Tyrant Stalker: A Dark Forbidden Romance (Tyrant Dynasty Book 2)

by Isabella Starling

  "Can't we walk?"

  I glance at the clock. "We might be late."

  "Please." She clings to me. "Please. Let's walk."

  "Fine," I groan again, quickly cancelling the car on my phone. "Come on, we have to leave right now then."

  I bag up Robin’s hoodie. My heart and mind feel heavy as I take the bag with me.

  She takes my hand and holds it firmly, not letting go even a little bit. We take the elevator downstairs, and I nod at the receptionist. Hodge will take care of everything here, and Dove has everything she needs to find Willa. This is my goodbye to the world. And it might be for ever.

  I swallow thickly as we walk out of the hotel. I have to tug on Dove's arm to keep her walking. I shouldn't have agreed to let her come with me to the station. This is going to be hell.

  She cries throughout the walk there. We talk. About the weather, about Sam. It's nice to revisit my memories of the old man, and Dove seems to be grateful for the opportunity to talk about her old friend.

  Every once in a while she starts crying too hard to speak. I stop, knowing I shouldn't or I risk being late, and kiss her, and hold her. I whisper in her ear that it will be okay.

  Finally, we arrive in front of the station. I check my watch, it's three minutes past.

  "I'm late," I tell Dove softly.

  "No," she shakes her head, shutting her eyes and biting her bottom lip. "Don't go in. Not yet. Please, stay with me."

  "I can't." I kiss her nose. "Look at me, please."

  She opens her eyes. Tears are already glistening on her lashes. They aren't black like I thought. Almost, but not quite there. They're a dark chocolate brown instead. Her natural color, probably – when she doesn't dye it jet black.

  "I love you," I tell her.

  "Don't." Her voice breaks and she holds in a sob.

  "I do."

  "No, Nox. Please, I..."

  "Call me by my name, Dove."

  "I can't," she whispers. "Please, I can't."

  "Do it, I want to remember this moment." I hold her closer to me, leaning my forehead against hers. "You don't have to wait for me, Dove. I might not be out for a while."

  "Stop," she whispers. "Red."

  "No safe words," I remind her. "Not right now. I need you to listen. Find Willa. Help her. Promise?"

  "Promise," she nods brokenly.

  "And you'll take care of yourself for me."

  "And I'll take care of myself for you," she repeats. I can tell she feels numb, lost, so I kiss her. Deep, unforgiving, reminding her of everything she can have with me. I'm not making her wait for me, and I don't think she should or will. But I'll carry this memory with me for a long fucking time. Until I see my little bird again.

  "Miss me, little bird," I mutter in her ear, leaving the ghost of a kiss. "Miss me every day."

  I pull myself away from her outstretched arms even though it's the hardest thing I've ever had to do.

  I walk away without turning back once. I can't risk seeing her, because hearing her sobs is destroying me enough. Keeping my head down, I enter the precinct and prepare myself for the hell I'm about to be thrust into.

  ***

  In the end, I needn't have worried about showing up on time at all.

  The chief of police, a Mr. Brentwood, leaves me waiting for hours.

  It gives me enough time to utterly destroy myself, thinking of Dove. Is she still waiting on the other side of that door? Is she still hoping I'll come out? Every time, I nearly get up to my feet and walk outside so we can talk. But I'm worried that's the moment Brentwood will pick to call me into his office, so I stay put.

  I keep thinking of our last few moments together. How Dove looked at me, how she begged me not to go. It's not like I wanted to leave. But I owe this to her, and to Robin. Sam would be proud of me, too.

  I close my eyes, thinking about how much shit I've been through since I realized I only wanted Dove. My mind goes back to all those days in the hospital when I was in a coma. I have the nurses there to thank for getting me back on my feet, but the truth is, there's more to it than that. I felt Dove beside me, holding my hand, nursing me back to health. She helped, too. I survived because of her. Because we're meant to be together.

  Unfortunately, I'm not even realizing how much worse Dove's absence is going to hurt weeks, months, years from now.

  I remember Robin then. How he was quiet and calm and so very protective of Dove. He always offered a shoulder for her to cry on and expected nothing in return. He was there for Dove even when I couldn't be. He took care of her. He made sure she survived. And I took that away from them.

  Sometimes, I find it hard to believe I've fucked up so royally. That I actually did it – killed someone out of purely selfish reasons. It's Hawaii all over again. I'm letting my darkness seep through, even though I know I shouldn't. I've been trained and taught to keep it hidden. But with Dove, it all spills out. I can't imagine being this protective over anybody else.

  For a long time, I was convinced I could outrun the darkness inside me, but I now know that wasn't what I needed to do.

  The feeling of lightness... forgiveness... relief... it's all part of redemption. And I need to pay for my sins. Only then will I be able to spend the rest of my life – if that's granted – with Dove by my side.

  But I've never forgotten one fact – that there's a death penalty here.

  With those thoughts swimming through my head, I wait for my name to be called. Soon after, I realize Brentwood isn't even in yet, since his office is dark and his secretary seems fidgety. I paint myself a picture of the man but stop midway through. Who the fuck am I to judge him? In everybody's eyes, he's the saint, and I'm the sinner.

  While I wait, I picture better days. Dove, next to me. The soft caress of her palm against my cheek. The whisper of her kiss against my lips. The scent of her, sugar and roses, multiplied by her closeness and the searing touch of her skin against mine. My fists tighten, needing to be wrapped around my cock. Fuck, I'm getting hard. This is beyond inappropriate.

  But it's just what Dove does to me, has always done to me. She grips my heart with an iron grip, and she has a hold of my cock, too.

  I'm already looking for an excuse to disappear to the bathroom as I picture last night. Her tight little body wrapped around mine. My name a dying whisper on her lips. My load running down her thighs. Fuck, she makes me need her so much. How the fuck am I going to survive without her? What if I never get to see her again?

  Now, I'm desperate for another look, another touch. I push myself to my feet and watch the door, glancing between the secretary who's pretending not to see me, and the precinct's front door. Fuck. Should I leave? Should I find out whether Dove's still waiting?

  I'm about to leave when a man rushes through the very door I'm watching, offering me a handshake and an apologetic smile.

  "I'm Chief Brentwood," he says. "I'm sorry I'm late. Come through to my office, please."

  I follow him past the relieved-looking secretary. I watch him take his coat off and place his cup of takeaway coffee on his desk.

  "Okay, so what have we got here?" The captain sits down in front of his desk. "I must say, Mr. Miller, we're quite thrilled to have you – you have more than a few fans in the pen outside."

  "Thanks," I reply stiffly, struggling to find the words to go on.

  "That girl outside, she came with you?”

  My heart leaps at his words – she’s still out there.

  "Yes?" My smile tightens painfully. "What about her?"

  "Err, nothing," he replies, sensing the change written all over my face. He picks up his coffee cup and his hands shake. I get predatory when it comes to Dove. She's fucking mine. "She's your wife?"

  "Maybe," I mutter. "Soon."

  "Some of us know her," Brentwood nods with a sorrowful smile. "She was here a lot when her brother went missing. Never did find that young man. Some of the boys still think he ran off with another woman."

  I feel my head getting clou
dier. Fuck. Out of all the people working here, they had to give me the guy who knows about the fucking case?

  Maybe that's my punishment. Facing the wrath and judgement of this man, who worked his ass off to find out the reason Robin went missing. Maybe he'll take a certain kind of satisfaction to learn I killed him. Or maybe, probably, it will only make him despise me more.

  "I'm a killer," I say clearly. "Two years ago, I killed Robin Canterbury, that woman's brother."

  "Wh-What?" Brentwood chokes on his coffee, setting the cup down. "You..."

  "That's right," I nod. "I killed him and I'm here to confess."

  "Mr. Miller, this is..." His face changes. The moment I foresaw happening is here. He hates me now. "You killed that young man?"

  "Yes," I nod, signing my death sentence. "I killed him. I did it."

  Chapter 43

  Dove

  The pain of leaving Nox is haunting me.

  I'm walking home after waiting three hours in front of the precinct. But Nox never came back out, and I eventually got too tired to keep waiting. He told me he'd call me once he got the chance, but for now, that's all I know.

  But now I have a new mission – something else to keep me going, because I can't bring myself to think about Nox yet. I can't let myself go there. I can't start picturing what could happen if this all goes horribly wrong. Nox told me it was in his favor that he was turning himself in, but he didn't want me to find legal representation. He seemed determined to pay... no matter the cost.

  I keep thinking of the death penalty. When I was younger, I used to have arguments with my mother about it. I thought it was inhumane. I still do. And yet I think about the bright shining star that was my brother, and the black hole he left in my life when he was murdered. Nobody should get away with that. Not even Nox.

  Conflicted with my own emotions, I realize there's no way for me to sleep just yet. Instead, I head to a café downtown and pull out the manila envelope containing the information about Willa.

  I order myself an oat milk latte and slowly make my way through a blueberry and yogurt muffin as I peruse the file. There's not much there. A phone number – I try it, but the phone is turned off. An address, one I'll check later, even though Nox told me the house was abandoned.

  A baby is babbling in a carrier next to me, and I smile at her absentmindedly as I peruse the file. Thoughtfully, my hand comes to rest on my own belly.

  "Are you expecting, too?"

  I turn my attention to the baby's mother, a younger-than-me redhead with bright blue eyes.

  "Oh, no," I mutter with an awkward smile. "Just wishful thinking."

  "I hope it happens for you soon," she smiles encouragingly. "It took my husband and me a few years, but we finally have our baby."

  She points to the chubby-cheeked replica of her in the buggy who waves her little arms at me.

  "She's adorable," I say.

  "Thanks. Sophie-Ann is turning one this month, aren't you darling?" She tickles her daughter's chin, making me long for things I may never have. "We adopted her."

  "Oh, that's wonderful!" I'm surprised in a good way. "She looks so much like you."

  "Yeah," the young mom smiles blissfully. "She's our little miracle. Anyway, we have to get going. Nice meeting you!"

  I wave her off and return to my latte, doing my best not to burst into tears again. But I force myself to stop thinking about Nox and focus on Willa instead.

  I grab a sandwich for later and head to the address of Willa's house. When I arrive, I realize pretty quickly most of the building's been abandoned. There's one older man who still lives there, but he yells at me to leave, so I do. I keep walking through the neighborhood, soon realizing this must be a school route, since there are kids walking home in their uniforms. I follow them in the opposite direction until I finally reach a brick school. The sign reads Green Valleys Public Elementary.

  Deciding this is as good as any guess to Willa's whereabouts, I head inside and ask to see someone on the school board, mentioning Willa's name. I don't have her last name, but I'm given proper attention from the start. The principal herself sees me, wearing a worried expression as she points for me to sit down in front of her desk.

  "Is Willa okay?" she asks.

  "Well, I was hoping you'd know more than I do about that," I say nervously. "When was the last time you saw Willa?"

  "You're not her mother, are you?"

  "N-No," I clear my throat.

  "Then I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to discuss Willa Baudelaire. I'm sorry."

  She gets up and offers me a hand to shake, and reluctantly, I do the same. At least I got the little girl's last name out of this.

  As I'm heading for the door, the principal clears her throat. "Miss Canterbury."

  "Yes?" I look at her over my shoulder.

  "You should ask Mercy Waterstone about Willa," she nods. "The two are best friends. She'll be in the playground about now."

  "Thank you," I smile gratefully. "I'm not going to hurt her."

  "I know," she nods gravely. "But I worry her mother and stepfather might."

  I swallow the bitter pill of what she's told me and head back into the playground resolutely. I pull out a picture of Willa holding a teddy bear. She's freaking adorable, with her pale blonde hair and forget-me-not blue eyes. Her skin is pale and covered in a layer of freckles. Her hair is matted and lacks shine, but nobody can deny what a pretty little girl she is.

  I start showing some kids the photos, but most of them shake their heads before their mothers pull them away. I'm becoming a nuisance here, I have to work fast or I risk getting kicked off the playground.

  I see the girl before she sees me. She seems feisty, with bright blue eyes and dark, chestnut brown hair. She approaches me and nods to the photo in my hands.

  "Looking for Willa?"

  "Yes," I nod. "Do you know where she is?"

  "Who sent you?" The little girl cocks her head to the side and gives me a doubtful look.

  "I..." I furrow my brows. "Nobody, well, I suppose... Nox."

  I swallow his name. Fuck. That hurt more than I'd anticipated. Is this what it's going to be like now that he's away?

  Unable to bear the weight of that question, I turn back to the brunette. "Are you Mercy?"

  "That's me," she beams. "I'm Willa's best friend."

  "Mercy, you have to help me," I beg her. "Willa is in trouble, isn't she?"

  "Yes," she nods gravely.

  "Where is she staying? Can you take me to see her?"

  She shrugs. "I have to ask first."

  "Please. Is she okay?"

  She just stares in return.

  "Look." I kneel down next to her. "Did Willa mention her friend Nox?"

  She nods slowly.

  "He's my friend, too. But Nox had to leave again, so he asked me to take care of Willa. Understand?" Mercy nods again, then glances over my shoulder, nervously biting her lips.

  "My mommy's coming to take me home."

  "Okay, Mercy," I nod. "Tell me where Willa is."

  "I don't know," she shakes her head. "But she will come by my house tonight. I live on the same street she used to."

  I think of the fancy new development that I saw earlier. They're tearing down those community apartments to build more expensive properties. I guess Willa's family was just one casualty of that.

  "Her mommy died," Mercy suddenly says.

  "What?"

  "Willa's mommy. She never came back from the hospital."

  "What happened?" I ask.

  "I have to go now," Mercy goes on nervously. "Find my house, the white building with a cactus in front. Willa will be there tonight."

  "Thank you," I nod carefully just as someone calls her name. She disappears and I do my best to blend into the crowd on the playground as Mercy's mother takes her home.

  At least I'm a step closer to finding Willa.

  ***

  That night, I'm waiting on Willa's former street at six p.m.

  I
didn't know what her friend meant, but I'm hoping she was right about Willa, and that she'll trust me enough to let me take care of her. I'm also trying to get my mind off the fact that Nox hasn't called once. I suppose they'll have to film the confession and get it on tape, but I'm still nervous as hell something terrible has happened. Thinking and looking for Willa has helped distract me.

  I get lucky a couple minutes after eight when I see a nanny arriving at a white house and a couple driving off in an Aston Martin. A moment later, Mercy appears on the doorstep, nervously glancing around. And then, lightning fast, a small figure runs up to the door. Mercy hands her something and closes the door. The whole thing doesn't take longer than a minute. You could miss it in the blink of an eye, but I don't.

  "Hey!" I call out after the girl and she slows down, risking a look over her shoulder. Her eyes and hair are wild, but her face is that of a child. "I'm Nox's friend. Are you Willa?"

  She stops in her tracks. I see it. How much she wants to believe me. Then the pull of every lie she's been told by people she was supposed to trust, flashing in her eyes. She wants it to be true, but she knows it's probably not.

  "Please, he told me about your teddy, and the phone he gave you."

  Willa cocks her head to the side. "Did they tell you about my mom?"

  She sounds so much older than her age.

  "I'm not sure," I admit. "What happened?"

  "My stepdad beat her," she mutters. "She died in the hospital. I ran away after he called home."

  "Has he been looking for you?" I ask.

  The girl shrugs. "He hasn't found me so far."

  "Where have you been staying, Willa?" She shrugs again, her eyes heavy with pain. "Are you hungry?"

  "Mercy gives me some food every day," she points to the bag in her hand.

  "Would you like to take a shower? We can go to my place. Or, I can take you to someone else who'll take care of you," I rush to say. I want to help her so badly, but I can tell the little girl doesn't trust me.

  "Where do you live?"

  "In a small house," I smile shakily. "We'd have to take a taxi there. I can bring you back here tomorrow night, if you don't want to stay with me."

  She stares at me critically. Her eyes settle on my scar and I feel my old demons coming out to play. I want to cover up, hide the scar.