Fatally Yours

Chapter 51

•INDIANA•

My back hit the wall with a sickening thud, the impact jarring the breath from my lungs. Lee's hand clamped around my neck, his fingers pressing into my skin as he glared into my eyes with unrestrained fury.

I knew this was coming—I'd prepared myself for it the moment I saw him at the building—but no amount of planning could have readied me for the raw, searing aggression in his stare. 

"Start talking," Lee growled, his voice sharp and low. "What the hell were you doing there, alone?" 

Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Dominik, Alexa, and Katarina standing near the back of the room, watching the scene unfold. Dominik's face was unreadable, but his hands were clenched at his sides.

I could see it—he didn't like the way Lee had his hands on me. He looked seconds away from intervening, but he wasn't moving.

Not yet. Not until I answered.

I couldn't tell if he was suspicious now, waiting for an explanation, or simply trying to process what he was seeing. 

"I—" I rasped, trying to find my voice, forcing myself to stay calm despite Lee's grip pressing against my throat. "You texted me." 

His eyes narrowed, confusion flashing across his face before it was consumed by rage again.

"I what?" 

"You texted me," I repeated, my voice steadier this time. "You told me to meet you there." 

"That's a fucking lie!" he snapped. 

"It's not." I dug my phone from my pocket with trembling hands, holding it up as proof.

"See for yourself. You sent me a message this morning." 

Lee's scowl deepened. With one hand still pinning me against the wall, he snatched the phone out of my hand and stared at the screen.

I knew what he'd see: a perfectly faked text, hacked and sent to me as though it had come from his number. I'd made sure of it. 

He read the message, his jaw ticking, before his eyes flicked back to mine. 

And then, with a sudden burst of anger, he threw the phone. The device smashed against the floor, the sound of cracking glass echoing through the room like a gunshot.

I flinched, but his grip around my neck only tightened. 

"I don't give a fuck about the text," Lee spat through gritted teeth. "Because I never sent it." 

My heart pounded against my ribcage as his words struck like a knife. 

"You were there," he continued, his voice venomous, "because you had something to do with the delay of the bombing. You let those cops evacuate the building, didn't you?" 

I tried to shake my head, to protest, but the pressure on my throat made it impossible. My lungs burned as my body instinctively struggled for air. 

"I knew something was off yesterday," Lee continued, his voice rising, his fury spilling over.

"The second you opened your mouth in that meeting, telling us not to go through with the plan. You felt sorry for those bastards, didn't you? The cops, the cartel—you're working for them, aren't you?" 

"No—" I croaked, clawing at his wrist as the edges of my vision started to blur. My legs kicked weakly, my body beginning to lose the fight. 

"Lee."