Page 80 of His to Love
Because I was that case. And he was working.
On me.
“Holy shit,” I gasped, and my hand flew to my throat. I bit my bottom lip to keep my emotions at bay, but it was futile. “Holy shit, he used me.” I shook my head and remembered the promise I had made to him. “I need to talk to him.”
Malik’s eyes flew wide open. “What?”
“I promised him.” My breath came in short pants. “You have to take me to his place, Malik. He made me promise.”
“He’s lied to you.”
“He made me promise!” I shouted, leaning forward. My skin burned. Everything felt suffocating. “He made me promise to talk to him tonight. Told me to go to him after the benefit. I need to find out why.”
“No way in hell are you going there.” He leaned back, face stern.
“Please.” My eyes began to sting. “You can wait for me. If what you say is true, it won’t take long, but a decade ago, I allowed my father to send me away when he gave me this same story. I believed it then. This time, I need the truth. I need to look into his eyes.”
His lips pulled to one side and after several, heart-wrenching moments, he finally nodded.
Without removing his eyes from me, he reached over and pressed a button. “Change of plans. Take us to Latham Hills.”
He arched a brow at me and I quickly rattled off Tyson’s address. As soon as I was done, he let go of the button and faced me.
I felt small.
I felt stupid.
If Tyson really had betrayed me, lied to me in this way, I should have been smart enough to suspect something wasn’t right. Looking back, he had certainly left enough clues, I had just been too blind, too naïve and hopeful to see them.
—
The trip probably took twenty minutes.
It felt like hours.
Silence filled the car. It seemed as if Malik hadn’t moved an inch while I repeatedly tapped my fingernail to my tooth. By the time we pulled up in front of Tyson’s house, I still had no idea what I was going to say to him.
“I will wait for you out here,” Malik said, his face a blank mask.
I reached for the file, needing the proof in my hand when I confronted Tyson. With a dip of my chin, I acknowledged Malik’s words. Then I waited until the rear door opened, and I climbed out. Lead filled my feet, making every step feel painful and take longer than it should have.
With growing trepidation, I rang the doorbell and took a step back. I had never done that before, but I no longer felt like I could just walk in, even though I knew Tyson was expecting me.
He’d told me to come to him after. Made me promise.
I was beginning to understand why, and I hated the unease swirling inside me that thickened with every breath.
“Hey,” he said, his eyes wide as he opened the door. His shock quickly evaporated as he noticed the limo on the street behind me. “What’s going on?” He pulled his shoulders back and narrowed his eyes.
I stood there, speechless, wavering in my certainty that I could believe Malik despite the proof in my hands.
This was Tyson. He wouldn’t betray me. Not like this. Would he?
I shook my head when he asked, “Blue? What’s going on?”
“Um.” I licked my lips and held out a file. “You told me to come to you.”
“What’s this?” he asked, looking down at the file in my hands. Then his head snapped up and he glared over my shoulder. “I think we need to talk. Come inside.”
