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So his jaw didn’t break. What a shame.
"Good," Theo replies. "Run and fight. I dare you, boy. It makes it more fun for us."
Andrew's smile wavers, his voice laced with venom. "You're not gods," he hisses, a mocking sneer twisting his lips. Julian edges closer, ready to attack again. But in a swift, protective gesture, Theo extends an arm, guiding Julian behind him, aligning them shoulder to shoulder, a united front against the impending storm.
"So he can be put on a leash," Andrew mutters as he snorts a grin at Julian.
Theo replies dryly, ignoring that jab, "No, we aren’t gods. Gods grant redemption. My people don’t."
Andrew glares and licks the blood from his split lip as if he likes the taste. "I tried to call you, Poppy, but it’s funny. All my calls keep getting blocked. Did you know that, Poppy? Maybe you should ask Julian about that too," he says, then he reaches out and pats Theo’s shoulder but looks at Julian. "You’re going to have a long conversation. I wish I could hear it, but I know Poppy will tell me the details when she comes back to me."
Julian lunges, but I reach out and grab his hand. His eyes look down his arm to my fingers grasping his, then to my eyes. He must see my worry and fear because he steps back to me.
"You know, I got to thinking what would hurt more, Julian, taking Poppy from you or having her willingly come back to me," Andrew grins. "I think the latter."
"I’ll never go back to you," I shout from between Theo and Julian's shoulders.
"Walk out the door while you still can," Theo begins, "Because soon you won’t be able to."
"You will come back to me," Andrew declares, locking eyes once more before he turns and leaves, all the while laughing.
I release a breath, thinking it's over, but right before he pushes the lobby door open, he turns again. Andrew always had to have the last punch.
"Tell me, Poppy, how is your brother these days? Henry, isn’t it? I’ll have to find him and catch up."
Chapter 28
Poppy
Henry! No, no, no!
Desperation grips me as I step forward, ready to run after Andrew and plead with him not to pursue my brother, but Julian's arms envelop me as my knees give way.
"Don’t listen to him," Julian's voice is a low growl, his embrace so tight it borders on suffocating.
"My brother... he... he threatened everyone, Julian. Before you arrived, he said—"
"Poppy," Julian’s voice cuts through the chaos like a beacon in the dark, jarring yet oddly comforting. "He's trying to scare you. Don't let him win."
My feet leave the ground, and I close my eyes, battling the urge to break free as Julian carries me through the lobby, into the elevator, and presumably back to his office.
What a spectacle Andrew has made at my workplace. He's stripped something from me, just as he promised. How can I return here after this?
It's Andrew’s first calculated move in his twisted game. Like a game of strip poker, Andrew’s going to peel off every layer I have slowly, every person and thing I care about until I’m exposed to him.
"I need to call my brother," I manage to say, my voice thick with dread. Even if I call, Henry wouldn’t listen.
"Let her," Theo interjects, his presence still looming.
Julian gently guides me into the armchair in the lobby, kneeling before me with his phone in hand. "Andrew is desperate, but he won’t be able to harm anyone you love, Pumpkin. Harper is guarded; I'm guarded." He tries to assume me.
"And my brother?" The question trembles from my lips.
"I’ll ensure his safety, too," Julian replies, casting a glance at Theo.
My hands are shaking so violently that Julian has to steady them for me. Slowly, I type in Henry’s new number. Henry never gave me this number himself; Harper had to hack into his account to find it. I’ve never dared to call, fearing that one attempt would lead him to block me, unable to face the pain of such rejection again. So, for years, it just sat like a false prophet in my phone and memory, promising aid—a hope that he would be there for me like Peter was that night.
I press "call," and Julian lifts the phone to my ear. It begins to ring, his intense gaze locked on Theo as if Theo holds all the answers. Perhaps he does; maybe Julian shared with him the turbulent history between Henry and me.
