Total pages in book: 110
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111278 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 556(@200wpm)___ 445(@250wpm)___ 371(@300wpm)
Well, thank fuck Archer was here. He needed his voice of reason on his side, because otherwise he didn’t know what he was likely to do.
“Tie her down. Lock her in my room. Keep her there for eternity,” he muttered.
“Um, Dominic?” Archer asked.
“Yeah?”
“You doing okay?”
“What?” He stared at them both. “Shit. I said that out loud, didn’t I?”
“Yes, crazy man,” Gwen said. “You did. Today you win the prize for King of the Crazies.”
He felt that way.
“You’re not doing this, Gwen,” he said firmly. “No way. Not happening.”
“Is there any way it could help me get my memory back?” she asked Archer.
“I suppose,” he said, looking somewhat doubtful. “But it’s not a magical fix even if you do. You need to deal with the underlying trauma.”
“How? Through talking? I don’t want to talk or sit or do nothing anymore. I need to know. I have to know, Dominic. Or my life isn’t going to be anything like it was before. I know I can’t go back to before. Not sure that’s even what I want. But I want to feel safe again. I don’t want these scary black voids in my brain to have power over me anymore. I just want to know.”
Tears tracked down her cheeks and he walked over to her, pulling her against him and holding her tight.
“Could it make things worse?” he asked Archer.
“Like I said, it could be traumatizing. I couldn’t support that.”
“What if we just did the first part?” she asked. “I’ll park at the hotel and get out and someone can talk to me from the shadows. We could even have a van drive toward me to see if it jars anything in my head.”
“I don’t know, Gwen. I understand how you feel—”
“But you don’t,” she interrupted Archer. “You don’t. And I want to do this.”
Dominic hated the pain in her voice. He wanted to give her whatever she needed. But he didn’t know if he could or should give her this.
“Please, Daddy. Please. I have to,” she begged.
“If we do this, will you be there?” he asked Archer.
“I really don’t think this is a good idea. But yes, if you insist, I’ll be there.”
Dominic held her face between his hands. “If we do this, you will do exactly as you are told. And if I or Archer think you’re getting too stressed we are going to pull the plug immediately, understand?”
“Yes. Thank you, Daddy.”
43
“This is a damn stupid idea. I need a kick in the ass for agreeing to this. I should just drive home and lock you in the bedroom. Should have spanked your ass for ever suggesting this.”
She let Dominic rant, knowing he needed to get this all out. He hadn’t been happy about this idea from the start. And she had to admit now that it was time to do this . . . she was feeling completely unsure herself.
What if it didn’t work?
What if it made things worse?
It had taken several days to set everything up and get everyone in place. But tonight was the night.
You have to try.
Dominic parked by the Wishing Well. Kent had already parked her car in the same spot she’d used that night.
They looked over to where Ed waited by the front door of the bar. They were trying to re-enact everything as closely as possible.
“Remember, even though you might not be able to see them, there are people everywhere watching you,” Dominic told her. “If at any time you need to end things, what do you do?”
“I hold my hand up in the air and wave it around.”
“Good girl. And you stop everything the minute it gets too much, understand? We will figure this out.”
“I understand.”
But she didn’t plan on stopping. Not until she had some answers or it was clear this wasn’t going to work.
Twenty minutes later, frustration was biting her hard.
At just after ten pm, she parked her car at the Lucky Hotel. Climbing out, she locked it, then looked over to the shadows as someone called her name.
They were talking to her, but she couldn’t focus in on the words because she couldn’t hear anything past the ringing in her ears.
If this didn’t work, what did they have? Nothing.
There was no evidence of Davidson being part of her kidnapping or Clarke’s murder. And he had an alibi for that night.
No one could find Darius. And Liv wouldn’t tell them anything.
Frustration built.
Dominic didn’t want this next part to happen, but she’d insisted on at least trying. Even though she wasn’t sure she wanted it either. The person who had been talking to her disappeared, walking away, and she turned toward the hotel, fumbling for her phone.
As she moved, she heard the squealing of the tires. They were coming.
Oh fuck. She couldn’t do this.
It’s not real.
She tried to slow her breathing. But she could feel herself growing stressed. Her heartbeat racing.