Текст книги "Confessed"

Автор книги: Lisa Cardiff

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 12 страниц)

Chapter Seven

Hattie

“Wake up.”

A boot rammed into my lower back, not hard enough to injure me, but with enough force to get my attention. I scrambled to my knees and pushed my greasy, matted hair from my face. My stare collided with Enrique’s, and I quickly lowered my gaze.

“Okay. Okay. I’m up,” I mumbled.

“We’re moving you to a new location today.”

I chewed on my lower lip, stifling the questions stampeding like a herd of cattle through my mind. Instead, I nodded with half-lowered eyelids. Ryker promised he’d come for me tonight. Hopefully, Enrique intended to move me into another room inside this house rather than to a new location. Even if he moved me across the country, I wouldn’t object too much. Twenty-four hours in a damp room with a decaying corpse was enough.

The toe of his black boot moved up and down as he glared at me.

Tap, tap, pause.

Tap, tap, pause, and repeat.

“Get up. I have to remove your shackles.”

As I stood up, I peeked at him from beneath the shield of my lashes. Looking at Enrique reminded me of staring at the devil. His teeth winked in the dim light, and an aura of menacing evil emanated from him. His dark eyes gleamed with an unholy light as he rubbed his palms together in anticipation of inflicting pain. Icy terror shot down my spine, and the air felt heavy against my chest.

“The new room doesn’t have any restraints, but if you’re a good girl, I won’t handcuff you.” He sucked his lips into his mouth. “If not, I’ll have to improvise.”

He started with the thick bands of metal around my wrists. He unlocked one and then the other. I closed my eyes, shivering in frozen silence as his sweaty hands coasted along my skin. Seconds later, he crouched at my feet, freeing both my ankles, and a heavy gasp fell from my lips.

I stepped to the side, but his hand closed around my ankle. I glanced at him as his fingers ghosted up the inside of my calf. The glide of his course fingertips branded my skin. Bile clawed up my throat. My muscles stiffened, and I coiled my hands into tight balls of fury. I couldn’t breathe. When he reached the inside of my knee, I bit the inside of my cheek until the metallic taste of blood swirled around my mouth.

Oh my God. Oh my God. Please don’t do this. Please don’t let this happen. Please don’t let him find the phone.

I should’ve fought.

I should’ve kicked.

I should’ve bolted for the door.

I should’ve screamed, but I didn’t want to die.

A gun glinted from the waistband of his pants, turning every cell in my body to ice. I clamped my eyes shut as my mind whirled, searching for a happy memory, something to anchor me to my life away from this moment. Away from this evil.

Tremors hijacked my legs, slowly slithering up my body until my muscles rippled in nonstop waves of violence and disgust. My feet were rooted to the floor.

When his fingers reached the bottom of my running shorts, I couldn’t take it any longer. Rage tore through me like a bolt of lightning, and I jerked my leg to the side. “Don’t touch me,” I spat through my teeth.

He cocked an eyebrow. “I thought we could have a little fun.”

“Fuck you,” I snarled.

A sinister smile slid across his too smug face. “That’s exactly what I had in mind.”

My gaze zipped around the room. Adrenaline pumped through my veins. My heart thundered erratically as if someone had pressed a defibrillator to my chest. Then, everything clicked into place, and I lunged for the door. I didn’t know where it’d lead me. I didn’t even know if I’d get more than ten steps before Enrique put a bullet through my back, but common sense fled in favor of dignity and self-respect.

When I reached the threshold, he fisted his hand in the tangled strands of my hair and wrenched me backward. Pins and needles exploded in my scalp.

“Where do you think you’re going?” He punctuated each word with a tug of my hair, inexorably dragging me backward.

Hot tears prickled the corners of my eyes. My chest heaved like I couldn’t catch my breath. Disjointed pants puffed from my mouth, bouncing off the concrete walls. Thousands of curses tumbled through my brain, but I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I felt like I was drowning. What I wanted to do wasn’t relevant.

“Get on your knees, puta.” He slammed his hand between my shoulder blades and I tumbled face first onto all fours. Fire zigzagged up my limbs. My hair shrouded the sides of my face. Whimpers and incoherent pleas vomited from my mouth.

He whipped the gun out of his waistband. It dangled restlessly from his fingertips. His obsidian eyes seared my skin as he unbuckled his belt with one hand. The metal of the buckle rattled unnaturally through my ears. Next came the slide of leather that resembled the hiss of a snake. With a flick of his wrist, he opened his fly, and he shoved his pants down to his mid-thigh, exposing his red boxers.

“No. No. No,” I murmured between broken sobs and trembling lips.

“Crawl over here. You need to earn your keep.”

I shook my head violently from side to side. “No.”

He lifted the gun and pointed it at my face. “Do it or I’ll pull the fucking trigger.”

I glanced over my shoulder toward the open door. Then, my gaze slid down his body, my face carefully blank. “Go ahead. Kill me,” I taunted as I came to my knees. I refused to do what he wanted. I wouldn’t beg for mercy.

Enrique whipped his head from side to side, popping his neck. Then, a smile crept across his face.

“If you’re holding out for Ryker Vargas, don’t bother. He’s not coming for you. He abandoned you, so you may as well enjoy your time with me.”

My stomach rolled and I wrapped my arms around my waist, trying to hold together the fractured pieces of my courage. “You’re wrong.”

He tipped up his head and chuckled. “Ah, how cute. You really think he cares about you. You really think he loves you. He hasn’t done a damn thing for over four days. If the Vargases had my woman, I wouldn’t let a single day pass.”

A tight smile curved my lips upward. “I don’t think he loves me. I know he does. He’ll come for me.”

“Really?” His eyebrows vaulted up his forehead, and one side of his mouth hitched upward like he knew a dirty secret. “Then why did he tell us to do whatever the hell we wanted with you?”

I gasped.

He snickered. “He told us to go ahead and call your dad because he didn’t give a shit what happened to you. He doesn’t want anything to do with you. You’re—and this is a direct quote—not worth the energy or the resources.”

My stomach plunged. The edges of my vision blurred and spun in kaleidoscope-worthy circles. “You’re lying,” I hissed, feeling like my heart had flat-lined.

His hands circled my upper arms, and he tugged me flush against his body, my head slamming into his thighs. “Be a good little girl, and pull out my cock. You need to do something mind-blowing to convince me I should let you live a couple more days.”

“Never.” I gagged as my stomach convulsed, but nothing came out.

His hands gripped the collar of my shirt and tore it down the front. “I’m waiting,” he said, trailing the pad of his thumb around the edges of my sports bra.

“You can keep waiting,” I taunted, feeling reckless. Feeling like I didn’t have any reason to live. If Ryker gave up on our baby and me, I didn’t want to live.

At that moment, I didn’t think I had much left to lose. Ryker told me he’d find me, but I might be dead by then. Fear could go fuck itself. I would have to be dead and cold, my soul long gone from this world before I’d willingly allow Enrique to use me.

Enquire pulled down his boxers and shoved his gun against the side of my head. “Do it.”

“No,” I screamed through my teeth.

Our eyes battled silently for a few exaggerated seconds. Then, heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, but I refused to tear my attention from his face. I had to be ready for anything.

“What the hell are you doing?” Juan Alvarez roared as he paused at the entrance to the room.

“What does it look like?” Enrique said, grinding his gun into the side of my head.

“I asked to you move her to a new location and meet me in the office. We don’t have time for this shit today,” Juan countered, his eyes slanted into razor like slits. “We have to get ready.”

Relief tingled down my spine, and my body sagged.

“You heard him,” Enrique barked as he kneed me in the chest. “Get up.”

I tumbled onto my back and my head smacked against the concrete. Sweat sprung from my pores and pain vibrated inside my skull. Gasping, I rolled to the side and cupped the back of my head. Moisture spilled from the corners of my eyes. I wanted to disappear.

“Fuck,” I grumbled.

My head hurt.

My muscles hurt.

My heart hurt.

Every inch of my body felt like I had been put through a meat grinder.

“Enrique,” Juan growled, running his hands through his silver threaded hair. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but we have people waiting for us. If you want to play with her, come back tonight. I don’t give a shit, but do it on your own time.”

His words hit my chest like a pile of stones, and the air whooshed out of my lungs. My limbs trembled in waves with an excess of fear and adrenaline.

Juan tugged me to my feet by my arms. His fleshy fingers dug into my skin as I steadied myself.

“Walk!” Juan shouted as he cracked his knuckles like a prizefighter trying to intimidate his opponent. He shouldn’t have bothered. I was already scared out of my mind. What happened at the Vargas Cartel compound was child’s play compared to this.

“Okay. Okay,” I mumbled as I stumbled to the door.

Enrique pulled up his pants without fastening the buckle. Then, he stomped by me pointing his gun at my face. “Follow me and don’t do anything stupid.”

We walked up a narrow set of concrete stairs. Light flooded the main floor of the house. I shaded my eyes with my hand as I sucked air into my lungs through my nose. I couldn’t fill my lungs fast enough to clear the stench of death from my body. I’d been breathing through my mouth since Enrique shot Raul and left his body in the room with me.

“Are you sure you want her upstairs?” Enrique asked Juan, pausing at the base of the rust-colored tiled stairwell.

“Yes.” Juan nodded. “Put her in the last room on the left and don’t waste any more time.”

Enrique spun around with his lips pursed. “I’m not an idiot. I heard you the first fucking time.”

“If you heard me the first time, I wouldn’t have walked into the room with your pants around your ankles and your cock hanging out.”

“Gilipollas,” Enrique murmured as he started walking up the stairs. His heavy boots thumped against the floor.

“Enrique, you’re my oldest son. I love you, but don’t talk back to me or second-guess me again. Do what you’re told and shut your fucking mouth.”

Enrique’s shoulders tensed, but he kept walking. I followed him. I didn’t have a choice. The only thing keeping me from throwing myself down the stairs was Ryker’s promise he’d find me tonight. A few more hours and this would be over. One way or another.

Enrique flung open the light brown wooden door. I halted, unsure what to do.

“What are you waiting for? A fucking invitation?” His rancid breath washed over my face.

“No.” I shook my head as I stepped through the opening.

“Take a fucking shower. You smell like shit. I don’t want to have to tie a bandana around my face when I come back for you tonight.”

He slammed the door and locked it. The room was better than the basement. Almost anything would be better than being chained to a wall in a room with a dead body. I shivered.

The room had a twin-sized yellowed cot on a metal frame and a barred window on the far side of the room. I opened the door next to me. It was a small bathroom with floor to ceiling square sky blue ceramic tiles. A showerhead came out of the center of the ceiling with a rusted floor drain directly below it. A white wall-mounted sink and a toilet with a cracked seat were located on opposite walls.

Briefly, I considered refusing to shower so Enrique would leave me alone, but in the end I turned on the shower and stripped off my clothes.

My blood and Raul’s blood mingled, staining my hands and clothes. Sweat and dirt coated my skin. I couldn’t comb through the snarled strands of my hair. I needed to scrub the memory of the last few days from my skin. Maybe then I could gain some much-needed clarity and perspective.

I stepped under the shower and cranked the rusted lever. The pipes banged against the wall. Icy russet colored water poured from the ceiling. My breath hitched and then evened out when the water warmed. I stood under the weak spray longer than I should have, given my circumstances, but a shower had never felt so good.

Chapter Eight

Ryker

“This is it. We’re here,” I said.

I pulled the black SUV over to the side of the road. As planned, the two SUVs behind us followed suit. I had divided us into three teams. Noah and I would hike up the side of the mountain and enter through the back door. Rick would wait here until I contacted him. He and his team would neutralize the men guarding the driveway. Eric and his team would hike up with Noah and me, and enter the safe house through the front door. Eric would engage and kill anyone in the building. Noah and I would find Hattie.

We had less than thirty minutes to accomplish everything once we broke down the doors. If we didn’t make it out by then, we were fucked. Juan’s reinforcements would show up, and the helicopters lifting us out of the remote location would flee or risk being shot down.

I picked up my gun from the center console and slid it into the holster around my chest. I slipped on the tactical headset. Then, I opened the car door and looped an X95 assault weapon around my shoulder. The X95 had quickly become my go-to gun. Israel Weapon Industries created the gun to combat modern terror threats.

“Ready?” I asked, tipping my head in the direction of the hill in front of us.

“Yep,” Noah answered as he slipped a grenade into his black vest.

“Let’s move.” I motioned to Rick’s SUV. He saluted. Then, I waved Eric and his team forward. “No talking on the headsets until we’re inside.”

Without further instructions, we disappeared into the foliage next to the street. We all knew our roles. We all knew what was at stake. No one could leave until we rescued Hattie.

Every step over the dense undergrowth sounded like a land mine detonating in my ears. My hands twitched. My heart thrashed inside my ribcage like a feral animal from a sickening concoction of fear and excitement.

In the past, I wasn’t personally invested in the outcome of any mission. Sure, I wanted to be paid, and I wanted my client to be satisfied. After all, if things didn’t work out, it’d look bad. But none of that compared to the emotions simmering like lava through my veins as I hiked up the hill. If I didn’t walk out of the safe house with Hattie alive and well, I’d lose my shit. I’d kill every last member of the Alvarez Cartel, their family members, their friends and neighbors.

As I ate up the distance between Hattie and me, my insides festered with raw anger and my fingers itched for revenge. I forced every errant cell in my body to stay focused on the end goal. I conjured an image of Hattie in my mind.

Her soft smile.

Her topaz eyes.

Her long legs.

Her crisp, clean scent.

Her flawless skin.

She captivated my thoughts. She possessed my heart. She owned me. She’d always own me.

And I fucking ruined her. I abducted her. I manipulated her. I tainted her with my love, but not any longer. Once I rescued her and healed her, I’d set her free. I’d give her anything and everything she needed to have the perfect life she deserved. Then, I’d sever every last connection so she wouldn’t have to worry about who’d come after her next.

My heart seized and then shriveled two sizes at the thought of living without her, but love meant sacrifice. I accepted it and tomorrow I’d embrace it. I pushed thoughts of the future out of my head and concentrated on the present.

I paused at the edge of the tree line, just out of the line of sight of the safe house. Dim yellow lights flickered from the windows, taunting me. I held up my open hand, signaling for everyone to stop. I crept forward, keeping inside the shadows, surveying the exterior of the building. After I had made a circle around the entire perimeter of the house, I lifted my hand, signaling that four people were outside the safe house. Then, I raised my arm above my head, pointing my index finger straight up and my thumb parallel to the ground, indicating the guards had rifles.

I didn’t know what we’d encounter inside, but for now, we outnumbered them. I sucked in a gust of sticky, humid air, struggling to unravel all the twisted emotions and thoughts flitting through my mind. Conflicted emotions and dread of the future would only cloud my judgment. I needed to be unfeeling. Mechanical.

If Hattie were dead, I’d be irreversibly broken. Life wouldn’t be worth living. If Hattie was alive, I had to destroy us, and I’d live the rest of my life without her. Either outcome would suck. At least if she were alive, I’d know I had done everything I could for her. She’d still be breathing the same air and inhabiting the same world as me. That had to count for something.

With a flick of my hand, I waved my piecemeal army forward.

Crouched low, I gripped my X95 and mentally flipped my middle finger at the angel of death. My soldiers flanked me in a u-shaped formation. I pointed toward the breaker box at the back of the house. Noah would flip the breaker, blanketing the safe house in darkness before we fired a single shot.

We moved stealthily forward, our black clothing and camouflage face paint blending into the inky night. Sweat prickled my skin. The hair on the back of my neck stiffened. My ears devoured the noise of every branch crunching under our booted feet, every exhalation whistling through the air, and every rustle of fabric against fabric as we forged ahead.

Time to get Hattie.

Time to destroy the Alvarez Cartel once and for all.

I’d kill every last one of them until I didn’t have any strength left in my body.

With every step, anger sizzled in my veins. My lips curled up over my teeth as I inhaled through my nose. The thirst for revenge rippled through my muscles. I smashed every civilized thought from my brain. I courted the Vargas beast inside my soul until inhumane savagery pumped through my body.

The lights in the house disappeared, steeping us in total darkness.

It was show time.

Chapter Nine

Hattie

With my hair still damp, my eyes popped open. My heart fluttered. Springs dug into my back. I pushed onto my elbows. I didn’t know what had woken me. I didn’t know whether it was day or night. I recalled climbing into the cot wearing a threadbare, dingy robe when I finished showering, but after that, nothing.

I scrambled to my knees. My ears throbbed, desperately searching for the faintest noise. I scanned the room, diving in and out of the shadows looking for something. Anything. Anyone, but the room was as empty as I remembered.

Rubbing my eyes, I tipped my head to the ceiling. Then, I remembered Raul’s phone. Shit! I forgot to turn it on.

I scrambled to my feet and darted across the room. My body buzzed with adrenaline as I unzipped the pocket of my shorts, pulled out the phone and powered it on. Air rocketed out of my lungs when I saw Ryker’s text.

I’m coming for you tonight. Be ready.

 

Clutching the phone, I ran to the window and shoved the curtains to the side. I couldn’t see anything. Crosshatched bars obscured the view and the miniscule rectangles of sky between looked like segmented inkblots. I ran back to the bathroom and slipped on my stained running shorts under my robe and waited.

At first, I thought something dropped on the floor. Then, the sound happened again. Rapid-fire gunshots exploded one after another outside.

Pop, pop, pop.

Pause.

Pop!

It was happening. Ryker was here. He came just like he promised.

Minutes crawled like hours, as I huddled next to the door waiting for Ryker to find me. I used the light from Raul’s phone to illuminate the room. Gunshots blended into one long, deafening roar of violence. I twisted my hands in my robe over and over until the seam along the side split. My chest heaved in short bursts. I should’ve made an effort to regulate my breathing, but I was incapable of doing anything except staring at the door.

Then came the shouts, screams and cries of pain. Incoherent Spanish curses floated up the stairs. For the hundredth time in the last three or four months, I wished I had taken Spanish lessons instead of French.

“ Pudrete en el infierno.”

“Chingada Madre.”

Fleetingly, I wondered what would happen if everyone died. Would I be stuck in this room until I died of starvation? Nobody except Ryker knew I was in Mexico. I told my parents I’d taken a road trip to clear my thoughts. Would the police or somebody else eventually show up? Or would the foliage grow over the building, entombing us in vines?

I surveyed the contents of the room, looking for a weapon. I flipped over the cot and kicked at the metal bars trying to free something. Nothing budged. I ran to the bathroom and switched on the light. Nothing happened. My hearted squeezed. Somebody had cut the power.

Squinting, I located the showerhead, then jumped and yanked on the metal arm protruding from the ceiling. Hanging on with all my body weight, I swung back and forth. The pipe creaked, and then I stumbled to my knees with the showerhead in my hand.

Pain radiated up my legs. Water exploded out of the pipe, spraying from the ceiling, drenching my clothes. Wet strands of hair slid in front of my eyes. Water leaked into my mouth.

“Fucking hell!” I screamed, shaking my head from side to side.

I crawled across the floor, back to the bedroom. I settled into the corner and curled into a ball. Water dripped from my robe. I squeezed the excess water from the ends. I could’ve slipped on my t-shirt, but wearing a transparent robe was infinitely more appealing than being covered in Raul’s blood, my sweat, and days worth of dirt.

Then, I heard loud footsteps echoing down the hallway. The door handle rattled.

“Hattie,” a voice I didn’t recognize yelled.

I didn’t answer. I scrambled to my feet and ran across the room. Standing next to the door, I raised the showerhead above my head preparing to strike whoever entered the room.

“Hattie,” the man shouted again. “Are you in there?”

A few shouts echoed down the hallway punctuated by two gunshots.

“I’m with Ryker. He sent me to find you,” the man persisted.

I shifted on my feet. “Prove it.”

“Back away from the door. I’m going to shoot the lock.”

“Where’s Ryker?”

“He’s taking care of some people downstairs. Move away from the fucking door. I don’t have all day,” he demanded.

“I’ll wait for Ryker.” I couldn’t trust anyone except him. For all I knew, this guy could be a member of the Alvarez Cartel or some other cartel wanting to get in on the action.

“Goddamn. What the hell is wrong with you? We need to get the fuck out of here. I’m not standing outside this door waiting for someone to kill me.”

“I don’t trust you. I don’t trust anyone except Ryker.”

“You’re going to get us killed. Vargas,” the guy screamed as heavy footsteps burst down the hall. “She won’t move away from the door.”

“Hattie, it’s me,” Ryker said. “Move to the right side of the door.”

“My right or your right?”

“Yours.”

With my body pressed into the wall, I scrambled to the other side of the door. “I moved.”

“Now listen to me…” Ryker kept talking, but I couldn’t hear him over the sudden roar of a helicopter over the house. With my eyes trained on the door, I cupped my hands over my ears.

“Who’s that? What’s going on?”

He didn’t answer.

Sparks ricocheted off the door. Then, it flew open, bouncing off the adjacent wall.

“Watch our back,” Ryker shouted, pointing to the man in the shadows.

In the darkness, I could make out the outline of Ryker’s body. I ran across the room and circled my arms around his strong shoulders. My fingernails dug into the back of his neck like talons. My knees sagged. Tears flooded my eyes. My breath came hard and fast until I started hyperventilating.

He wrapped an arm around my waist, and his fingers pressed into my side. “Relax, Hattie. I’ve got you.”

He rocked me back and forth for a frozen second, and I wanted to tell him I missed him, I loved him, I couldn’t live without him, and so much more. But the words wouldn’t come. Instead, I pressed my lips to his neck, drawing his essence into my lungs. He smelled like sea air, gunpowder and man, but somehow it was better than anything in the world.

“Can you walk?” he whispered, next to my ear.

Jumbled thoughts whirled through my mind. Incoherent words mixed with whimpers streamed from my mouth. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t talk. Walking was out of the question.

“Listen, baby. We need to get out of here right now. The helicopter can only stay so long before it draws too much attention.”

I lifted my head from his chest and nodded. “I can walk.”

“Hold on to the back of my belt and don’t let go no matter what happens.”

I clamped my hands around his belt, fusing my body to his. My swollen hand protested the movement, but I ignored the pain. “Got it,” I whispered, my throat raw from dehydration and crying for days.

“Noah,” Ryker said. “Follow us out of here.”

A tall, dark-haired man stepped out of the shadows. A flash of light from the bottom of the stairs lit up one side of his face. He had sharp cheekbones, a long angular nose and almond shaped eyes. He flashed a thumbs-up signal. “I’m on it.”

With his gun in front of him, we jogged down the stairs. Dead bodies and bloodied groaning men littered the floor. I floated through the room as if I were submerged in water, suffering from a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from. My vision tunneled. My entire body trembled so I hard I thought I’d collapse.

“Don’t look. Just keep your gaze glued to the ground in front of you and keep putting one foot in front of the other,” Ryker said without glancing at me.

I squeezed my eyes shut and plastered my body against his back. My fingers curled around the waistband of his pants. My lungs rattled with suppressed cries. I would’ve crawled inside him if it were possible. A warm breeze caressed my skin. We were outside. Relief poured through my body. I opened my eyes and lifted my head to the sky, drinking in the faint glimmer of the stars. Palm trees danced in the wind. Sea salt wafted through the air. On any other night, it would’ve been peaceful, but not today. With the roar of the helicopter blades slicing through the air, it felt sinister. Ominous.

Three guys barreled around the corner of the house, their guns pointed at us. “Ya están aquí.”

Ryker shoved me away from him, and I stumbled backward. “Noah, get her the fuck out of here. Now!”

“No,” I repeatedly screamed, reaching for Ryker. Horror clawed at my chest, dragging me into a full-blown panic attack within a matter of seconds. I didn’t want to be separated from Ryker ever again.

Noah wrapped his arms around my waist and heaved me over his shoulder. “No. I’m not leaving him. Leave me here.” I slapped the corded muscles of his back until my hands stung.

“You don’t have a choice,” Noah growled.

“Please,” I begged, as my heart crumbled. “I can’t leave him. Not again.”

“It’s better this way.”

Noah ran to the helicopter, his boots kicking up a fine powdery dust that coated my lips. My head bounced against his back and blood rushed through my ears. Sobs clogged my throat. Acid gnawed at my gut. When we reached the door, he climbed inside and slammed it behind us. “We’re ready to go.”

“No. We can’t leave him.” I darted for the door, but Noah’s arms closed around my waist and he pulled me into his lap.

Sickness twisted my insides. My heart beat like a pogo stick against the inside of my chest. I kicked, bit and slapped him, but he wouldn’t budge.

“Shh,” Noah whispered next to my ear. “Stop fighting. This is what Ryker wanted. You’d only be in his way.”

“No.” I lurched forward and elbowed him in the ribs.

He grunted, but his arms didn’t relent. “For fuck’s sake, you need to relax and let us do our job. We know what we’re doing. Don’t make this even more of a mess than it already is.”

The energy drained from my body, and I slumped into his chest, my hands coiled into his black shirt. I didn’t want to leave without Ryker, but Noah was right. There’s nothing I could do to help him except do what he asked and get out of his way.