I’ve been stressed and worried about feels a million miles away right now. My heart keeps beating a Lucas rhythm into my head and it’s all I can think about.
Wyatt tips my chin toward him with his finger, giving me a small smile. “The three of us are used to not trusting anyone else. Now we’ve brought you into it.” He swoops down, capturing my lips, making me feel normal for about two point five seconds until Lucas’ phone rings.
We break apart, and I welcome the worried stare that passes between us for Lucas.
I answer the phone and bring it to my ear. In typical Cole fashion, he just starts talking. “The hospital has called the authorities based on your boyfriend’s injuries.” Wyatt leans closer to me so he can listen in. Cole’s voice is sharp, methodical. It’s devoid of the anger he showed earlier. “Slip out before they arrive. Get in my guys’ car. I need you somewhere else right now.”
Wyatt and I exchange glances. His jaw is tight.
“Don’t worry,” Cole adds. “I’ve got other people coming in to make sure Lucas and Wyatt are fine, but I need you to help me take care of the Stone thing, right? Like you wanted.”
“Yes,” I say.
I hang up the phone. Clearly, Wyatt is not impressed with this turn of events. “I have to go,” I confirm. “You need to stay here with Lucas. I don’t want to leave him here alone.”
That’s what breaks Wyatt. He pulls me to him fiercely, sealing his lips to mine in a rushed, panicked kiss that says everything in that moment that words couldn’t. “Keep Lucas’ phone on you. I’m going to need updates of where you are, who else is there, and what’s going on.” He leans in closer, pretending to embrace me but really whispering in my ear, “My gun is in my pack. Keep it with you. Don’t hesitate to use it.”
I nod, swallowing, and squeeze his hand one last time before I stand and walk out the automatic doors. A black car waits at the curb, an almost natural scene for me lately, and I get in just as a cop car pulls up to the ER entrance, his lights flashing but his siren off.
I close the door and buckle my seatbelt. “Ready,” I inform them. When we pull out of the hospital parking lot, I ask, “Mind telling me where we’re going?”
“If Cole wanted you to know, he would’ve told you.”
I want to ask if Cole ever forgets anything but talking back won’t do any good. Loyalty is huge amongst these guys, I can already tell. Instead, I search through Wyatt’s pack and find the small pistol before shoving it into the waistband of my hiking pants. Blood stains my clothes in rusty reds, but I guess it’s a good thing it’s dried now. Bright red would’ve been much more noticeable. I have no idea what the rest of me looks like though I can imagine my curly hair is a tangled mess.
Before long, I recognize where we are. The view of the city from the highway that turns into a long stretch of Arizona road is so familiar to me now. We’re on the way to Lance’s mansion.
My stomach tightens. I haven’t had the best of experiences there, but if Cole’s bringing me, he surely isn’t doing it to make me watch Stone get married to Rissa, is he? We had a deal.
It must be for something else.
I text Wyatt. Pretty sure I’m on my way to Lance’s.
He writes back to ask me what road we’re on, and I tell him.
Yeah, that’s it. Text me when you know anything.
My fingers fumble over the keyboard. Will do. How’s Lucas?
I still don’t know. Talked with the cops, though. I didn’t tell them we had the traps. We can’t trust them. We’ll have them analyzed independently.
It’s then that I realize I am smack dab in the middle of a fucking thriller book. Well, a romantic thriller. I’ve only read one, and it wasn’t my favorite because it made me stress the fuck out. And here we are, my own personal story, except the one I’m living seems much more intense.
I’m fighting for this fucking happily ever after, I’ll tell you that much.
My phone buzzes in my grip, and I tip the screen to read it. It’s from Cole. You’re getting another chance to do what I asked. Are you ready?
I swallow the tightness in my throat. He wants me to take out