Page 87 of Claimed By the Ruthless King

If I’m pregnant, I have to keep the child. This seems to be the only form of love that makes it out alive.

I glance at the time on my watch, expecting Salvatore to walk through this door any minute. Meetings never last long when he’s running them, thirty minutes tops. What the fuck is he doing?

And why not host the meeting here? The Moretti building is covered in police tape, an investigation underway. He would be safer meeting his men here.

Of course, my presence seems to burden the rest of his men, and Salvatore would rather kill himself than be seen as weak.

I spend the next half hour on the couch, waiting for Salvatore to return and kiss everything better.

Golden light spills across the city as the sun sinks into the horizon, glass buildings shining in the dying light.

I find strength and drag myself off the couch, pacing around the penthouse as I make calls to Salvatore. Orange surrenders to red, darkness soon following. I watch the sky turn dark and wonder if I should search for Salvatore…

Or buy a pregnancy test so I can give my overthinking brain a rest.

I slip on a pair of flats, grab the spare keys from the bowl and head out. Before I can make it into the corridor, my foot hits something.

Looking down, I see a paper bag outside of the door.

Aritzia.

I stick my head out of the window, looking left and right. There has to be some mistake. Sapphire doesn’t know where my boss lives. The only other person who knows I was in Aritzia today was…

Nope. Not going there.

I swallow the lump in my throat, trying not to freak out. Panicking never solves anything. I’m sure there’s an explanation for this.

I stuff the spare keys in my pocket, grabbing the bag. The paper crinkles as I open it up, shivers rushing down my spine as soon as I pull out the cable knit sweater I was eying up earlier. In the same damn color.

I set the bag down, reaching for my phone to give Sapphire a call.

“Oh my god, Saph,” I gasp as soon as she picks up. “Please tell me you left an Aritzia bag outside of Salvatore’s apartment door.”

“No, why?”

Fear expands from my core, turning me cold.

I’m ready to barricade myself in the apartment when a black figure spawns in front of me, like they fell right out of the wall.

“Phee?” says Sapphire on the phone.

A face materializes, David’s eyes coming into focus as he plants a finger on my lips, shushing me.

Cold, hard realization hits me all at once as I stare into his wicked eyes, seeing the truth for what it really is.

We were too slow.

Pinning me a look, David grabs my phone, hanging up the call. He smashes the device against the wall, snapping it in half.

Tossing the phone aside, he returns his attention to me, pulling on my shoulder, dragging me out of the apartment. My back hits the corridor wall with a thump, my vision distorting from the sudden pain.

I blink, fighting to regain my vision. By this point, Salvatore’s apartment door is closing in slow motion in front of my very eyes. Despair eats me alive as it bangs shut.

I swallow the fear, fumbling around in my jean pockets, finding my keys.

“I’ll be looking after these,” says David, keys jingling as he snatches them from my grasp, transferring them over into his pocket.

The fight leaves my body as I stare at the door, desperate for a miracle to happen.