Page 125 of Lethal Attraction

My voice comes out hollow. “She isn’t coming, is she?”

The silence that follows destroys me more than any answer could.

Rowan closes his eyes briefly. When he speaks, he sounds tired. “I’m sorry, Reed.”

The world narrows as everything disappears except those three words. Yet, somehow, I can’t believe what he’s just told me. My lungs stop working.

“I tried to stop her.” He says solemnly.

The ground vanishes beneath me, and I finally look at him. I see the truth all over his face. They knew. Every single one of them knew.

“No,” the word barely leaves my mouth. “No,” my grip tightens on the luggage so hard that my fingers ache.

“Reed—”

“I’m not going anywhere.” The panic explodes from me as my voice raises, “I’m not getting on this fucking train.”

People turn to stare, but I don’t care.

“Take me to her.” My voice cracks.

Rowan steps forward. “Reed—”

“Take me to her!” I beg.

For one terrible second, his expression breaks. Then his jaw clenches, and he does the thing I’ll never forgive him for. His hand catches the back of my neck. I barely register the movement before he shoves me hard across the platform.

I stumble through the train doorway as the doors immediately begin to close. My head whips up as I regain my composure, and my heart plummets. “No!”

Metal and glass slam together between us.

“It’s nothing personal,” Rowan says from the other side.

My chest is rising quickly with my fast breathing as the train moves. “No,” I mumble. “No! Stop the train!”

I move with it, every step keeping me close to the man who watches me from the platform with his hands tucked into his jeans.

“Stop!” I shout. “Please! Someone!”

“Reed!” Taryn appears out of nowhere, her hands gripping my biceps. “It’s over. Just sit down—”

“You knew,” I whisper in defeat. “This whole time…”

“It’s for the best,” she says solemnly. “We thought we had lost you when Crystal took you.”

I shake my head in disbelief, stepping away from her. “I can’t believe you…”

“I’m sorry, Reed.”

I drop to my knees right here, my whole body thudding like a big sore. The woman I love is going to war and I’m on a fucking train going in the opposite direction.

I never had the chance to properly tell her…

“Why,” I whisper, my voice broken. “Why…”

My friend pinches her lips as tears flood her eyes. She looks away from me.

Everything is gone.