Page 153 of Intent to Kill
“It’s always been him,” Mercedes whispered. The only truth she had ever told her husband-to-be.
Dorian gave her his back. When he turned around, all sincerity of their conversation was lost, and the game was back on.
“Too bad, then, because he’s already dead.” He pressed his thumb onto the pad of the phone.
There was a little click. Then crashing. Banging. Exploding? The line went dead amidst a scream.
“What did you just do?” Mercedes felt the blood rush away from her limbs, making her entire body go cold. “What did you just fucking do?!”
Her hands were suddenly slick with sweat. There was no way that he got her friends. Right?!
“You’re so proud of being the fifth one, how about being the only one alive?” Dorian laughed.
“No, you—you fucking—you couldn’t have,” Mercedes shook her head, her face hard beneath traitorous tears.
She let them fall. Dorian was always one step ahead. But surely not of this. Not of this! He couldn’t possibly even know where Adam’s hideouts were...
But how did he get Adam’s number?
“If you’ve so much as touched a hair–” Mercedes screamed so violently that the building nearly shook, “–on the heads of the people I love, then I–”
“Shut the fuck up!” Dorian screamed back, rubbing his hands across his face. “I fucking loved you. I fucking gave–”
“You didn’t love me! I’m nothing but a trophy to you.” He frowned, watching as she settled her voice. “I’m a fucking collectible to you. You’re not capable of loving anyone other than yourself.”
It was T.B. who stared at the floor like he couldn’t bear to look. Like she was undeniably right. Dorian didn’t even blink.
“If you really loved me, it wouldn’t be so easy to do what you’re about to do,” she said, raising one brow.
“You’re absolutely right,” Dorian said finally. But he didn’t smile. Without breaking her eye contact, he said to the guard, “Kill her.”
His eyes narrowed like he’d been expecting a reaction. A flinch, at least. Some show of fear. But she wasn’t afraid.
“Give me thirty minutes to get back to the house, then shoot her in her pretty little head.”
T.B. and the guard piled out of the room. Dorian made to follow them, but turned back to say over his shoulder, looking truly as if this would be the last time they ever saw each other. “Goodbye, darling. You would’ve made a wonderful First Lady.”
* * *
“Something doesn’t feel right,” Adam said. “Mercedes should’ve been here hours ago.”
The five drinks that Adam poured remained untouched, littered between their guns, ammunition, and body armor.
“She probably just got held up,” Paul said.
“I don’t know, her phone line at the mansion keeps ringing,” Carlos said as he hung up the landline near Adam’s bed.
“She would’ve left right after your call...” Dan said, a hint of panic lacing his words.
“God, I can’t–” Adam threw some papers across the room. “If he’s done something to hurt her...”
Just as he finished speaking, the phone rang. He raced to answer, shoving Carlos aside mindlessly.
“Baby?!”
“Not quite...”
Adam blinked at that voice.
