Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“You fucking bastard,” Jagger growls. “I will make you pay. I will fucking make you pay.”
“Yes, yes. You’ve told me already. I’m only going to say this once, so listen close, I won’t offer again. You trade yourself with her and you do as I ask, without fighting me. If you do that, I’ll let her go, completely unharmed. I’ll make sure you know she gets home safely, also.”
“Done,” Jagger says, not thinking twice about it.
“No,” I cry out. “Jagger, no. Don’t give him what he wants.”
“I’m not done,” Mick goes on, his grip burning into my flesh. “If she tries to come back, or sends someone to save you, I’ll hunt her down and kill her entire family. Then, I’ll bring her back here and use her as a slave until her dying day. I don’t bluff. I assure you that I will make sure she’s captured if she so much as thinks about trying to get you out of here.”
No.
This isn’t happening.
It can’t be happening.
There must be another way.
“Deal,” Jagger says, his voice stony. “I will do what you want, just let her go.”
Mick practically dances with joy as his eyes light up and he grins with delight. “Well, you my boy are a whole lot smarter than I first thought.”
“Jagger,” I cry out, tears bursting forth and rolling down my cheeks. “Please don’t do this. I’m begging you. Please.”
Jagger looks up and meets my gaze. He’s not showing any emotion now, not a damn thing. This is what he does, this is how he survives. He makes a choice, and nothing gets in the way of that choice, not even me.
He thinks he’s protecting me, he thinks he’s saying my life, but all he’s doing is crushing every inch of my soul.
There is no life without him.
There is no life knowing he’s here being tormented.
“Let me talk to her, bring her closer,” Jagger orders.
“Now, son...”
“Do it or I’ll fucking do nothing for you!” Jagger roars and I flinch.
Mick shoves me forward and I drop to my knees in front of Jagger, tears streaming down my cheeks. I lean in, my lips tremble as I press them against his, tasting the bitter blood on his lips, but not caring. I would kiss him a million times over, blood and all.
“Willow, baby, you have to do as I say,” he rasps out, just loud enough that I can hear. “Do you understand?”
“I won’t leave you,” I whisper against his mouth.
He moves his lips away from mine, leaning in as if he’s hugging me, and then he puts his mouth to my ear.
“For once in your life, you need to trust me. If you stay here, it won’t change what happens to me. You need to go, you need to get out of this place and then take your sister and leave. Go anywhere, I don’t care where, just don’t stay there. I mean it, Willow, don’t you fuckin’ come back for me.”
“I can’t leave you,” I sob, my entire body shaking.
Tears are streaming down my cheeks.
This pain, it’s one I know I’ll never forget.
It’s the helpless type of pain.
The one you can’t come back from.
“You have to. Willow, this is your chance to start again. Get out of this world, get out and don’t come back. Forget me, move on, and don’t you try to be a hero.”
“Never. I can never let you go.”
He swallows down his emotion as he pulls back and looks into my eyes, his are slowly shutting down, becoming empty.
No.
I can’t let him give up.
“You never deserved this,” he says in a low whisper, “and now you have the chance to make your life right without all the danger. Coming back for me will only cause you to end up here.”
“I don’t care,” I say again, shaking my head.
“Willow,” he barks, “don’t fucking be a hero. You have no idea what is in store for you here, do you?”
Mick laughs loudly and Jagger shoots him a glare.
“Yes, I do, but if it means not losing you...I can stay here, we can be together, we can make them let us be together. You can give your dad what he wants, and you can keep me, too. I’ll stay, I’ll live here, I’ll do whatever it takes. I don’t care, Jagger, but I can’t leave you.”
It’s pathetic, but it’s all I’ve got.
“You won’t be with me!” he growls. “They’ll never let me see you, it’ll never be what you think it will. God, this isn’t a fantasy, some life we can build together. It’s over with, there is nothing you can do. I don’t want you here Willow. Do you understand me? Leave and don’t come back!”
It feels like someone is crushing my soul with their bare hands.
I can barely breathe as pain shoots through my chest.
“Jagger...”
“Leave,” he grinds out, “I mean it, go.”