Predator - A Stand Alone Suspense Romance(70)

“Cara!” he whispers harshly, quickly catching up to me.

When we’re out of the light and direct view of people putting in petrol, I swing back to him. “Kill me! You were paid to kill me?”

“No,” he snaps at me. “I took the job so I could save you!”

“You didn’t know me. Why would you want to save me?” I cross my arms, feeling totally hurt and lost. “You said you came for me, Damian. You lied.” A sob ripples up my throat. “You lied to me.”

“I just didn’t tell you the truth, but I didn’t lie when I said that I came for you. When I got your file, fuck, anyone with half a heart could see that you were innocent. I didn’t lie to you, Cara. I’m a cleaner, I’m not a hitman.”

“What about that girl you saved? Were you meant to kill her, too?”

“No, she was kidnapped, and I just had to get her back.”

“But me … you had to kill me.” I don’t know how to process any of this.

“That’s what Tom wanted. I couldn’t tell you that. Fuck, Cara, you were broken. Telling you something like that would have destroyed you.”

“Instead you let me believe that my loving uncle sent someone to help me? Oh wait, you said he paid so you would look after me? That was just another lie.”

“Yes, to save you the heartache!”

“What’s the full story, Sam?” I whisper, needing to hear it all.

He looks around us before his eyes settle on mine again. They are filled with guilt and I wonder if it’s guilt over the fact that he lied, or because he got caught?

“Tom wanted you dead. He sent me your details and the first recording. He said to make it quick, to put you out of your misery. He didn’t want you to suffer.” He swallows and then looks at the road. “I pretended to take the job and when I got you and the memory disks, I figured it was a win. I returned the money he paid, and I closed the account. I would never hurt you, Cara. I just wanted to help you. Yes, I kept things from you, but it was to save you from the pain of knowing who your uncle really was. I didn’t lie when I told you about the mafia. Your father and uncle got mixed up with the wrong people, and when your father wanted out they killed him. Your uncle on the other hand, didn’t want out. He’s been laundering money and carting drugs for them for years. But then they found out that you got away. I don’t know how. I only know that Tom wanted a quick death for you.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I whisper as the tears start to fall.

“No, but the fact that I never lied about my feelings for you should count for something.”

He takes a step closer to me and I quickly wipe at the tears. “I just need some time. I need to absorb all this information.”

Just then a cab pulls into the garage. I make sure my cheeks are dry as we walk to it.

The trip back home is a silent one. I suppose I should be happy that we got away. I should feel something after seeing my uncle being murdered by the man I love … the man I hardly know. I think I should feel happy … but I’m not.





Damian~

We’ve been back a week. The news show that they have no suspects for the murder of businessman Tom Smith, but that he was linked to a crime syndicate and it must be a deal that went bad. I ditched the scissors in a trashcan right at the airport. At least there’s no way they’ll find it.

Everything should be fine, but it’s not. Things are really shaky between Cara and me. I want to hold her. I want to tell her that everything will be fine now, but I know it’s not what she wants.

She needs distance, and I’m giving her as much space as she needs.

Like I said, it’s been a week, and it’s not getting any easier. I’ve been keeping busy with odd jobs, but at night the silence is deafening. I can hear it screaming at me.

The days just roll by, each one as bland as the next. Cara is quiet, and I’m worried that she’ll sink back into depression. The only thing that keeps the worry at bay is the fact that she goes for a walk every afternoon after work. It gives me peace knowing that she’s reverted back to the walk as a way of coping.



Cara~

I’m not angry anymore. I had nothing to be angry about - when it comes to Damian. He tried to protect me and I can’t hold that against him.

It hurts so much that my own blood wanted me dead. Damian was right when he said that he saw someone who was alone in this world. It’s a scary thought … being alone.

If I need someone in the middle of the night for any reason, there is no one to call.

I don’t have a next of kin to give if someone should ask.

I have no friends.

I have no family.

It hurts so much that I have no one. I’m a ghost.

It’s these thoughts that weigh heavily on me. I carry them for three whole weeks before they break me.

It’s the middle of the night and I can’t sleep. I’ve been feeling crappy the past week. I think it’s just everything that’s happened to me that’s catching up.

I can hear Damian breathing. Damian … why do I keep calling him that? It’s not his name. I can’t call him Sam, and Alex is still new to me.

Sam, the man I’ll never know. The ghost in his past.

Damian, the man who saved me. The predator who kills, who was meant to kill me, but instead kept me.