeping the hours away made the idea seem logical. Only a few more hours and she’d be in her own bed, dressed in her own clothes and walking through her own home. It had been so long that she almost ached with the need to be surrounded by all the familiar things she’d always took for granted.
“What’s that?”
Juliette followed the line of Vi’s pointing finger at the pendant she still held clutched in one hand. She unfurled her fingers so the girl could see.
“Killian gave it to me,” she whispered. “It belonged to his mother.”
“It’s beautiful!” Vi gasped. “Where is Killian? I thought for sure he’d still be here.”
Her fingers closed around the cameo. “He left.”
Vi blinked. “Oh, when is he coming back?”
“He’s not.” Hot tears trickled from the corners of her eyes and soaked into the pillow. “He’s gone.”
“What?” There was a bemused chuckle in the question. “Why?”
“Because he could never love someone like me.” That was what he’d said, someone like her, someone inexperienced and stupid in the ways of love and sex.
“No, that’s not right. The guy is crazy about you. Trust me, I know. I was there when you were taken.”
Juliette had nothing to say to that, no explanation. Even if she had, she was in no mood to do so. She shut her eyes instead and willed herself to sleep.
True to her promise, Vi was still there when Juliette opened her eyes again. The sun was already high in the sky and it filled the room with a pale, white light that chased away the cold gloom of the night before. Vi sat slumped forward in a plastic chair. Her arms were folded on the bed next to Juliette’s hip and she was sound asleep. In the doorway, she could just make out Phil’s somber profile and wondered if he’d been there the whole night. But it was the pendant still clutched in her hand that really pulled her attention. She peered down at the ivory face of the girl with the flower and thought of Killian. She wondered where he was and w
hat he was doing and if she would ever see him again. She doubted it. The night before when he’d walked out of the hospital had been their final goodbye. The thought was devastating, but she knew there was nothing she could do, but let him go.
Next to her, Vi shifted and sat up yawning. The right side of her face was a maze of welts from her coat sleeve. Her makeup had smudged, leaving thick, black mascara rings across her cheeks. She squinted at the window across the room, then turned to peer at Juliette.
“It’s morning.”
Juliette smiled at the hoarse croak. “Yup, looks that way.”
Groaning, Vi pushed back the chair and rose, straining her entire body towards the ceiling. She yawned loudly and bowed backwards with her arms above her head, her fingers interlocked. She straightened and let her arms drop down at her sides.
“I need coffee and an Advil.” Grunting, she glowered down at the chair. “You’d think they’d make those things more comfortable.” She rubbed her ass. “My butt is killing me.” She exhaled and glanced at the door. “Hey, Phil’s still here.”
Juliette nodded. “I think he’s been here the whole night.”
Vi huh’d. “I guess he really feels bad.”
“About what?”
The girl turned to Juliette. “For abandoning me at the mall.”
“He what?” Juliette’s voice carried across the room, drawing Phil’s attention. He peered inside briefly before going back to standing guard. “He what?” Juliette repeated quieter.
“Remember that night you called and I said I was at the mall?” At Juliette’s nod, Vi continued. “Well, remember how I said Phil got a phone call and would be right back? Well, he didn’t. He got called back by Killian or whoever’s in charge and he just left without a damn word.”
“He what?” Juliette’s snarl was followed by the struggle to untangle herself from the blankets.
Vi stopped her. “Calm down. It’s fine. I was pretty pissed myself, but whatever. I always knew he wouldn’t be around forever. Not like he’s really my dad or anything. He’s just some guy paid to stick around. It was my fault that I…” she trailed off to study the diamond pattern sewn into the blankets. “I’m over it.”
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