Chapter 43: 43- Alone


    No! There was no way she could let him go. He was turning away from her again, walking away. He


    was going to end up just as she''d assumed he was all this time. She wrenched her arm out of Marco''s


    grip and ran to Varys.


    He must have heard her steps because he turned as she barreled into him and hugged her tight to his


    chest. His heart beat against her ear, and while it wasforting, it didn''t make the fear dissipate.


    "Varys, you can''t die on me."


    "I''m not going to die, Hope. I''m not leaving you after finding you. We''re going to spend the rest of our


    life together, and maybe I''ll share you with a brat or two, we''ll see. But you already agreed to be mine,


    why would I ever risk noting back to you?"


    "But Ethan-"


    "Hope, listen to me." Varys took his forefingers and tilted her chin up so she was staring up at him.


    "Look into my eyes, Hope. Do I look like I''m lying to you?"


    No, he looked beyond capable. But still, how could she forget what she''d lived? What she''d seen with


    her own eyes? "No, but-"


    "No, Hope. There is no buts. When I''m through with him, he''s going to be nothing more than a bad


    nightmare you once had. You don''t need to stay afraid of someone like him. He''s nothing, and will


    always be nothing. I will take care of you, I promise. We''re together, now, you and me, and your battle


    against him is now mine. Let me end this for you."


    "Varys, I won''t be able to go on without you. I believe in you, but be careful. Don''t give him an opening,


    and watch out for his cheap shots. Please,e back to me."


    Varys smiled. "Those are close to the words I want to hear, but I know you can do better, Hope."


    His eyes twinkled and Marco openly stared at him. If Hope hadn''t been so angry, she''d haveughed.


    Even still, her lips twitched as she contained it. "Varys," she growled at him.


    "Say it, Hope, it''ll make you feel better, I promise." He hadn''t let go of her chin this entire time, just


    staring into her eyes and making her insides melt and knot together at the same time.


    "I love you, Varys," she whispered.


    "I love you, Hope," he answered before he grabbed her off bnce and tipped her back. His lips


    covered hers, questing, demanding, and oh so persuasive. The heat that flowed through her was taken


    away a momentter. "See you soon."


    This time as he walked away, Hope didn''t go after him. She just stood in that spot and watched until he


    was out of sight.


    "Ready?" Marco demanded. "You know the Boss is going to skin me alive for you getting away like


    that."


    "I''ll talk to him," Hope assured. But would Varys even listen to her? Was this the right thing to do?


    The question gued her on all sides.


    She could have been happy with Max. If she''d never discovered Varys was alive again, she would have


    fallenpletely under his thrall. Even now, there was a spot soft she couldn''t deny for the man. Even


    if she couldn''t have him, she wanted nothing more than him to be happy.


    "Come on," Marco barked again and grabbed her arm, leading her away.


    Hope thought aboutining, but bit it down. The man was only following orders, and she had just


    made his life worse.


    As they got to her new room she winced. This one looked far closer to a prison, and underground one


    at that. "In there?"


    "Yeah, I''m locking you inside too. You''ll be safest there, that way no one else can get to you either."


    "You aren''t staying inside?"


    Marco shook his head so hard his jowls flopped. "No way. My job is to keep you alive, not risk my life.


    Alone with you in a private space like that? Boss would skin me alive and use me for a punching bag.


    Now get in."


    Hope sighed but entered the room and winced as the metal door mmed behind her. Marco locked


    the door and shut the barrier that allowed her to look out.


    Great, the man didn''t even want to talk to her. At least the room had plenty of nkets so she wouldn''t


    freeze. There was already a chill to the room. She grabbed one of the fluffiestforters and settled


    down on a chair in the corner.


    There was some light down here, but not much. And now she couldn''t even see what was going on.


    Marco wasn''t about to keep her informed so it was just going to be Hope and her worry, her endless


    worry.


    She had to trust Max, if she couldn''t, the worry was going to eat her alive.


    But Ethan.


    If she closed her eyes she could see his mocking face. He would take his time in torturing Varys, even


    more so when he learned of their past. And Max? He''d use Max to punish her for ever leaving him.


    Hope''s fist clenched in the covers. This was a mistake. All a horrible mistake.Upstodatee from Novel(D)ra/m/a.O(r)g


    But throwing herself at the door would do no good. Marco wouldn''t let her free, there was no doubt


    about that. He wasn''t willing to upset Varys, even if all she wanted was to run to him.


    Giving up wasn''t even an option. Ethan would never let her have leverage over him. She''d likely be


    beat within an inch of her life if he ever got hold of her. There would be no pity, just revenge.


    Hope sighed again. Nothing was going to get done in here, besides her driving herself insane. She


    crawled onto the bed with the cover clenched tight and pulled it up to her chin. For now she would force


    herself to rest, to count a million sheep if she needed to.


    Whatever was going to happen was out of her reach. She''d only know about it in two ways. When it


    was all over, or when Ethan opened that door to start her nightmare afresh.


    No, if Ethan was the one that came for her she''d never give him that satisfaction, she''d just take herself


    out of the equation, no matter what it took.