Warnings: Violence, Language.

Vincent woke up, groggily regaining awareness, and for a moment, he felt happy, before a pang punched deep into his heart, wrenching him back to reality, and a wail escaped his lips.

Vincent reached for Olivia’s arm, pulling her back to him. ‘Livvy, please, don’t go. I’m begging you!’

‘Let go of me, Vincent,’ shouted Olivia.

Vincent let go and took a step back. ‘Please, stay,’ he whispered.

‘We have nothing to say to each other,’ Olivia sneered.

‘Livvy,’ began Vincent.

‘Don’t “Livvy” me. God, Vincent, do you even love me?’

‘Of course, I do!’ The shock of the question hit Vincent like the punch in the gut he’d received earlier. ‘Livvy, you’re my world!’ Again, Vincent pleaded for Livvy to stay.

‘Then tell me, where were you tonight and what were you doing?’ demanded Olivia.

Vincent opened his mouth to speak but merely bowed his head. He swallowed. ‘I can’t tell you.’

Olivia let out a mirthless laugh. ‘You know, I thought you were different.’

‘What is that supposed to mean, Olivia?’ Vicent moved to block her path as she turned towards the door. ‘You’re the one who told me every other guy you dated disappeared. Have I disappeared? No. I’m still here because I love you!’

‘Then why won’t you tell me where you were? Why you have a black eye and a swollen lip? Why your hair is dishevelled and you’re acting shifty as though you’ve been in a fight?’

‘I…’ Vincent hesitated. ‘I can’t tell you.’ Tears stung his eyes at the hurt in Olivia’s eyes.

Olivia’s voice came out a seething half-whisper. ‘You’re just like my brother, Vincent; you’re dangerous. Men who aren’t dangerous don’t get into fights they can’t tell the woman they love about.’

Vincent merely stared at Olivia, trembling.

‘It’s over between us, Vincent.’

‘Olivia, please!’ Vincent reached over to take her hand and she flinched away. ‘How can you say that? We have plans.’

‘Move out of the way!’

Vincent and Olivia stared at each other for what felt like an eternity of anguish before Vincent relented and moved aside. Olivia wrenched the door open and, pausing at the threshold, whispered. ‘I never want to see you again.’ Olivia slammed the door.

Leaning his back against the wall, Vincent slid down into a crouch, weeping.

Opening his tear-filled eyes, Vincent reached over to Olivia’s side of the bed, the side where she had lain so many times after they made love. His heart ached for her.

A jolt in his ribs elicited a grunt from him.

Vincent raised his hands to protect his face as a fist came towards his jaw. An uppercut from the side sent him sprawling to the ground.

Kaidan loomed above Vincent for a beat before kicking him in the stomach. Vincent grunted, curling up. Kaidan’s friend kicked Vincent’s back and Vincent cried out.

Kaidan crouched and grabbed Vincent by the hair, yanking his head back. ‘I’m telling you to stay the hell away from my sister,’ he growled. ‘Maybe you thought I wasn’t being serious?’

Vincent heaved painfully as Kaidan’s friend punched him in the ribs.

‘Tell me you’re going to stay away from her!’

‘I don’t have to tell you anything,’ Vincent sneered defiantly.

Letting go of Vincent’s hair, Kaidan punched Vincent in the face again, sending his head jolting back before he grabbed his hair again. ‘Wrong answer. You’re going to stay away from my sister, and if you don’t, I’ll kill you.’

‘Do your worst!’ Vincent spat blood onto the pavement.

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