65. Olivia

Chapter sixty-five

Olivia

A s soon as Victor pulls up, I’m pulling the car door open and climbing in. “What happened?” I ask him. Before he answers, he leans across the console and wraps his hand around my neck, pulling my forehead to his. I close my eyes and inhale deeply, allowing his scent to envelop me. He smells like whiskey and oak.

“I’m going to fucking kill him, Olivia,” he whispers.

I grip his neck and kiss him hard. He returns my kiss, deepening it. My heart beats wildly in my chest as I contemplate climbing into his lap, but he breaks it with three small kisses. He grips my hand as he stares at me like he’s trying to decide if I can handle what he needs to tell me.

“I’m not sure why, but Bec wound up in Donovan’s territory and he tracked her down,” he begins. I think back to the night she stayed at my house and what she told me. How his guys wanted her, but Connor stopped him. “He told her he knew she knew you.” I stop breathing. “He told her no one, not even me, can keep him from you.” I don’t know what to say as my ears begin ringing.

He cups the back of my head and massages my scalp, bringing me back to the present. “I won’t let him hurt you. I promise.”

I want to ask him how he can promise that, but I trust him. He’ll keep me safe. The ringing in my ears gets louder, so I nod slowly. He kisses me softly before letting me go and driving to Connor’s house. When we arrive, I take several deep breaths, trying to prepare myself for what’s coming. Victor wraps his hand around the back of my neck and forces me to look at him.

“We’ll get through this.”

I close my eyes tightly. “Victor, I’m so tired. I just want it to be over.” He kisses my eyes. It’s so sweet it makes me want to cry. “He’s ruined everything good in my life.” My words are so low, but he heard me.

“That stops. Now.” He sounds so sure, but I have a bad feeling. It feels like a boulder is sitting on my chest and the lump in my throat gets bigger. I nod once.

“Let’s get this over with,” I say.

He kisses me softly before getting out and coming around to my door to open it. We walk hand in hand to Connor’s door. Everyone is already here, so we follow Connor to the living room. I force myself to take a deep breath and push down the emotions that are trying to overwhelm me.

Connor pulls Bec into his lap and holds her close. Victor and I sit side by side on the couch. Part of me wants to climb in his lap and have him hold me close too. Instead, I press my thigh against his.

“Becca had a run-in with Donovan,” Connor starts. There are various reactions around me, but I stay focused on Bec.

“Are you okay?” Bass asks.

“Yes. Oddly enough. He didn’t try to hurt me, although he did threaten me,” Bec says.

I feel Victor’s eyes on me, but I don’t look at him as I inhale deeply. “What did he say?” I ask.

“How do you know he said something?” Bec asks.

With a huff, I look down at my hands. Even if Victor hadn’t told me some of what he said, me denying his flowers probably put this into motion. Victor lays his hand on top of mine, surprising me.

“I know my stepfather. He had some kind of message for me.”

Victor squeezes my hand and that lump I’ve been trying desperately to push down just keeps getting larger. Bec glances from me to Victor, unease evident on her face.

“Whatever he said, we’ll handle it together,” Victor says, echoing what he said in the car.

Bec takes a deep breath, her eyes full of concern. “He knew that I was friends with you.” I swallow, but stay focused on her. “He said you can’t hide from him. That you thought you’d been hidden all these years, but he’s always known where you’ve been. He’s been watching you.”

My nose burns and the lump in my throat can no longer be contained. I blink rapidly, but that doesn’t do anything except make the tears fall. I wish I could stop them, but I’m tired of hiding. So, I let them fall.

“He said he’s allowed you your freedom, but it’s ended. He’s coming for you and no one.” She looks at Victor who stiffens next to me. “Not even his ex-best friend can keep him from you.”

Bec sags against Connor like saying all that took a lot out of her. I yank my hand out of Victor’s and stand. The tears fall more rapidly as I pace. I wipe my face, not sure what to do or say.

“Olivia,” Victor says. It’s in that octave I normally love, but not right now.

Turning to him, I raise my hands in defeat. “I tried. I tried so hard, but he’ll never let go. He’ll always have his claws in me.”

Victor stands and wraps his arm around my neck, pulling me into a hug, but I don’t return it. Defeat weighs me down. He’s known where I’ve been this whole time. All the times I thought I saw his car, I probably did. All the times I felt someone watching me, he was.

“We’ll get a restraining order,” Julian says.

I pull away from Victor with a scoff and face Julian. “That won’t stop him,” I tell him. “He will not stop until he gets what he wants, or he’s dead.” I sit back down, sighing heavily. Victor sits beside me and runs his hand down my hair. This is the most he’s ever touched me in front of my friends. I love it and I hate it.

“Then we’ll kill him,” Victor says. He’s looking at me when he says it. We’ve already talked about this. I told him once I wanted to kill him and I meant it. No one says anything contradicting him, which shocks me.

“How would you do that?” Bailey asks, and I admire her more than I already did. Julian’s eyes snap to her, and she shrugs. I love that she is who she is without any apologies. “He’s a bad guy, Julian. We have to do something.”

Julian glances around the room. “We can’t plan a guy’s murder.”

He used to be a detective, so he’s all about justice being served, but sometimes that isn’t the answer. Not with someone as crazy as Donovan.

“Then we’ll plan what happens if he comes after one of us. But it will end up with him dead,” Victor says. Frustration builds in my gut. He won’t come after anyone but me and Victor.

Connor sits up and looks at his brother. “Julian, you know how bad Donovan is. You know what he’s done.”

Julian nods. “I do know, but we must go about this properly.” He’s so calm, it’s irritating. Like fingers on a chalkboard. “I know we all want to protect Liv, but this must be done correctly.” I share a look with Victor and he shakes his head slightly, sharing in my frustration.

“And the right way is to put him in prison only for his people to protect him or get him out somehow?” Lincoln asks. Exactly. That’s exactly what will happen.

Julian nods at him. “He’s going to have people regardless of where he’s at. He has a crew that is probably very committed to him. If we were to kill him, they’d come after us.”

That could happen, but his people hate him as much as they’re committed to him. The majority of them are committed to him out of fear. I stand and slap my hands against my thighs.

“You all think you know him, but you don’t. It doesn’t matter what you do. He will not stop. Even if he’s put in jail, he’ll find a way out.” As I run my hands through my hair, I force myself not to pull it. I need something. I wonder if Victor still has the box I gave him.

“I don’t know why I thought running away would work. I should have known better.” Looking up at the ceiling, I want to scream until my throat bleeds. “Maybe I should just give him what he wants. At least, then, I’ll know you all are safe.”

Victor practically growls. “There is no way in hell I’m letting that happen.” I don’t look at him. I can’t.

“I know he’s a bad guy. You’ve told me that much. But why is he so obsessed with you? Why is he determined to get you back?” Ansley asks.

I suck in a breath and wrap my arms around myself. Oh god. I’m going to have to tell them. My chest heaves as I try to calm the panic rising.

“Never mind,” Ansley says. “You don’t have to tell me. I can only imagine why he’s obsessed with you.” Ansley knows he’s a bad guy, but she doesn’t know details. I finally look at Victor, and his eyes soften.

“Olivia,” he whispers.

I shake my head at him. I have to tell them so they understand. “You guys will find out eventually, and you need to know who exactly you are dealing with when it comes to him.” I glance around the room not really seeing anyone. “I’ve only told Victor and my therapist,” I whisper as I force myself to stay calm.

“His obsession is because he took my virginity against my will. He continued to force me until I ran away.” That’s putting it simply, but there’s no way I’m giving any more details than that and they don’t need to know the details. I drop back down next to Victor, my hands trembling. I clasp them together and put them in my lap.

Victor runs his finger from my shoulder down my arm and places his hand on mine. It doesn’t stop them from trembling, but it does comfort me. He wraps an arm around me and pulls me close. I’m enjoying how attentive he’s being, so I lay my head on his chest.

“Liv, I’m so sorry that happened to you,” Caroline whispers. Everyone else stays quiet for a few moments, likely trying to process this new piece of information.

Bailey clears her throat. “So, he’s obsessed with you because he still wants you?” she asks.

I stiffen, but nod. “He thinks he’s the only one to have me and wants to keep it that way. At least, that’s what I’m assuming. He always told me that no one else would ever be able to have me, and if they did, he’d kill them.” Victor turns his head, his lips brushing against my hairline. If only he knew the things Victor did to me. That I let him do to me.

“So, hear me out,” Bailey says. I eye her, wondering what she’s going to say. “What if you show him he’s not the only one to ever have you?” My eyes widen.

“How will she do that?” Bec asks.

Bailey’s eyes flit around the room before landing back on me. My heart is beating so hard in my chest I’m sure everyone can hear it. “Maybe you and Victor could kiss in town or at his pub. He has eyes on you. Word would get back to him,” Bailey explains.

I sit up and move away from Victor. Shit. She’s right. He probably already knows something is going on between Victor and me. “It’s not like that between Victor and I. We aren’t together or anything,” I say quietly as I avoid looking at Victor. Technically, I’m right. I’m his submissive. Ansley and Lincoln share a look, but don’t say anything.

Bailey shrugs and leans back. Julian wraps his arm around her and I want to scream. Why can’t Victor say something? Say that’s not true. That we are together, but he doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t do anything. My heart breaks, but I’ll survive. I’ve survived worse.

“It’s just an idea,” Bailey says. “It would piss him off, and he’d probably show his face somehow. We could try to get him to do something, then get him arrested or kill him. Whatever the consensus winds up being,” she says nonchalantly, and I can’t help but snort. Julian glares at her, and she shrugs. “He doesn’t deserve to live. Not after what he did.”

Julian sighs and finally concedes. “Do you mind me asking how old you were? We could do it that way if you were to press charges against him.”

The statute of limitations wouldn’t apply to him because I was a minor when it happened. I inhale sharply. “It was right after my mom died,” I say.

Ansley sits forward, panic on her face. “Didn’t your mom die when you were thirteen?” she asks.

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Yes, she did.”