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I cock my head and listen but hear nothing. “What?”
“It sounded like a door.” He takes off out of the kitchen.
I let the guard fall to the floor and follow on his heels. Theo’s office door comes into view, and I almost trip over my own feet when I see that it’s open. I draw my gun, ready for anything, but Theo’s lying in a pool of blood and guts. My girl is curled into a ball a few feet away. Ace studies her too, his eyes narrowed and jaw clenched so tight that a vein pulses in his throat.
A keening wail, strangled by anguish, pierces my eardrums, and it takes me a few beats to realize it’s coming from the woman on the floor and not some rabid animal outside the house. Violent tremors wrack her body, and rivers of tears cascade down her pale cheeks. Keres Sideris cries with a ferocity I’ve never witnessed, each sob so explosively guttural that the walls seem to rattle. And I’ve never felt so helpless in all my life.
My feet remain rooted to the spot as I watch her fall apart, and the twisted part of me finds something inherently beautiful in her brokenness. Keres’s walls have crumbled around her, and it’s both spectacular and heartbreaking to watch. I have no idea how long Ace and I watch her, neither of us moving or even daring to breathe, all three of us suspended in the moment.
Ace finally breaks the spell. Striding forward, he lifts her still trembling body into his arms and holds her to his chest. She doesn’t offer even a squeak of protest as he walks out of the room.
“You see a bathroom in this place, buddy? Somewhere other than that fucker’s room?” he calls over his shoulder.
“Yeah. Down the hall on the left.”
I follow him into a spacious bathroom with gilded mirrors, marble floors, and a giant roll top bath. Ace jerks his head toward the tub. “We should help her get cleaned up.”
With a nod, I head across the room and turn on the taps.
“Keres,” Ace says softly, still cradling her to his chest. “We’re going to help you clean up, okay?”
She doesn’t reply, but Ace continues talking to her, his deep voice calm and soothing. He sets her down on the floor and peels off her blood-soaked clothes, letting her know exactly what he’s about to do before he does it.
She remains silent, tears dripping down her beautiful face and cutting pink tracks through the thick crimson gore painting her face. When she’s naked, he lifts her and carefully places her in the steaming water. She brings her legs back up to her chest and rests her forehead on the tops of her knees. Weak sobs wrack her body.
I sit back on my heels and throw Ace a concerned look. “She gonna be okay?”
“She’s gonna be just fine. She’s a fucking warrior. Ain’t that right, sweetheart?”
She makes no reply, but Ace doesn’t wait for one. Grabbing a bottle from a shelf, he kneels beside the bath and squeezes a glob of gel into his palms. “Can you find me a jug or something?” He directs the question toward me while gently washing her arms.
Grateful for something practical to do, I scour the bathroom and find a ceramic jug. He takes it from me and dips it into the water. “Gonna wash your hair now, okay?”
Wordlessly, she tips her head back, tears still leaking from the corners of her closed eyes. Ace pours water over her thick hair before lathering it with shampoo. It takes three passes before the water streaming from her dark locks runs clear. The whole time she keeps her eyes closed and remains silent.
Once she’s clean, we get her dry and help her into her jeans and my clean T-shirt. She continues crying the entire time. When we’re finished, she speaks for the first time and asks for a moment alone.
After five minutes, I shoot a worried glance at the door. “You think she’s okay in there?”
Ace leans against the wall, his thick arms folded across his chest, and nods. “Putting her armor back on, I’m sure.”
No doubt she is. She was raw and vulnerable with us, and I know how much she hates to show that side of herself, even though I love seeing that part of her because I suspect it’s something few people have the privilege of glimpsing.
The plaster cools my forehead as I lean against the wall. “We need to get out of here soon.”
I’m not sure if she hears me, but she steps out of the bathroom a few seconds later and glances between the two of us. Other than her eyes being red, no other traces of her tears remain. She jerks her head in the direction of the back door we came through earlier. “Let’s go.” Looks like her armor and mask are firmly back in place.
Chapter
Forty-Six
KERES
My entire body bristles with anxiety. I hate that they saw me like that. Again. Weak and vulnerable. Even more, I hate how killing that piece of shit tore down my defenses so completely. I’m a fucking warrior. I should have celebrated his death like it was the fucking Second Coming—if I believed in any of that shit. So why the hell did I turn into a trembling mess instead?
Romeo left to pick up food ten minutes ago, so now it’s just Ace and me sitting in this too-small motel room, neither of us speaking. He drums his fingers on the arm of the couch. His jaw ticks as he glares at me, and I studiously avoid his gaze because every time I look at him all I can think about is how gently he washed the blood from my body and hair. How he took care of me. Like I meant something. Meant something to him.
I pace the floor, chewing on my fingernails, hoping that Romeo gets back soon because then at least we can eat and there will be something to do other than endure this unbearable tension.
