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We might not make it out of here alive.
The terrifying thought hits my mind. A sledgehammer out to obliterate me.
No, no, no. No matter how much truth is in that one small sentence, I can’t think like that. Tyler will let us go. He has to. He wouldn’t really hurt us, would he?
He killed your sister.
Fuck.
My stomach churns, but I push the nausea down.
Phoenix rubs over the back of my hand, attempting to smile. “Tyler installed cameras, so he’s probably watching us. Are you okay?”
Of course he’s watching us. Considering everything he knows about me, about us, he probably has for years.
I swallow and nod. “Other than waiting to wake up from yet another nightmare? Yeah. Just a little headache and some nausea.”
I take him in, cringing when I get another glimpse of the red marks on his wrists. They are a lot worse than mine. “You’re hurt.”
Another brush of his fingers. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine. Even better once we’re out of here.”
A shiver courses through me, my clammy skin cooling off.
“You think he’ll let us go?” My voice breaks, and I hate it. I want to be calm and collected, I want to be smart and savvy and figure out how to get us out of here. But fear clogs my brain, and it is hard to focus on anything else.
“I don’t know if he will.” Phoenix brushes his lips against my palm. “But he will pay for everything he did, I can promise you that.”
I bite my lip to keep it from wobbling. “Yes.”
My eyes sting, but I still refuse to let a single tear escape, holding on to them like they’re my choice of rebellion.
Phoenix lets go of my hands and cups my face instead. “I can see your brain going a mile a minute, so I want you to listen to me very carefully right now.”
I nod, placing my hands over his to savor as much of this connection as possible.
“I need you here with me, and there’s no room for any of the guilt you’re feeling. I don’t blame you for anything that happened, and you can’t change a damn thing either, regardless of how much you beat yourself up over it. It takes you away from me, and I won’t allow it. I’m here, and I’ve got you. You can let go of all of it. You hear me? I. Got. You.”
I blink at him, ignoring the taste of copper in my mouth that’s slowly been collecting from biting my lip so hard.
His fingers move to my mouth, gently prying my lip from my grasp. “Once we’re out of here, I want us to go after what we really want because I’m done denying myself. Life keeps leading me back to you because you’re my end goal, my ultimate destination. I want you by my side forever, as my wife, and I cannot wait to show you how much I loveyou every single day until we’re old and gray. It’s you and me, Angel.”
One tear slips out at his declaration. Phoenix lets it roll down my cheek and presses a gentle kiss to the back of my hand.
“I love you so much.” Five whispered words are all I’m capable of getting out, but they are the most important words.
Phoenix’s eyes brighten at my words. “I wanted to make you mine from the first time I saw you. I was delusional to think I could ever fight this pull between us. Even when I hated you, I still loved you.”
Pain blossoms in my chest at his words because I know exactly what he’s talking about. But just as quickly as the pain started, it’s receding, extinguished by something much bigger, much more powerful. Trust. Trust in Phoenix. Trust in us. And trust in our love.
We’ve gone through so much, and we will not end here. We still have the rest of our story to write, and I will fight for every single word of it.
This little burst of hope is enough to calm the panic inside me. I’m sure it won’t last for long, but I take any peace it offers me.
Phoenix raises my hands back to his mouth, peppering them with more kisses. The gesture is so comforting that a yawn escapes me.
He frowns at me. “You look exhausted. I wouldn’t be surprised if you still had some leftover drugs in your system.”
I yawn again. “I feel like I got run over by a bus.”