Billionaire's Match (by Tangy Candy) novel Chapter 1199

They settled back under the covers, and Winnie curled straight back into Michael's arms as usual. This time, though, she could feel something stiff in the way he held her.

Rather than pull back, Winnie only tightened her hold, shifting a little until she'd pressed herself flush against him.

Michael didn't seem affected by it. Before long, Winnie felt his breathing slow and even out; he must have been exhausted, since he fell asleep quickly.

Her eyelashes fluttered as she opened her eyes and studied Michael's quiet face.

His features had relaxed, but no matter how she looked at it, there was still something sorrowful about him.

The mottled red marks she'd seen on his skin flashed back through her mind.

He'd scrubbed his own skin nearly raw.

The old Michael would have laughed off any setback, no matter how many, as if his confidence would never run dry.

That was because, back then, he'd actually cherished himself.

But now...

He despised himself.

Despised himself so deeply that he wanted to tear his own flesh apart.

Something in Winnie's chest ached at the thought.

She'd still underestimated how deep his wounds ran. What could she possibly do to help him heal?

...

Late at night, deep in a warehouse on the outskirts of Goldmont City, the lights burned bright.

Trey knelt on the floor, hands and feet bound, a hood over his head, his whole frame slumped in defeat.

After a while, someone yanked the hood off him. He winced, opened his eyes, and found two hulking men in black standing over him.

Both wore the same familiar baseball caps, their bodies thick with muscle, guns in hand. Trey didn't need to guess who they were.

Lacuna's men.

Trey couldn't help but smile. "I knew you'd come for me eventually. But you've got the wrong target. The one you're really after is Khloe Roswell."

"Trey, everyone who worked with you before has already been picked up by the police. You're the only one who knows our temporary contact point in Goldmont City..."

"What do you mean?"

Trey scoffed. "Go check the news and you'll see how much Khloe hates me. Even the list of Lacuna names I handed over was under her coercion. She wants nothing more than to use you as her weapon to finish me off, and here you are, doing exactly what she wants. Isn't that just a little pathetic?"

Trey's words left both men hesitating.

They'd read the news, of course, and they knew the history between Trey and Khloe. But Khloe was known for valuing loyalty and old ties. Trey had been entangled with her for years, and she'd even caused a divorce scandal over him. To any outsider, no matter how much Khloe hated him now, it seemed impossible she'd stand by and let him die.

But the way Trey carried himself didn't look like a lie. After all, if Khloe really would come save him, why would a man about to die say something like this?

He wasn't the type to sacrifice himself for anyone else's sake.

"So you're saying you're useless to us too."

After a long silence, the two men exchanged a look, and one of them quietly flicked off the safety.

"Using me to threaten Khloe won't work. But that doesn't mean... using me to move against Khloe won't."

A bead of sweat rolled down from Trey's temple. He drew in a sharp breath, staring straight at the man in front of him, and ground out each word through his teeth.