Page 76 of While He Breathes

He chuckles and steps forward, his eyes moving over the space with disgust. At least if he hates it in here, he won’t visit often.

Small mercies, I suppose.

“We’re somewhere safe. Once the coast is clear, we’ll be moving to our new home.”

“And where might that be?”

“South America.”

My eyes widen, and my stomach rolls.

If they move me, Orion will have no chance of finding me. At least while I’m in the States, there’s a chance. But outside those borders, I can’t be so sure.

“Now that I have you all to myself, and I’ve burned my bridges in Los Angeles, it’s time for a fresh start. I was thinking somewhere tropical, perhaps. I could certainly get used to you spending your days in a bikini.”

I cut him with a glare. “I’m not much of a fan of the beach. Sand gets in all the places I do not want sand.”

I’m met with another laugh, and I can’t help but notice how much more…relaxed he seems. There’s something about it that makes me more uneasy than if he’d come in here raging. At least then I would know what to expect. I know how to deal with him when he’s angry. Calm and amused, not so much.

“Well, we have a few days to make the decision. Once we’re married, we can decide where we want to spend the rest of our lives.”

My eyes widen as panic slams into me so hard my breath disappears from my lungs. I open my mouth to argue, but quickly snap it shut again. I can try to convince him not to go through with this all I want, but something tells me once he has his mind set on something, that thing is going to happen, come hell or high water.

“What about Brazil? I’ve always been partial to the food, and I hear the people are beautiful.”

“I guess.” I shrug. “I’ve never been out of the States, so I’ll need a passport.”

He nods. “That’s the other reason we’re hanging tight for a few days. I assumed when I broke into your apartment and took that box of trash you hid in your closet that I’d find a passport in there, but no such luck. Just waiting for my guy to falsify some documents, and then we can get the fuck out of here.”

“It was you?” I whisper, my heart aching at the thought of my destroyed apartment. Everything I’ve ever owned, gone in the blink of an eye, like it meant nothing, like I hadn’t worked my whole life for those few measly possessions.

“Of course it was me.” He sighs like it’s the most obvious development of the day. “I had hoped the warning would be enough to get you away from that asshole, but I only pushed you deeper into his clutches.”

“But…I…” I shake my head, unable to put more than a couple of words together. The combination of the drugs and my empty stomach is making it hard to think, and I’m starting to worry about how hard my heart is beating in my chest.

It feels a little like a panic attack, except worse, and this is the last place I want to show my vulnerabilities.

“Speaking of your boyfriend, I thought we’d send him some photos. What do you say?”

“Why?” I ask before I can catch the word.

Lucas chuckles. “Oh, Ember. You don’t realize the power you have over the most powerful man in the city. I’m going to extort him out of a whole lot of money, making him think he can get you back safely. And by the time he realizes what’s happening, we’ll be long gone, and you’ll be my wife.”

I swallow heavily around the bile that climbs up the back of my throat.

Don’t vomit. Don’t vomit. Don’t fucking vomit.

Even the word makes my stomach roll violently. My only saving grace is the fact that I could barely choke down a piece of toast this morning when Orion demanded I eat something.

The thought of the man makes my heart ache, but I push it down. I can fall apart later.

Right now, I need to figure out a way to get out of here.

Because there’s no fucking way I’m marrying this asshole, and the fact he thinks he can get me down the aisle without a fight just shows how little he knows about me.

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

ORION