Page 3 of He Is Ours (Lovers in Crossfire #2)

Chapter three

Olivia

Everything

is

happening

too

fast. My brain is swimming in pure terror. I was just sold. Fucking sold like cattle. And of all the people to buy me, it was Alex!

That fucker just bought me!

I didn’t want to believe he was like his grandfather, but now he’s proven it.

The Lopez García men— they’re all the same. MONSTERS!

I run out of the double doors at the back of the banquet hall.

My heart is pounding, my breath ragged, but I can’t stop running, not now.

I don’t know where I’m going, but I know I have to get away—away from Alex, away from Lopez García, away from all of it.

The walls feel like they are closing in on me.

I can’t breathe, and my heart is pounding out of my chest. I don’t know who I can trust anymore, and that makes my head start to spin.

I need time, time to think, process, and try to become human again.

My thoughts are everywhere. Maybe I’ll get on a plane and go to New York, to our family’s house.

No one knows where I’m from, and Oliver and Dad will make sure no one gets on the property.

But even that thought feels too easy; I can’t escape just by running.

Alex would find me; I know he would. Plus, I wasn’t raised to be a coward.

The way Alex looked at me when I was sold—like he had every right to own me.

That look is burned into my mind for the rest of my life.

How could I have trusted him so much? How could I have been so blind?

The only other time I have seen that look is when we were having sex.

It was pure ownership in his eyes. Did he want to save me?

Or is he just keeping what he thinks is his?

I turn a corner, lost in my thoughts, and run straight into a hard chest. I fall backward onto the floor with an oomph. The cold tile under my palms caused my wrist to ache from the impact. When I look up, I see the one person I wasn’t expecting to be there.

Oliver.

I blink rapidly, my breath catching in my throat.

I want to make sure I am not hallucinating.

I should feel safe, but I don’t. I don’t know how to put it into words.

It feels like another puzzle piece that doesn’t quite fit right.

What’s he doing here? I want to reach for him, hug him, cry on his chest, but there's this knot in my stomach that is stopping me. Do I trust him? Can I? I’ve known him my whole life.

For fuck sake, we shared a damn womb together, but right now, everything feels like a lie.

“Oliver? Is that really you?” My voice trembles, and I can’t help it. I’m scared. Scared of what I feel and scared of what’s coming, scared this is just one big nightmare, and I am still stuck in that stupid basement.

He opens his mouth to say something, then closes it again.

That tiny hesitation hits harder than any words could.

When the words finally come out, they are hushed.

“Yeah, Livy. It’s me. I’m here.” His arms are open, but instead of running into them like I’ve done my whole life, I hesitate, as if I’m waiting for a trap to spring into action, the other shoe to drop.

When I finally get the courage to walk into his arms, the sobs come out of me instantly, uncontrollably.

The weight of everything crashes down on me: Alex, Lopez García, being sold, the fear, the uncertainty, even seeing Rachel kill Tony.

I cry like I’ve never cried before, my body shaking against his.

As much as I need him, there’s this gnawing feeling at the back of my mind that won’t let me fully let go.

“Why are you here?” The question slips out before I can stop it. I realize the underlying question I am really asking: Tell me I can trust you, Oliver. Fucking Lie to me if you have to. I just need something to believe in right now.

He runs a hand down his face like he’s hiding something, and I don’t like it. I don’t like that nervous tick of his. It’s a sign. A sign that something’s off.

“Oliver, what the fuck is going on? Why are you here?” I pull away, eyes narrowed in question. Every part of me screams for answers, but now my heart is pounding in a different way— fear

. I fear that the one person I’ve trusted more than anyone in this world might be lying to me, also.

Oliver sighs, rubbing his arm, and I see it—the nervousness growing in his eyes. He knows something I don’t.

“Alex called me,” he finally says, his voice low. “He told me his grandfather had you. We came up with a plan to get you out and bring you home.”

The world tilts beneath me, and I grab the wall for support. Alex? The man who helped lock me in this hellhole, the man who’s part of the very family I’ve been running from?

Why would he care now? Why is Oliver working with him?

My head is spinning again, and I can’t make sense of any of this. Who’s telling the truth? Who’s lying to me?

And then there’s Rachel; where does she fit into all of this?

I force myself to breathe, but it feels like my lungs are caving in. Can I trust my twin?

Oliver notices my brain is going a thousand miles an hour and gently grabs my face, making me look at him.

“Livy, breathe for me.” I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath, but of course, he would know.

He always knows. Will I also regret trusting you?

The thought comes as a shock to me as I try to take deep breaths.

Why wouldn’t I trust my twin?

Probably because he withheld my whole family's business from me for years?

The internal battle I am having is causing me to feel like I am insane.

I nod weakly, letting out the breath slowly and sinking into his chest. At this moment, I can’t think straight.

All I can feel is his steady heartbeat against my cheek.

It’s familiar and comforting, and even though every instinct tells me to question everything, I keep my head on Oliver’s chest, listening to his heart and smelling his shirt. It smells just like I remember.

“Hey, Oli... can you please take me back to my house?” The words come out soft as I look up at him. I need to be somewhere safe, somewhere I can think. Somewhere without all the lies. He nods and pulls me close, wrapping his arms around my shoulder.

I feel him glance over his shoulder; I can’t help but wonder—What’s behind us? What did he see that I missed?

I want to question him, but I don't have the energy to care right now. I just want to leave this hellhole and never look back.