“It’s the deed to Velvet’s building,” Nic said, his voice as raw as mine. My hands started to shake, the whip falling from my numb fingers and clattering across the hardwood. He wasn’t here to kill me? “I bought the building from McKinney,” he said. “That’s why I had to leave the other night, that’s what I was doing the day you snuck into my apartment. I’d planned to use it to help me get free. I wanted to lower the rent back down, expand Velvet, help it grow.” His eyes slid away from mine, looking bleak. “Show you how serious I was about building a life with you. I realize that’s probably
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