Chapter 15
KYRIE.
Getting a moment alone with Jessa was harder than ending a war. Her mother hovered like a hawk, and Jessa herself kept dodging the idea of talking to me like I was some fucking tax collector.
But I finally got her. We were alone. She stood with her arms folded tightly over her chest like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. Her eyes didn’t dare meet mine.
“So… uhm… who are you? And what do you want from me?” Her voice was soft and nervous.
I leaned on my car, hands in my pockets, watching her squirm. “Jessa, you don’t have to pretend. I
know you know me.”
“I don’t,” she said quickly, backing away a little. “You’ve got the wrong person. I’m not who you think
I am. You need to leave.”
I calmly pushed off the car, “I’ve been looking for you for eight months. Eight, Jessa. Now that I’ve
found you, I’m not letting you out of my sight. So quit the act.” I told her for a fact, and I saw the
look on her face.
That got her. Her mouth trembled before it clamped shut. She looked away, blinking too fast.
Then she snapped, “What do you both want from me?”
That stopped me cold.
You both?
“I told your friend I’ll get his damn wristwatch back. I will. And now you? What, do you want your money back too?” She scoffed bitterly, big, shaky tears already welling up in those eyes I had come to
adore. “I didn’t steal anything from you. I’m sorry. Okay? You should both just leave me alone!”
She was unraveling and palming her forehead like she was trying to press her thoughts back into her
skull.
I was still catching up.
Your friend…
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Chapter 15
Your friend…
Saint was already here?
“What…”
I was about to ask what she meant when she cut me off like she couldn’t take another question. “That night was a mistake! I’m not like that. I needed the money. I had no choice. I was desperate.”
Her voice cracked, and the rest came spilling out.
“I had an accident. On my way home. A fucking truck hit me.” Her breathing stuttered. “I was in the hospital for eight goddamn months. Surgeries. Tubes down my throat. My mother nearly sold the house just to keep me breathing.”
She looked up at me finally, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.
“I used every coin I got from you and your friend… just to stay alive.”
Her words sank into me like ice water.
“I guess that’s what I get for letting two strangers fuck me,” she said softly. “For being a whore.”
Then the dam broke. Tears slid down her cheeks like she didn’t even care anymore.
She was done and shattered.
I reached out a hand and gently placed it on her shoulder, “Jessa. Breathe. I’m not here to hurt you.”
My tone was softer than I even knew I could manage. She blinked at me,
I took in a deep, calming breath before asking the real question. “Did you say my friend was here?” This was the softest and almost the longest I had ever had to speak to an individual, when I am not in a meeting or trying to save the fucking world.
She hesitated before replying, “Yes. He was here earlier. Threatened me and my mother. Said I’d pay for what I did.” She wiped her eyes. Her lips quivered again. “He looked like he meant it.”
“Fucking Saint,” I hissed, dragging a hand down my face.
Of course. That was why he bailed on the office. Why he sent me to handle the Verisola bullshit. He
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Chapter 15
had already found her. He just didn’t want me to know.
He found her. And his first instinct was to scare the life out of her?
He didn’t even have the fucking decency to tell me he had found her? Oh. Of course, he promised to
kill her, and that’s what he wants to do.
I clenched my jaw. “That bastard.”
Jessa’s gaze flicked to me, confused. “You’re not… like him?”
I looked at her for a second. “No… Hey. Look at me.” I leaned down a little, dropping my tone. “I’m not him.” And for the first time in months, I meant what I said.
And if Saint thought he was going to lay a single hand on her, he had another thing coming.
Over my dead fucking body.
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
