Page 12 of The Silent Note

Even if I have to force it on.

I’m not the type of guy who steamrolls over a woman if she doesn’t offer consent. Plenty of other chicks have no problems giving me a yes, so I’ve made my peace with the rare times I hear no.

Just… not today.

Not about this.

And not with her.

“My go—you’re the reason we should keep corporal punishment in school,” Grey says, pushing off the uncomfortable-looking pillow and glaring at me. It’s nice to see that she’s not intimidated.

I’ve passed her room at night to check on her and noticed that she hasn’t been falling asleep lately. She’ll flinch at every sound and keeps burrowing under her blanket as if to hide from the world.

I was scared she’d finally cracked.

Not that I’d blame her if she did.

She spent years investigating her best friend’s murder only to fail time and again. She got a job at Redwood to face the monster up close and realized there was another monster waiting at home.

Now, there’s a third party out there. Someone who wants Grey dead.

I slide the fingers of my good hand into the pocket of my jeans. My drumsticks are in the car and I don’t want to look twitchy in front of Grey. She’ll sniff out every weakness.

Instead, I stroke the tip of my finger over the velvet ring box nestled out of sight.

“If you don’t, I’ll tell everyone about us.”

“Did I stomp you too hard earlier? Or maybe it wasn’t hard enough.”

“Jinx will be interested in the night we met. So will the rest of Redwood.”

“I just ruined Principal Harris. Redwood isn’t going to fire me without proof.” Grey scoffs. “It’s your word against mine.”

“How about those boxes we stole from the basement?”

Annoyance flickers over her expression.

“You want evidence? I’ve got plenty of that. There’s a text chain of us planning to break into Redwood the night of the dance.”

I’d show her, but Grey’s thunderous expression tells me I don’t need to.

“Bastard.”

“Call me what you want, as long as I get to call you wife.”

“Marriage isn’t a joke. Be serious for once, Zane.”

“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” I tell her. “You can wear a ring or you can wear handcuffs.” I scratch my cheek, pretending to think deeply. “There’s also a third option.”

She lifts her chin, listening.

“You can wearmyring andmyhandcuffs.” I grin.

Grey looks downright disgusted. “Blackmail. Threats. Is this really who you are?”

Did she think I was any less of a monster because I spent most of our relationship joking around with her?

“I’d do this and worse to protect you.” If Grey Jamieson is taken from this world, I’d follow her to the next one and that means if I plan on staying alive, I need to make sure she’s breathing, happy, andmine.