Page 101 of Stand: Part One

“I’m sorry,” I implored, emphasizing the regret in my voice. “I didn’t?—”

“No. You’re not. Not even close. But your reckoning has finally come, little girl. And I’ve waited long enough to exact it.”

I looked up at him in confusion, his words ill-fitting of my sins. He’d seen me plenty of times without my rings, but he’d never been this angry about it before. The unmistakable rage rolling off him was palpable, like a charged storm cloud suffocating the sky, making breathing almost difficult.

Something was different this time.

What the hell was happening?

“You have exactly sixty seconds to go get your rings and get your ass in my office. There’s something I need to show you.”

With that, he released me and turned away to stalk down the hallway toward his office. Dread tore through my nervous system like acid.

I didn’t know what the fuck had brought this kind of reaction on or what he wanted to show me, but I didn’t want to make it worse by making him wait or enticing him to hunt me down.

Racing back down the hall, I shoved through the double doors of my gym and zeroed in on my rings lying neatly on one of the benches. Snatching them up, I beelined it back toward Darren’s office, slipping them on my finger as I ran.

Approaching the door left ajar, I slowed my pace and sucked in a deep breath to calm my erratic heartbeat. The guard next to the door looked down at me with a cocked brow, his eyes moving up and down at my state.

Ignoring his clear judgment, I released another slow, deep breath, then steeled my spine, schooled my features, and reluctantly pushed my way through the doorway.

With vigilant eyes, I scanned the room for my threat, finding him seated behind his desk, a dark look emanating from his piercing gaze. And just like that, my heart reverted right back into panic mode.

“Shut the door and come here,” Darren commanded.

Sighing quietly, I shut the door and cautiously made my way around his desk to stand beside his chair. I could see on his computer screen what looked like a paused video of some security footage.

Reaching around my middle, Darren pulled me into his lap and wrapped his arm securely around my body, his grip noticeably tighter than what was necessary.

Red flag.

Testing him, I took in a big breath to expand my rib cage and felt his grasp tighten for just a second before relaxing it again. He was preparing for me to flee.

My stomach clenched.

Fuck. I’m not going to like whatever is on this video. And he knows it.

Darren then reached forward and hit the play button on the screen.

“Watch,” he ordered.

My eyes focused on the footage, observing a woman walking into what looked like some kind of store. She had a hood up over her head, concealing most of her face, and approached the glass counter.

My brow arched in confusion. What the hell did this have to do with me forgetting to put my rings back on?

A store clerk then came into view and addressed the woman, exchanging what must have been pleasantries as they both smiled. And then she took what I assumed was a ring off her left hand and showed it to him. Suddenly, an ominous aura of doubt gathered at the base of my spine.

Wait…

As the clerk took the small object from her, he examined it first for a moment, holding it up to allow the natural light to shine over it. When the hint of a sparkle caught the light, my heart immediately plummeted to my stomach. The man was reviewing a ring with a very large clear stone.

No.

The hairs on the back of my neck began to stand on end, my gut hardening around an onslaught of anxiety that violently slashed its way through my body.

After his brief assessment, the man smiled and then took the ring out of the camera view. Left alone, the woman turned slightly to look over her shoulder at the other patrons behind her, revealing more of her petite body to the camera.

I found myself leaning forward to get a closer look, hoping with all my might that what I saw was inaccurate—that I was considerably mistaken. Darren loosened his grip on me just enough to allow me to get a closer look at the screen.