Ruin (Dirty Secrets #3) (6 page)

Trey starts walking up the stairs. Jace grabs my hand, and we follow him up.

I can’t believe Trey just did that. I love him for standing up for me, but I also hate it. Whoever this person messing with me is, they’re obviously screwed up. What if they decide to go after him because of that?

“Why the hell did you just do that?” I ask him when we reach the top of the stairs.

“Because, I can’t take it anymore. This person is just torturing you,” he answers. “We are leaving.”

“We can’t.”

“Yes. We can. You came. Now we are leaving,” he says. “You don’t have a choice. I will drag you out of here kicking and screaming if I have to.”

I look at Jace.

He holds up his hands. “Sorry, baby. I’m with Trey on this one.”

“Fine. Whatever,” I say.

Maybe I really
should
go.

My phone vibrates again, so I pull it out of my pocket. Jace and Trey stand behind me so they can read it.

Blocked ID:
Surprise!
 

I look up as the front door bursts open.

Daisy Lewis walks in. Her blonde hair is tangled and dirty. Her jeans are ripped and covered in blood and dirty.

My mouth falls open.

“Madi… Madi…” Daisy says, walking over to me. “What happened?”

“Daisy?” I ask, unable to believe the sight of her in front of me.

“I don’t feel so good,” she says. Her eyes roll to the back of her head and she falls face-first onto the floor. It’s then that I see there is a huge gash in the back of her head and there is dried blood all over.

I scream, and it echoes through the room. It takes a few seconds to realize I’m not the only person screaming.

“Call 911!” I hear somebody yell.

I can’t move. All I can do it stand there, staring at Daisy lying on the floor in front of me.

Frannie is wrong. It’s not Dee messing with us. Somebody is really doing this to us. We are
really
in danger.

My phone, still in my hand, vibrates again. I let it drop to the floor. Jace picks it up, and I hear his sharp intake of breath.

Trey grabs the phone from Jace and reads. His face pales as he holds out the phone for me to see the screen.

Blocked ID:
If you ever decide that you want me to take care of her for good, I’m game. She deserves it. I highly doubt she will mess with you anymore. You’re welcome.

Oh my God.

I hear sirens outside.

Jace, who has his hand in mine, pulls me outside. I didn’t even know that we were touching.

“You have to breathe, baby,” he says.

I take a deep breath, but it doesn’t help. Now my breath is coming in fast. Too fast.

“Oh my God, Jace…” my voice quivers. It doesn’t even sound like me. “I don’t want to die.”

“I won’t let you. I promise.” He pulls me into his arm.

“Madi, are you okay?” Trey asks.

I shake my head.

I’m not okay.

I will not be okay until I know that Emma and Daisy are all right. I won’t be okay until this sick person is behind bars — when I am safe from them.

The guys that I saw earlier are walking into the house, and a few seconds later I watch an ambulance pull up. They are rushing inside. After only a few minutes, they walk back outside. Daisy is on a gurney. She is still unconscious.

Lying there, she looks dead.

I realize how easily she could have died.

“Oh my God, Madi,” Jace says, tightening his grip around me. “What would I do if that were you? I’m not letting you out of my sight ever again.”

In the chaos of everything, I find peace. I know that I couldn’t get through this without him. I wouldn’t want to even
try
without him.

I am so in love with this boy. So I tell him so.

“I love you, Jace,” I say, finding my voice. It sounds stronger.

“I love you too, baby,” he says, kissing the top of my head.

It’s then that I know, I will be okay.

Jace is my forever. My soulmate. What we have is too awesome for me to die young — we are going to grow old together.

“Will you still love me when I’m old and wrinkly?” I ask him.

Jace pulls back just a few inches so he can look me in the eye. He raises an eyebrow, looking confused. But he answers anyway.

“I don’t care
what
you look like. I will
always
love you. Always. I can’t wait to grow old with you,” he answers, confidently.

I smile at him.

“Will you still love me when I’m old and wrinkly?” he asks me.

I nod, smiling big. “Always.”

“Good.”

I kiss his cheek, and he pulls me tight against his chest.

I’m safe and loved.

I pray that Daisy and Emma both live long enough to have the opportunity to feel what I feel with Jace, because everybody deserves to feel this way at least once in their life.

Loved.

Complete.

Safe.

I hold onto him tight, and I fully intend to never let him go.

Look for Forgotten, Episode 4, coming October 24!

This book is the third in a five part serial. A serial is a lot like a TV show. Each book will be short (around 14 thousand words each), and every week, a new episode will be released.

As an indie author, I rely heavily on my readers to get the word out on my books.
If you loved this story, it would mean the world to me if you left a review where you purchased it! <3

Check out my other books!

Dirty Secrets:

—
Ultimatum
(Book 1)

—
Deception
(Book 2)

—
Ruin
(Book 3)

—
Forgotten
(Book 4 - coming October 24)

—
Betrayal
(Book 5 - coming October 31)

East Wood Prep Series:

—
Char
(Book 1)

—
Ali
(Book 2)

The Rock Star Trilogy:

—
Jaded
(Book 1)

—
Faded
(Book 2)

—
Hated
(Book 3)

The Kihanna Saga:

—
The Fab Life
(Book 1)

—
I Hate Goodbye
(Book 2)

—
Stranded in Paradise
(Book 3)

—
It’s So Obvious
(Book 4)

—
I Need You
(Book 5)

Stand Alones:

—
Don’t Tell

—
You Got Me

Acknowledgements

Whispering Echoes — thank you for spending the WHOLE DAY writing with me. Well, lots of whole days. And nights. If it wasn’t for you, this series would’ve taken a LOT LONGER to finish. Thanks for the motivation. And for listening to me plot.

Shane — for being such a supportive husband. Especially when I don’t go to bed until 2 in the morning. And when the house is messy. And when I don’t cook. I would probably starve if you didn’t cook for me, so thank you.

Laura — the best editor and cover designer ever! You rock. Always. But don’t let it go to your head ;)

Devianna Smith — I can’t thank you enough for taking the time to beta read this series. Thank you for being so excited about these books!

And last, to YOU! The person reading this book! I hope you love this story as much as I do! It has been a blast to write!

<3
Mercy Amare

Find me online:

Website:
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http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6464549.Mercy_Amare
 

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