Page 38 of Their Stolen Obsession (Phantoms and Obsession Duet #2)

Her Predator

Sin

F uck. Someone knocked loudly at the door.

I jerked up off the couch and almost landed on my ass on the floor. Jesus Christ! I hated a fucking jump scare while I slept. Especially when my nightmares haunted me.

The knocking persisted until the noise stopped.

I got up from the couch, wiped the perspiration off my forehead, and took off my suit jacket.

I must’ve passed out while Liv slept in my bed after I had tucked her in and the doctor examined her.

There was a slight infection in her arm from the dog bite, and it needed antibiotics, and the wound would leave a terrible scar.

She had bruises and scratches and needed proper nutrition to regain her energy.

Rest was best for the time being to help her body heal.

But the doctor couldn’t give us a diagnosis on her mental state and suggested we talk with her about counseling.

Liv was bullheaded, strong, and she’d fight us, but that was why we loved her so damn much. Her spunk, sass, and stubbornness drew us to her. The obsession had never stopped.

Now Liv was in my bed, fast asleep. Safe. Right where she belonged.

“Where is she? I want to see my daughter!” a voice called out.

There was a commotion at the door.

Frank cursed. “We can’t just barge into someone’s home.”

Heels stomped down the hallway.

“Gloria! Wait!”

Mrs. Valencia. Liv’s mother was here. Shit. Saint had caved and called her parents. He was a goddamn softie underneath all the wrath.

I mouthed at Saint, “What the fuck?” I gave him the middle finger.

Saint mouthed back, “Fuck off.”

“I’m not waiting, Frank. This is our daughter,” Gloria expressed as she entered the room I was in and turned around to hit her husband in the chest with her purse. “You should be more concerned.”

“I am!” Frank said with raised hands .

Fuck. I didn’t want to deal with any of this, but the problem had stirred me from sleep and stared me dead in the eyes. Gloria wanted answers.

I ran my hands through my hair. “Mrs. Valencia. Liv is sleeping. Please quiet down.”

“No. I want to see Liv right now.” Gloria pointed at the floor.

Mrs. Valencia was a mess. She was frantic, as I imagined any mother would be after her child had been missing for weeks.

She had followed the instructions of two men she had only met once to not call the police and report her daughter as a missing person.

I could only dream of all the horrible nightmares she must’ve had when she fell asleep. If she even slept.

Gloria’s appearance suggested she hadn’t slept in days.

Her short curly hair was unruly, and she had bags under her eyes.

Goddamn, the tiny pitter patters of my heart shouldn’t give a fuck, but I couldn’t help myself.

This was Liv’s mother. The one woman I wanted to impress besides her beautiful daughter, who had beaten life into my dead heart and made me want a soul again.

I was a pathetic fuck . Look what Liv had turned me into, a pleading man who wanted peace. Christ. I was pitiful, desperate, and willing to do anything for her .

“Now, Gloria—” She hit Frank with her purse again.

I grabbed the damn handbag right from her claws.

“That’s enough. From both of you,” I whispered harshly. “Please keep your voices down.”

“Liv needs rest,” Saint added and yanked the purse from me. “Is what my friend here was trying to say.”

Saint made eye contact with me, and he flashed me a warning glare as he handed Gloria back her purse.

She brushed her hair back and sized me up, a chill running up my spine.

I didn’t like the way she made me feel. Anxious.

Uncertain. Damn it. I hated trying to impress anybody.

I enjoyed giving people the heebie jeebies, not the other way around.

“Right. Rest is best.” I chuckled softly. “That’s what the doc ordered.”

“What doctor?” Gloria asked as concern wrinkled between her eyebrows. “What on earth are you talking about?”

Saint cleared his throat. “Oh, we had our doctor pay Liv a visit.”

“At this hour?” Frank questioned.

I smiled. “Yes. Don’t worry. We paid him extra for his time.”

“Is Liv all right?” Frank asked with worry in his eyes .

Saint answered, “Liv has a minor infection from a dog bite. The doctor prescribed her some antibiotics.”

Gloria gasped, tears shone in her eyes.

I added, “Otherwise, she has sustained some bruising and scratches, but she’s okay.”

Frank took his wife in his arms and held her close.

Gloria leaned into him and tucked her head up against his chest. A tender moment shared between Liv’s parents through the traumatic event they had endured together and the result of their daughters suffering.

The realization that their actions had caused this had set in.

The guilt was evident on the Valencias’ faces, and Liv’s parents suffered as they should have.

Let this be a brutal lesson to do better by their daughter.

She was the only fucking child they had.

Gloria moved away from Frank, and her expression changed in an instant. “Sebastian? Any news on him?”

“Who cares about that low-life scum?” Frank muttered in hatred. “He’s the one who got Liv into this damn mess to begin with.”

Gloria glared at her husband. “Yes, but Liv and Sebastian are still engaged. They—”

“The wedding is off,” Liv interrupted .

All eyes locked on Liv, wrapped up in my blanket and leaning against the wall.

She watched all of us and holy fuck, was she as beautiful as ever.

Her hair was all messed up from my pillow after she had been lying in my bed, resting those gorgeous, tired eyes inside of my room.

Shit. I was extremely turned on right now I had to turn away from Liv’s parents to adjust my erect cock.

I didn’t need to piss them off with a massive hard on over their daughter.

Christ. That would be a goddamn disaster, more than the shit show about to go down between Liv and her parents. I should grab a bag of popcorn and enjoy the entertainment.

“On that note, I’ll be right back,” I said.

I made my way toward the kitchen and heard Gloria’s dismay over her daughter’s announcement. More chatter took place while I got a bag of popcorn with butter and popped it into the microwave. Two minutes and the popping should be done.

I peeked my head around the corner.

“But I don’t want to marry him, Mom. Sebastian is an asshole,” Liv argued.

Saint looked petrified. A family conflict trapped him right in the middle, and I was glad I was safely away for the time being. I think I’d let the popcorn pop for an extra minute .

“You don’t mean that, sweetheart. You’re confused by all the trauma,” Gloria tried to reason with her daughter. “Once Sebastian comes home, we can get this all figured out.”

Mr. Chamberlain wouldn’t be coming home because he was rotting away in our damn penthouse. I could smell the stench of him where I stood. The charred smell with his blackened disgusting flesh.

Wait.

My popcorn was burning.

Shit!

I hurried to the microwave after I had let the argument from the other room distract me, and I grabbed the bag of popcorn. Fuck! That bag was hot. Only the bottom was slightly burned and left the rest perfectly ready to eat.

Slowly, I entered the tension filled area, watching the Valencia’s go at one another. I ate my popcorn and watched the argument, but Saint eyed me like I had lost my marbles. Family crap made me nervous. I was an anxious eater. Sue me.

I shrugged my shoulders at my best friend and took a front-row seat on the couch.

Liv faced off against her mother while Frank stood at his wife’s side.

He’d cut in here and there to calm the situation, but Gloria would speak over him.

She was in charge, and I could see where Liv got her stubborn attitude.

I think Gloria and I’d get along after I set her straight.

“I don’t care about—” I cleared my throat and Gloria shut up.

I raised my popcorn bag in between mother and daughter. “Would either of you ladies care for some popcorn? It’s fucking delicious.”

Gloria pushed the popcorn bag away. “As I was saying—”

I interrupted, “I believe Liv has already voiced she won’t marry Mr. Chamberlain, and I don’t blame her one bit since he was physically and emotionally abusing her right under your noses.”

Stubborn little… No. I wouldn’t call Liv’s mom the B word, no matter how much she deserved it.

Gloria laughed. “That’s absurd. Sebastian would never. Tell them, sweetheart.”

Liv remained silent. She peered down at the floor, and I watched her toes wiggle into the carpet. She was nervous to confront her parents with the truth after all that motherfucker had put her through.

Saint wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “They deserve to hear the truth.”

Finally, Liv glanced up and stared her parents straight in the eyes. Her emotions got the best of her, and I wanted to take her into my arms, but this wasn’t my place. It was time for her parents to show her human decency and that they cared about her more than fucking money.

“Sebastian hurt me. I lived in fear of him every damn day,” Liv explained with tears in her eyes. “Then he threatened to kill you if I didn’t marry him because he owned me like I was a piece of property.”

“Son of a bitch,” Frank said and rushed forward to take his daughter into his arms. “I won’t let that asshole hurt you ever again. You hear me?”

Saint stepped to the side and let Frank console his daughter.

Liv sobbed as he held her tight and told her how sorry he was.

Gloria only stood there, her mouth agape at the sight, too stunned to speak a word.

All she could do was sense that she had failed as a mother.

Mrs. Valencia had let her daughter fall into the ground, stomped on her, and dug her into an early grave.

But Liv wasn’t dead—she was alive, and Gloria needed to see there was still time to fix things.

Mrs. Valencia whispered, “I’ve failed as a parent.”

“So you fucked up…” I shrugged and kept my voice low for only Gloria to hear. “Learn from your mistakes. Go. Be the mother Liv has always needed.”

Gloria peered up at me, stunned by my presence, and she stared at me as if she didn’t want me anywhere near her. I thought she’d tell me to fuck off and mind my own business, but she didn’t. Instead, we had a mutual understanding, and I had set her on the right path. The road to forgiveness.

“Thank you,” Gloria whispered.

Liv let her parents show her the love she had always wanted from them. All the affection she had ever needed and all the care she deserved. The Valencias had a lovely moment until Gloria announced they’d be going home and taking Liv with them.

Saint and I glanced at each other.

We protested at the same time. “Hell no.”

“Mr. Cruz, Mr. Sullivan, we appreciate all you’ve done for our daughter, but it’s time for Liv to stay with us,” Frank expressed, and he unwrapped Liv from my blanket. “We’re taking her home.”

“It’s too dangerous,” Saint argued and took a step forward. “Liv needs to stay put.”

“But she’s here…” Gloria explained as she touched her daughter’s face and studied her as if she was the rarest treasure on earth. “She’s safe, and all we want to do is take her home.”

Desperation surged through me. There was no damn way they were taking Liv out the front door. I’d restrain them and tape their mouths shut. That way, I’d get some peace and quiet back in my life. Goddamn, I didn’t want to have to stop them, but I’d do it to save her life .

“You’re not listening…” I blocked Gloria and Frank’s way, my head tilted. “We need Liv here to protect her. The other brother who took Liv is still out there.”

“Phoenix is a threat to your daughter’s life,” Saint added, and we held a united front. “We won’t let you leave with Liv.”

“No, please move out of our way and let us leave with our daughter,” Gloria disagreed and peered over at her husband. “Frank. Do something.”

My eyes darted to Frank with a heated warning. Frank didn’t back down, and I was proud of him for standing up for his family. Unfortunately, he made the wrong choice because no one stood in the way of Liv’s safety. Not even her family.

“I’m staying.” Liv took the blanket away from her father and wrapped it back around her.

“What?” Gloria stared at her daughter in disbelief.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Liv stepped away from her parents and came to us. “Sin and Saint saved me.”

Our little obsession had spoken because she had always belonged to us.

“We’re thankful for everything these men have done, but you can’t stay…” Frank declared as he glanced at me and Saint with a finger pointed at us. “These men are dangerous. Their lives are full of too ma ny risks, and we don’t want you getting caught in the crossfire.”

Liv smiled back at me. “I know Sin and Saint will always protect me.”

“Please, don’t be foolish. Don’t do this, Liv,” Gloria begged.

Slowly, I stepped toward Mrs. Valencia. I didn’t dare touch her, but I stared her straight in the eye. “We’d die before we let any harm come to your daughter.”

“I’ll believe that when I see you both in graves.” Gloria didn’t bat an eyelash. “Until then, Liv knows where to find us. Come on, Frank, let’s go home.”

Jesus. Liv’s mom was a crazy… Wait… Not the B word again.

Liv’s mother was a spitfire. Just like her daughter. She blazed a fiery trail behind her with her husband getting caught up in smoke as they made their way right out the door.