How many times will I have to lie to her?
Leaning against the counter, I cross my arms over my chest and watch her leave the kitchen. As soon as she’s gone, I pull my phone from my pocket and turn it off so it won’t buzz or ring while she’s around. The last thing I need is for her to discover that I have it and that it is working just fine.
A dull throb begins to form behind my eyes and I sigh out in frustration, stuffing my phone back into my pocket. Stark had said Baylee was wanted for questioning in the attempted murder. When Baylee whimpered and moaned his name while she slept, I knew.
Gabe was right. She is, for some God-awful fucking reason, in love with him.
The thought enrages me.
It makes me want to lift the slat of the hole to the cellar and push Gabe to his death for being the cause of all of this.
But mostly, it hurts.
My mind can’t comprehend how she could feel anything for her captor. Except for intense hatred. Fuck, this guy is no different than Gabe. How could she not see that? I’d honestly assumed she was lying—possibly playing him in order to survive.
Once I saw her running down the street and then later had her in my arms, I almost laughed at myself for having entertained such a stupid notion even for a second. Of course my girl couldn’t love some monster who paid money to fuck her. Of course she still loved me with all of her heart, like I love her.
But now?
Now I know it wasn’t a fucking act.
She does love him. I see it in the way she won’t hold my gaze—the guilt pouring from her eyes giving her away. I feel it in the way she avoids my touch, instead pushing me away.
I have to fix this.
And if that means lying to her to keep her safe, so be it. It isn’t normal for her to have fallen for someone who paid money for her. Clearly, he fucked with her head. Soon, she’ll come to this realization and come back to me. I’ll get my girl back.
A few tiny lies mean nothing in the grand scheme of things. Those lies will protect her mind and her heart. As her boyfriend, the love of her life, I will make sure I do whatever it takes to protect my girl.
“I’m hungry.”
The voice from the kitchen is weak and shaky. Baylee, who sits curled up on one end of the couch, eating a sandwich meets my gaze with wide eyes.
“You don’t deserve to eat, asshole,” I call out, and then stuff a chip in my mouth.
Baylee’s lips press together in a firm line. Her eyes are darting back and forth from me to the food on her plate. Finally, she sets the plate on the coffee table and snatches up the uneaten other half of the sandwich.
“I’m going to talk to him,” she says as she stands.
Anxiety floods through me as she stalks off to see Gabe who had unfortunately regained consciousness. If he doesn’t keep his mouth shut, he could ruin everything. Dropping my plate to the table, I jump up and stride after her.
“Where’s Dad?” she demands and dangles the sandwich in front of him.
He eyes it hungrily and meets her gaze. “I don’t know.”
“Liar,” she hisses.
His glare snaps to me and he smirks. I fist my hands at my sides. If I hit him again, she’ll definitely be suspicious.
“I’m not lying, sweet girl. I was with you the whole time. After your auction, I came back to check in with Tony, and he was gone. He hasn’t returned any of my calls. It’s like he’s disappeared.”
Baylee approaches him and holds the sandwich to his mouth. He takes a bite and flashes her a grateful smile as he chews. I hate the way he looks at her—as if they share something I’m not privy too. He’s probably thinking of how he popped her fucking cherry. Fucking bastard!
“Why did you need to check in with him?” she questions.
His dark eyebrows furrow together and I know he’s warring with whether or not he should tell her the truth. If he explains the fact that her father had something to do with it, it’ll only infuriate her, and the chance of him eating a bullet is likely. “I wanted to check on Lynn for you, baby,” he lies, his eyes finding mine.
Truth is, he never showed up to check on Tony. This, I know for a fact. I could out him on his lie, but then she’ll be back to demanding to know where her father is.
She can’t know.
Ever.
Her hand becomes shaky as she feeds him another bite of the sandwich. I’m not sure why she’s showing him kindness. He doesn’t deserve one second of her time unless it’s spent making him pay.
“Don’t cry,” he says softly after he swallows, his gaze turning soft. “She loved you. I’m sorry she was taken so soon.”