With Every Breath (Slow Burn #4) - Maya Banks Page 0,48

as she neared the beginning of the end.

She’d purposely turned off her cell phone for two reasons. One, she wasn’t stupid, and just because the Devereauxs or Dane didn’t announce that the cell phones provided by the company were equipped with sophisticated tracking devices, didn’t mean they weren’t, and if she used it, she may as well stand in the town square with a bullhorn and announce to the world she was here.

The second was that once Gracie received Eliza’s letter—if she hadn’t already—all bets were off and her phone would be blowing the hell up around the clock. Dane’s request to stay in touch with only him bought her the necessary few days to make her escape before Gracie got the letter. In the meantime, she was supposed to be getting herself back together.

She almost laughed, an incongruous feeling when her heart literally felt like it was splintering apart because she’d never been together. She was who she was out of necessity and because of that promise she’d made all those years ago. She lived with that reminder every single day. Not a night went by that she didn’t think about taking Thomas out for good, but she always stopped there, because what happened afterward was out of her control and all that mattered was that the world would be rid of one more monster.

She trudged up to the dilapidated cottage the owner had been only too happy to rent to Eliza by the week. At most, two weeks was all she needed because she was now only two days from Thomas’s release, and he’d come for her.

As she unlocked her door to quietly slip inside, a sound snapped her from the oppressive weight of her thoughts and she reacted sluggishly, acknowledging helplessly that she was useless like this. She possessed none of the skills and instincts she’d spent years honing to perfection. How could she expect to face Thomas and ruthlessly kill him in cold blood when she was a walking zombie?

She reached for the knife tucked inside the sleeve of her jacket. It was the only weapon she could take into the small downtown area without drawing attention to herself and that wasn’t on the agenda . . . yet.

Before she had it opened and assumed a defensive stance, familiar strong arms wrapped around her body, effectively rendering her immobile.

Sterling?

His strength was a thing of awe. She wasn’t huge in stature, but she was strong for her size and she was quick—usually. But power coiled and simmered from his large frame, as did the seething heat of his fury.

And then the unthinkable registered, creeping through the sluggish mush of her mind. Sterling. Here. In Calvary. Not just in the town, but in the house she’d rented. Seen and associated with her.

A low moan of anguish tore from her throat because now, if she failed, one more person would be added to the list of those Thomas would kill for the unpardonable sin of being in Eliza’s life, regardless of the capacity.

Her knees buckled and she plunged downward only to be hauled up and held firmly against the muscled wall of his chest. She pressed her hands over her face, feeling the hot tears already leaking from her eyes. No, no, no! She couldn’t lose it now. She couldn’t break. Not when she was so close to the end game. She had to keep it together!

“You have to go,” she said, grief heavy in her voice. “Hurry! Get out before anyone knows you’ve been here and then he’ll never know you have any connection to me.”

She looked him straight in the eyes, lifting her chin, uncaring of her obvious vulnerability or the humiliation of tears flooding her eyes and this time she was fully aware of the name she used.

“God, please, Wade. I’m begging you. Save yourself and get out!”

NINE

WADE was so stunned that all he could do was haul Eliza’s shaking body against his own, anchoring himself so they both didn’t end up on the floor. Any and all thoughts of giving her a blistering outburst of just what he thought of her disappearance instantly fled, because she looked as though she was on the verge of completely shattering.

If she hadn’t already. And judging by what he’d just witnessed, he’d say she was already beyond shattered. She was broken. Something painful and vicious twisted in his gut, tightening his chest as fury rolled over him like a tidal wave. Not at her but at whatever the fuck