“It’s okay.” It hurt for her to talk.
Angel touched her chin, tilting her head this way and that.
“You might want to refrain from sleeping with him?”
Lacey didn’t want to do that. She loved sleeping beside Whizz, but she knew it was going to take them time to get back to how they were. “I wish I knew what set him off.” She touched her neck, wishing there was something she could to relieve the pressure.
“You were fucking lucky,” Steven said, stepping forward. Both men were staring at the bruising around her neck. “If I hadn’t been walking past I wouldn’t have known what was going on.”
“Thank you for charging in.”
“You need to stop talking, Lacey. It’s only going to feel worse if you don’t stop,” Angel said.
“What the fuck is going on?” Tiny asked, walking into her room. Eva followed close behind, tying the belt of her robe.
“Whizz strangled Lacey in his sleep. Almost fucking killed her.”
Tate and Murphy followed behind them. She looked at the other woman, wishing they’d all just disappear. This was the last thing she needed right now.
“Get the fuck out, the lot of you. Lacey’s not some fucking bug for you all to peruse under a microscope.” Tate took the lead, herding most of the men and women out of the room so only Tate and Angel were left.
“How are you?” Tate asked.
“It hurts. Where’s Whizz? I don’t want him driving off.”
“Stop talking.” Tate held her hand up to stop them. “I need to talk to Whizz.”
Tate and Angel stared at each other. “Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Lacey, Whizz won’t be himself right now,” Angel said, touching her hair.
“I need to see him.” She stood, keeping the blankets wrapped around her. Lacey grabbed some sweats from the drawer along with one of Whizz’s long shirts. The two women kept trying to convince her that she shouldn’t go to him. She listened to neither woman. The only person she wanted to talk to was Whizz.
When she was dressed she turned to face both women.
“Look, I know you’re worried, but this is Whizz. He wouldn’t hurt me, not intentionally.”
They both looked at the bruises decorating her neck. She wouldn’t let them keep her away from her own man.
“If this was Murphy or Lash, you’d both want to be with the man you loved. I love Whizz. I want to be with him.” She stopped to try to clear her throat. Her voice was croaked because of the pressure of his hands around her neck.
She waited for them to argue. They both stayed silent, and Lacey had her answer. “No one is keeping me from him.”
Lacey went toward the door, opening it. Lash was standing outside, waiting for his woman.
“Where’s Whizz?”
“He’s down at the gym in the basement. Killer’s with him, and believe me, you don’t want to see him.”
“I need to see him.” She made to move away, but Lash stopped her by gripping her arm. Instinct forced her to pull away from him. “Do not touch me.”
“I didn’t mean anything by it. Go and sort out our boy.”
She nodded, making her way downstairs.
No one stopped her on the way down to the basement. She found Whizz pounding on a punching bag that Killer was holding. The split lip Killer was sporting also let her know that Whizz had attacked the other man.
“Man, you’ve got to stop.” Killer had already clocked her.
Lacey stayed silent as Whizz unleashed hell onto the punching bag.
“No!” He growled out a response. This was not the man she loved. This man was hurting, angry, and so damn broken that it made her heart ache to witness. “I hurt Lacey. I can’t stop. I should be fucking shot.”
“You didn’t mean it.”
“It doesn’t make it any fucking better, Killer. If Steven hadn’t been there—shit, I could be looking at a dead woman by my side.” Whizz lowered his fists, shouting the words back at Killer.
“Don’t yell,” Lacey said. Her voice echoed around the room.
Whizz whirled around to look at her. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I’ve got no choice but to be here,” she said. “Get out of here, Killer.” She kept her gaze on Whizz.
“He can’t leave.”
“Why? You’re not asleep anymore.” She glanced toward Killer and nodded at him. “Go.”
Seconds later they were alone in the basement. The sound was eerily quiet. She licked her lips as she pushed away from the wall. Lacey moved to stand in front of the punching bag.
“You need to get the fuck out of here.”
“No.”
“You shouldn’t be around me. I’m a fucking monster.”
“You’re not a monster.” She rounded the punching bag, gripping the edge of the bag. Whizz was unreachable.
“I almost killed you.”
“Almost.” There was no point in lying. He did almost kill her, but he didn’t.
“It’s over,” he said.
Tears sprang to her eyes. She forced the tears down. There was no way she was going to let him leave her because of one incident.
“It’s not.”
“Are you fucking crazy or stupid?” he asked.
“I guess if the cap fits I’ll wear it.”
“I’m not going to do this with you. You could have fucking died because of me.” He dropped his face, moving away from her. She released the punching bag, watching him as he made his way toward the weights. Whizz started pumping weights, ignoring her.
“I’m not dead.”
“Get the fuck out, Lacey. Get out and get gone.”
She took a deep breath. “No.”
He glared up at her. “Do you have a fucking death wish?”
“I’ve not got a death wish, but I’m not going to let you hurt yourself because of what happened.” Whizz dropped the weight. The sudden sound made her jump.
“I could have fucking killed you and you couldn’t do anything about it.” Whizz stepped closer to her, trying to be threatening. She didn’t believe him. His anger was not directed at her. Lacey knew he was angry at himself.
She placed a palm on his chest, feeling him flinch yet stay for her to touch him. “You didn’t mean to do it.”
“How do you know?”
“You were shouting at Alan, Whizz. You weren’t shouting at me.” She stared at her palm, moving it up to rest against his beating heart. Tears filled her eyes at the joy that consumed her from touching him. “You were dreaming, Whizz. I wasn’t there in your dream. You were alone back in that abandoned warehouse where Alan was torturing you.”
“You’re fucking insane and delusional.”
“If you could have killed me, Whizz, you’d have done it already. You can’t kill me. You don’t want to kill me, and I don’t want to leave.” She took a deep breath, letting the tears spill. “I can’t leave you. I’m in love with you, Whizz.”
He cupped her cheek. “You’re in danger when you’re with me.” His hand moved down to her neck, cupping her over the bruises. “I did this.” Whizz pulled his hand away as if he’d been bitten by her flesh alone. “No, I’m not going to let you put yourself in danger.”
“Tough!” Lacey shoved him hard. His words were causing her a lot more pain than him strangling her in his sleep. “You don’t have a choice.” She kept shoving him as she yelled back her pain. “You’re not getting rid of me.”
Whizz gripped her arms. “Stop this. You’re going to hurt yourself.”
“I don’t care. Everything hurts if you leave me, Whizz. I can’t let you leave me. I love you too much.”
“I’m going to hurt you.”
“I don’t care.” The tears she’d tried to keep at bay fell down her cheeks. “I don’t care if you hurt me or what happens. I’d rather risk moments like tonight so I can keep all of those moments in between. Please, Whizz, don’t break up with me. I want to be in your life. I love you. Please don’t leave me.” Throughout the whole of her life she’d never once begged another man to stay with her. She was used to everyone leaving her. There was no way she’d ever let Whizz leave her or be forced away from him. “I can’t lose you. I don’t want to carry on if you’re not going to be with me.”
Lacey broke down as the emotion clawed at her from the thought of him pushing her away. She fell to her knees, pressing her hands to her eyes. After so long of keeping everything locked inside, Lacey finally broke, sobbing out her heartache.
Whizz’s arms surrounded her seconds later. “I’m not going to leave,” he said.
“I love you, Whizz.”
He picked her up and settled down on the floor with her in his arms. Stroking her hair, Lacey began to calm down.
“I love you, Lacey. I can’t stand the thought of anything happening to you.”
“Then don’t let anything happen to me. We’ll do whatever it takes, Whizz, but I can’t lose you.” He kissed the top of her head.
“I won’t go anywhere, and I won’t send you anywhere.”
She nodded, listening to his heart beating against her ear.