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His thumbs bury in my skin. Nothing has ever hurt so good.

“Tell me who did this to you.”

Chapter 27

IwanttotellJordan how grateful I am to see him. To collapse in his arms, explain what Dezmond and his crew did to me. Letting the truth roll off my tongue in a torrent of sobs would be the best release. But I can't. I'm not allowed such easy relief.

If I say a word, he'll kill Dezmond.

Funny, how I originally wanted him dead. I remember that desire. It's a far away thought, now, buried under the reality of what will happen to the man in front of me with fire in his eyes and fury vibrating in his hands if I speak his son's name.Jordan will go to prison. I'll lose him forever.

“Tell me, Lorikeet.” He gives me a shake, brings his nose closer to mine. “Tell me right fucking now.”

My voice is a croak. “I can't.”

Jordan runs his thumb gingerly over my split lip, the sparks of pain muted by his tenderness. He searches my eyes—I try to look away. It's too late, he's seen enough. His scowl freezes solid. I worry he'll never smile again. “Dezmond.”

“Jordan, wait, please.”

He releases me, turning around in a sharp whirl that whips air across my face. His shoe leaves a bloody footprint on the floor. He stares at it, fists tensing at his sides. “I'll destroy him.”

“No, you can't!”

“Why not?” he snarls, eyes flashing. He glares at me with such ferocity I can't budge. “Why not, Lorikeet?He did this to you! This—everything, it's because of him. I won't stand by and ignore it anymore. This is too much. I should have intervened sooner.”

A ripple of regret crosses his handsome features. It fissures me open, releases me from my terror so I can move enough to grab his sleeve. “You can't hurt him.”

“I didn't say hurt. I saiddestroy.”

I continue shaking my head. “If you do anything to him, it's over for me.”

“Are you seriously asking me to quietly accept this?” Jordan cups my cheek; it's surprisingly gentle for how angry he is. The vein in his neck stands out, all the wrinkles in his forehead and across the bridge of his nose look like waves in the sea. “You told me he's blackmailing you with information about your dad. I'll make him give it to me. He'll do it, he'll have no choice.”

“Jordan, please,” I shudder. “It's not that simple!”

He speaks in a black whisper sent from Hell itself. "He'll beg for his life when I get my hands on him, Lorikeet. He'll give me anything I ask for.” He starts to walk away—I cling to his shoulder, struggling to slow him down as he storms towards the exit.

I have to stop him!

I can't let him do this!

My brain pulses in my skull, all the pain from my injuries demanding attention. There's nothing to bury it anymore. I'm hurt, broken both inside and out. With no strength left to keep myself together, I hug Jordan from behind as tightly as I can, sobbing. “You're going to ruin everything I worked so hard to hide.”

He stops walking. “What?”

“Dezmond … he isn't keeping my dad's location from me. I know where he is.”

I know, I know, I know.

“Where is he?”

“In the ground,” I say into his shirt, my cheek rubbing on the cloth. “My dad is dead, Jordan. I'm the one that killed him.”

I'm waiting for him to throw me off. The words are in the air, they can't be returned to my throat. Jordan's heard me say it—I'm a murderer. He'll quit loving me. I already have.

The silence swallows us whole, suffocating me like an avalanche. I can't stand it, so I start talking just to avoid sitting in this awful moment. “I tried to kill Dezmond, too. Twice. I get why you want to do it, but he has a letter, something his friends know to read and bring to the police if anything happens to him. Coordinates to find my dad's body. That's why you can't hurt him … why you can't get involved. It will make everything worse. I never wanted you to know any of this. I tried to get the letter from his friends tonight, but it was a trap.”

Jordan is still as death.