Tears well in my eyes before I can choke them down.
I don’t deserve his kindness, not after how I used him for my own gain.
He didn’t deserve that, and the fact he knew what I was doing the entire time only makes me feel worse about myself.
Exhaustion dragged me into sleep when Ryker carried me to bed and tucked me in, but the cold, harsh light of day reminds me of my sins, of how many people I hurt all at once with my need to escape.
He keeps hold of one elbow and cradles my cheek in his palm with the other, swiping away tears as they fall. “Hey, what are these about?”
I shake my head and try to pull out of his hold, but he doesn’t let me. His grip tightens slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough that I can’t escape, no matter how badly my mind urges me to flee.
“Talk to me, Chloe. Tell me what’s going on.”
“I’m just tired,” I lie. “It’s been a long, emotional few days. I guess my body just needs some more sleep.”
His brow dips with doubt, but he doesn’t call me out on it. How does he see so much? We barely know one another and yet I can’t seem to get a single thing past him.
It’s probably just his training,I think to myself. I’m sure all bodyguards are good at reading people, especially the people they’re charged to protect.
Ryker tugs me against his bare chest, and I shamelessly snuggle into him, allowing myself a few moments of being held because this won’t last forever.
Nothing ever does.
And even if he’s adamant on taking me back to New York, sooner or later I’m going to have to leave.
When the Lombardis send more men, I won’t be able to risk anyone getting hurt because of me.
I’m not worth it.
“Why don’t you get a few more hours of sleep?” he suggests. “We don’t have to check out until noon, and it’s only two hours back to New York from here.”
I shake my head. “I can’t go back, Ryker.”
He sighs, holding me against him harder. “I can protect you, Siren. I will protect you.” It’s a promise, but I don’t think it’s one he’ll be able to keep.
Because after last night, every Lombardi will want me dead.
CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
DAMON
NOW
Part of me feels bad for my brother.
He’s never loved anyone the way he loved Chloe, and for her to go ahead and do something like that knowing it would hurt him just tells me everything I always thought about her was correct.
But on the flip side, this is what he needed. He needed her to hurt him in a way she can’t come back from, and I should thank her for pushing him like she did because now I won’t have to kidnap herandmy idiot brother.
Ronan vibrates next to me, his body full of barely contained anger and annoyance, but I don’t say anything. Mainly because when I did an hour ago, I got my head bitten off, and I need him to keep all that rage for when we grab Chloe.
We have a rough plan, but we might have to improvise if we don’t get the opportunity before we reach the city.
Chloe and the bodyguard only leave their room five minutes before checkout, and the stolen glances between the two of them just on the walk from their room to the car make me fucking sick.
But it pushes Ronan closer to the edge, which is exactly where he needs to be for us to pull this off. The angrier he is, the less likely he is to change his mind at the last minute.
Ryker climbs into the driver’s seat and waits until Chloe’s buckled in before starting the engine. Neither of them even bothered looking around when they stepped outside, which either means they’re stupid or they’re overly cocky, both of which work just fine for me.
