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Kyle stands there, watching me. His gaze rakes over me slowly, and I feel so violated. “But I came all this way to see you, angel.”

My chest heaves, and I need to get my phone.Why the fuck didn’t I bring it out here with me?

“Get. Out,” I force out, trying to make him understand just how much I don’t want him near me or in Logan’s apartment.

But as usual, he smirks at me.

“I’m here for you. We can finally be together now.”

I react on instinct, moving toward him to slam my fist into his face with as much force as I have. Kyle stumbles back a step, hand flying to his cheek, and I swing again, but he dodges it this time and grabs me, ramming his shoulder into my ribs and slamming me into the wall. I grunt, twisting to get out of his grip, but he’s strong and entirely fueled by his sick obsession.

“The fuck is wrong with you two punching me in the face?” he seethes, starting to get angry now.

Before I even have time to process what he said, I bring my leg up to kick him in the ribs since I can’t get out of hishold. It’s enough to make him flinch and gives me an opening to free myself so that I can tackle him to the ground. We hit the floor hard, and I scramble to recover on top of him, punching him repeatedly anywhere I can reach, and blood starts pouring out of his nose.

“You don’t get to show up here!” I snarl, not stopping. “You don’t get to fucking claim me! I don’t want you.”

Kyle bucks his hips hard and uses the momentum to flip us, slamming me onto my back. The breath wooshes out of my lungs as he ends up on top of me, pinning me to the floor. Then, he reaches behind him, and his hand comes back around, holding a knife.

The blade is covered in blood, and before I know it, it’s pressed to my throat, and I freeze instantly.

“Stop,” he breathes. “Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

“Get off me,” I hiss, but my voice trembles with the threat of the knife against my skin.

He leans in closer, and I want to shove him off me, but I don’t trust him not to stab me. “I didn’t want it to be like this, but you’re not listening. I’m trying to show you how good we can be. You belong with me, angel.”

My mind is a chaotic mess of fear and fury, but my body’s still frozen beneath him. I want to shove him off of me, but the bloody blade doesn’t waver, and the look in his eyes tells me he’s not bluffing. He’s so calm, it’s unnerving, almost like everything is unfolding exactly how he imagined it would.

I can’t help but wonder if he’d slit my throat if he claims to want me, but I have a feeling that wouldn’t stop him.

He shifts his weight, still keeping the knife steady as he reaches into the back of his waistband, and that’s when I see agun. He lifts it slowly, replacing the knife with cold metal as he presses the barrel against my side.

“Now,” he says calmly, leaning over me, his face inches from my own. “You’re going to get up and walk to the door. And you’re not going to scream or try anything stupid.”

I stare at him, barely breathing.

“I didn’t want it to be like this,” he whispers, repeating his words from moments ago. “But you made me do this. If you’d listened, none of this would be happening.”

The tenderness in his voice makes bile rise in my throat.

He pushes off me and yanks me up by the arm, the gun now hidden in the space between us, pressed tightly to my ribs. I stagger, legs unsteady as the room tilts around me. My entire body is shaking as he drags me, step by step, toward the door.

I walk because I have no other choice.

“Shh, angel, not one fucking word,” Kyle whispers, brushing his lips too close to my ear. “You’re safe now. I’ll take care of you.”

I walk out the apartment door, even as my mind screams at me not to, because right now, surviving means waiting for a better chance.

I need Logan desperately.Why isn’t he here yet?

A broken sob leaves me despite my best effort to hold it in, and Kyle’s fingers tighten at the sound. “You’d better be quiet,” he whispers. “Or what happens to you will be so much worse than your manipulative little friend bleeding out in a parking lot. Don’t make me do that to you, too.”

What?

“What the fuck did you say?” I choke out, my voice cracking as my feet stop moving. I’m stunned still becausethere’s no way Logan is bleeding out in a parking lot right now while I can’t do a damn thing to help him.

But, as usual, Kyle smirks at me without giving me an answer.