Her eyes were wide on my face. I rarely lost my temper, but she'd come between Olivia and I for the last time. "Why are you marrying her?"
"Because I love her." I said flatly.
"What makes her so different from the rest of us? Why didn't you love me?"
"I don't know." It was the truth. And damn, I felt like an ass. But it was the truth. Olivia spoke to my soul. When I'd asked her to leave, I felt her pain. I felt her sorrow. It killed me.
"I don't like her, Jace." She spoke quietly.
"She doesn't like you much either." There was no emotion in my voice. I sounded cold. But in reality, I knew I was cold. Olivia was the only woman who could pull any warmth from me. Without her, I was dark and disturbed. I craved pain and whiskey. But with her, she made me feel. I wanted laughter and easy banter. I wanted to tickle her and love her and hear moans of pleasure and sighs of desire. I didn't want to hear yelps of pain and feel shivers of fear. I wanted everything with her. Everything beautiful. She brought that out in me. Not Lexie. No one else. Only Olivia.
Lexie stood and started pacing in front of my desk. Was she finished yet? "I received a letter, Jace."
My blood turned cold. "What?"
"A letter." She stopped pacing to pin me with tearful blue eyes. "I got a letter from someone I don't know."
"What was it signed." I asked and she nibbled the inside of her cheek, obviously debating on withholding the information. Fuck. I had to know. I would shake it out of her if I had to.
"Her Savior." She whispered finally. My stomach dropped to the floor. I felt as though I had been punched in the gut. What the hell was this guy doing? Damn it! When I found him, I would rip him to shreds. There was no doubt in my mind.
"Where is the letter?"
"I burned it." She said simply. "It frightened me and I thought if I burned it then it would go away."
"Are you trying to tell me the letter came back?" Maybe there was something wrong in her mind. Maybe she needed mental help.
"No Jace." She snapped. "The letter didn't come back. But the words…I keep seeing them in my mind."
"What did it say?"
"Whoever it was wanted me to come to you and tell you that you've gone too far. He wants you to know he isn't giving up and the threats still stand true. That he knows what you've done in your past. He knows the deals you've made and the lives you've ruined. He will unveil your every hidden misdemeanor to the world. If you don't let her go and walk away, you'll lose everything." With those words, she leaned over my desk, narrowing her eyes. This was not the submissive woman I remembered. Something had changed. "Are you sure you still want her? Are you sure she's worth the risk?"
Chapter 24
Caleb swung open the door to my office open so hard it cracked against the wall, the glass shattering. Lexie jumped away from my desk, her eyes growing twice their original size.
"What the fuck is going on in here?" Caleb bellowed. His face was filled to the brim with rage. Where the hell was Olivia?
"Caleb, settle down." I growled. "Lexie was just leaving."
Startled blue eyes shot to me. "You're still going to choose her?"
Caleb growled low in his throat. "You came here because you thought he was going to choose you? Over Olivia? Are you fucking mad?"
"Screw you, Caleb." Lexie screamed. She was shaking now. I didn't know if it was from fear or hatred. I didn't care. All I wanted to know was where Olivia was.
"Caleb, where is Olivia?"
"You told her to leave, Jace. Where the fuck do you think she went?"
"Shit," I ran a hand through my hair. If she ran with that crazy fucker out there…and he caught her…what the hell was I going to do? I knew one think for certain, I wouldn't be in my right mind when I ended his existence.
I looked to Lexie and pointed to the door. "Get. Out. Now." My words were spoken with venom. "If you ever come near me or Olivia again, I will be sure you live the rest of your life without a cent from me. You made me feel responsible for the loss of that child, Lexie. You're a manipulative bitch I want nothing to do with so get the hell out of here."
Tears streamed down from her eyes but I didn't care. I hated her. My body shook with anger toward myself for asking Olivia to leave, and her for even being here. I loathed her with every fiber of my being.
Lexie pointed a long, manicured finger at me. "You're a bastard!" She screamed. She flung her bag over her shoulder and sprinted though the shattered glass out the door.
I looked to Caleb who was watching me with angry eyes. "What the hell was she doing here, Jace." He asked. "And you better be straight with me if you want to know where Olivia is."