A Billionaire's Mistake

39|Damaged

"You belong to me, and I'm not going to have anyone stand in the way. He's a threat that needs to be taken care of, love."

Somewhere buried deep down inside of me, I find the courage to fight back. The thought of him laying a hand on Lincoln makes the fury erupt out of me like a volcano, steam practically escaping from my ears. "If you touch him, I promise with everything I have that I'll find a way to kill you. I'll find you, and I'll take you down, and I'll use this fucking knife of yours to cut your dick straight off."

I quickly regret being so vulgar when he grabs a fistful of my hair and throws me back into the wall. My head hits the plaster with a loud thud, and my ears are instantly ringing. There's a part of my brain telling me to just get up and fight back, but now that he's back, knowing all the pain he's capable of giving me... Any confidence I've gained over the years of being away from him has vanished. I'm back to being that vulnerable sixteen-year-old girl.

I've spent so long thinking that I'm this strong, confident woman. Any man that has tried to hit on me I've curved and talked back to without a problem, but Travis is the one man that I'm terrified of. He's the one man that will always bring me back to that vulnerable place. The place where I can't fight back.

He pulls my hair with as much force as possible until I'm on my feet again. My head is against his shoulder, his lips pressed right to my ear as he says, "You're lucky there are news stations downstairs. Otherwise, I'd take you out of here and you'd come with me. Rest assured, I will have you be mine again, Sienna, and I will blow Lincoln's brains out the first chance I get if you continue to fuck him. Do you understand? Consider this a warning."

All I can do is nod, and he leaves me alone in the room, the silence echoing my brain whirring with possible outcomes. If I stay with Lincoln, he'll end up getting hurt. Travis will confront him like he did Reed, or worse, kill him. What should I do? I can't let him find me. He knows where I live. He's been watching my every move.

I clutch my head as it continues to pound, blinking away my tears and letting out a deep breath before I step back out into the hallway. I need to get to my suite and pack my things. I need to get the hell away from here, away from the city, and start over. Maybe I'll change my name. Maybe the fake passport I take with me everywhere I go, for this reason exactly, will finally be put to good use.

The elevator climbs up to the top floor, and when the doors open, Lincoln is on the other side, panting and eyes frantic. When he sees me, his fists clench at his sides before he starts to blink away tears, scanning my body from head to toe. "I'm too late, aren't I?"

There's nothing I can say to him that would change what just happened. I'm still in shock as I push past him and swipe my key card to go into my suite, and my body continues to shake like a leaf as Lincoln follows behind me. When he grabs my shoulder to turn me to face him, I flinch. The touch from any man right now is unwelcome, and when Lincoln realizes this, I see his chest visibly deflate.

"Sienna..." His voice breaks as he takes a step back from me. "Where is he?"

"He's gone."

He starts to pace back and forth across the room, running his hand through his hair in frustration. "Fucking hell. Where the fuck is he? Tell me where the fuck he went. I'm calling the police."

"It's literally no use. He's gone by now, Lincoln, and the security cameras were taken down for the renovations. There's no proof he was even here."

"Look at what he did to you." He cups my face in his hand to analyze the gash on my cheek, then grabs my arm gently to inspect the deep bruise that's already formed from his grasp. "I should have told you sooner. I should have warned you, and I'm so sorry."