Page 124 of Die for You

My heart jumps to my throat as I race for the front door, Finn and Damien hot on my heels. “Rory!”

Blood pumping, arms swinging, I run harder and faster than I ever have in my life.

Monicatook her.Monicabrought her here.

Who knows what kind of hell Monica put Aurora through while she kept her here.

I won’t forgive myself if Monica does another thing to her.

Damien throws all his weight against the door, and it crashes open just as another piercing scream rattles our ears.

Monica has Aurora by the hair, pulling her as Aurora thrashes and fails to fight her off.

In a heartbeat, I’m on them, ripping Monica’s hand from Aurora’s hair and pinning her against the wall.

Monica gasps, wincing as her head ricochets off the unforgiving wall.

Behind me, Damien demands to know if Aurora is okay and Finn crushes her to him, rubbing her hair as she sobs into his chest.

“Okay?” Finn asks. Even through her tears and gasping breaths, she manages to nod.

I want to be the one comforting her, holding her, whispering how much I love her, crying with her. For every second she wasn’t in my arms. For every second I worried she might be dead.

We’ll get that chance in a minute. But I’m not letting Monica get away again.

Just not in the way she hoped.

“You’re not going anywhere. The police are on their way.”

Monica pales at my fury in my voice. “Knoxy, wait?—”

“Don’tfuckingcall me that,” I spit.

My arms quiver with rage. I’ve never been this furious with her. With anybody. She took Aurora from me. She locked her up here, and by the looks of our angel, Monica hurt her.

I could kill her. Every cell in my body screams at me to make sure she never takes another breath.

“Why the fuck did you do this?” Damien roars.

“I just wanted to be with you, Knoxy,” Monica blubbers, fake tears that she can turn on like a faucet filling her lifeless eyes. “I did this foryou. I still love you. You deserve better than her. I can give you what you want. What youdeserve.”

“So you fucking try tokillher?” God, somehow Monica’s gotten even worse than high school. I didn’t think that was possible.

“I didn’t! I wouldn’t have killed her?—”

“You just would’ve let medie!” Aurora screeches.

Her scream makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Briefly, I squeeze my eyes shut. I don’t even want to think about the shit she went through here. All the trauma she’ll live with after this.

I drop my voice an octave. “You didn’t do any of this for me. And you don’t love me. You don’t love anyone but yourself.”

Finally, I get to say everything to her that I’ve been bottling up for years. Everything I never told her when I dumped her over text. Back then, all I wanted was to wash my hands of her. Not ever have to face her again.

But sometimes, it feels good to face your demons and tell them to fuck off.

Her gaze is wide, pleading. “That’s not?—”

“You hit me. Hurt me. You treated me like shit. You think that’s what I deserve? You have no idea what I deserve. The kind of girl I deserve is one you’ll never compare to. That girl.” I step aside to give Monica a clear view of Aurora when I point to her. “That girl right there treats me the way I deserve. And I’ll do everything I can to make sure I treat her the same way.”