Page 185 of Between Passion and Revenge: Part Two

Bakari was innocent. I may not have known the man well, but he wasinnocent.

And now he’s dead.

“You shouldn’t see this, Shae,” Riale says, stepping between me and Storm.

The man was innocent.

“You should get some rest. How’s your pain?” Axel says, coming up on my other side.

The man was innocent.

My heart pounds in my ears, thewooshof blood beating hard in my brain, drowning out their voices, drowning out reason.

The man was innocent.

The man was innocent.

The man was innocent.

“Storm, why?” I try to get around Riale, my throat hurting as my voice gets louder and louder.

“Storm,why did you do that?” I screech, and I finally break past Riale. He whips an arm out, and it catches me on my injured side, and I suppose the sound of my pain snaps Storm out of whatever trance he’s in.

Storm turns then, his face completely emotionless, and says, “Stop, Shae. You’re going to hurt yourself.”

I gape at him for one heartbeat.

Two.

Three.

Then….

I run.

Panic claws at my throat when I hear his steady, pounding footsteps following me as I race back to my bedroom.

Is thismybedroom? What do I even have that’s mine anymore?

Horror hits me as I stumble into the room, realizing I’ve given everything up for this man.

Again.

Whirling around, I scramble to shut the door and lock it.

It’s too late.

Storm’s there, and his booted foot prevents me from sealing myself inside.

He’s there, wrenching his way inside with ease, with frostiness, as if the material between us were toilet paper and not reinforced wood.

“Shae, stop it,” he grinds out, his voice even with just the slightest spark of fire.

No!I shout, but only in my mind. I just keep pressing and pushing against the door.

“Fuck it,” he says, his voice low and a growl. Then, he’s there inside my room.

I brace for impact, expecting him to attack me in some form, even though my soul knows he’d never physically hurt me.