Chapter 164: Don't hurt them
1080words
When we arrived home, Micky went over everything that would occur behind the scenes. He strapped me with wires like I had done with my fake parents and then set up multiple hidden cameras around the house. My nerves were all over the place and Drake could see it. He stepped up to me and framed my face.
"Hey," he whispered, "I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm going to be right outside. I promise."
I slowly nodded as I chewed on the inside of my cheek. He might be outside but I still had to face the monster alone inside. Diego had clearly fallen off of his rocker and I couldn't predict how tonight would go. Aunt Rose stepped up to me next and grabbed my hand.
"You're going to be just fine, honey. Take a deep breath." She took one with me and I immediately felt better. "I'll be with Drake and we'll both be here when it's all over."
"You promise me nothing is going to happen?"
She winked. "I can do more than a promise. I know, lynn."
I looked back at Drake and memorized his face. Even though Aunt Rose said everything would be fine, I was still nervous as hell I'd never see Dominick again. He must have sensed my worry because he wrapped me in his big, bulky arms and held me to his chest for several long minutes.
"Okay, guys, we need to get out of here and into our places," Micky said.
Drake slowly released me before he framed my face and kissed me hard. I kissed him back like it was our last before I stepped away and sat on the couch. Two leather bags sat at my feet; each carrying loads of fake money on the bottom and half a million dollars of real money on top of each. Out of this whole debacle, the withdrawal from the bank was the easiest. Being a Tuffin with that kind of money left them with no questions. I was in and out within thirty minutes.
Aunt Rose blew me a kiss before she hooked her arm in Drake's and led him out, but he glanced over his shoulder toward me before they left. Micky gave me a wink and a single head nod before he took his exit. Once I was all alone, my heart raced and echoed in my head. The clock on the wall read 11:40 p.m. and the twenty minutes until midnight ticked by excruciatingly slow.
Then I heard a vehicle pull into the driveway and I nearly panicked. My palms were sweaty and my heart sank into my gut. He was here. It was time. Holy shit. I wanted to get up and pace but that would only look suspicious, right? I got up anyway and stepped into the kitchen, peering out the window from the shadows to see Diego walking up the front sidewalk with a cigarette in his mouth. He took a final drag and flicked it onto the grass before he disappeared out of sight. I half expected the doorbell to ring, but instead, I heard the beeping of the door code box and the sound of it unlocking. When this was all over, I'd change those damn codes myself.
Panic took over the moment the lock clicked and I ran back to the living room. My heartbeat pounded through my head again as I slowly sat back down on the couch. This was it. Diego would be in here any minute. I'd face the monster who could have beaten me to death.
Then he was there. He stepped into the living room as if he owned the place, a wicked grin on his lips.
"Ya know, we could really make this work, lynn. You; me; this house. I look a lot like my big brother. You won't even know the difference." He rounded the couch and loomed over me, pinning me in with his arms.
My blood ran cold as I stared into his dark eyes. He may look like Drake, but he would never be him. The idea made me sick.
"You could never compare to Drake," I replied through gritted teeth.
His eyes narrowed into slits as his grin faded. "I've heard that my whole life. What's so fucking special about him? Nothing! He got lucky." I wanted to tell him to fuck off but the aches in my rib cage told me to shut my mouth. Instead, I shut my mouth and pulled my gaze from his.
"The money's all there, take it and leave. You've already taken everything else from me," I spat.
"Not everything."
He leaned forward and tried to nibble and kiss on my neck but I sank into the couch away from him, shoving at his chest. I was completely disgusted.
"What? Not even a little kiss? Ah, come on, lynn. You're acting like a real prude for a woman who's sleeping with a porn star." His smirk twisted into something dark. "You know it won't last much longer, right? Drake doesn't settle. He never has and he never will. You're a convenience for him, but once you bore him or run out of money, you'll be kicked to the curb like everyone else in his life."
My jaw clenched at his words as I tried to ignore them. Drake loved me and we had something special. I wasn't about to let this asshole's words try to make me believe anything else.
"Where are Dakota and luis? You have your money, I want them back safely."
He finally stepped away from me and grabbed the two leather bags, inspecting their weight with a grin.
"Mmm, ten million dollars. Can you smell that, lynn?" When I didn't answer, he continued, "Smells like freedom."
"You'll never be free. You're a monster."
He chuckled. "Now you're starting to sound like my sister."
"You better not have hurt them, Diego," I rasped out as my hands shook. If my ribs weren't hurting so badly, I would have attacked this mother fucker.
A wry grin spread across his face. "Or what? Drake's probably in Chicago by now and your gay best friend is tied up. There's nobody here to help you, lynn."
I ground my teeth together so I wouldn't blurt out that I had help and he was going down. I didn't want him to have any inclination that he wasn't walking away free tonight.
