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“River, just come with me.” I pulled him with me in the opposite way of where he kept looking. “We can make it where there are other people—”
“Do you have your knife on you?” he asked, planting his feet when I tried tugging him again.
“Yes.”
“Good. Take it out.” He yanked out of my hold. “Then go. And don’t stop until you’ve reached West and Eli. I’m sure by now they’re on their way here.”
“You can’t do this,” I cried out, my panic clawing me. I shouldn’t care what happened to him. He betrayed me not once, but twice—in one damn day. But the thought of him getting hurt knotted a pit in my stomach that was turning more painful every second.
“Fuck,” he muttered, pushing me away. “Go, Kat. Please. I can’t deal with them and worry about you too.”
I glowered at him as I stepped away. Hopefully, Eli and West would get here before anything happened. Spinning around, I rushed toward the corner of the building, freezing when a man stepped forward under the light. Snow fell on the ski mask he was wearing, and fear slid through me. I could only see his mouth and eyes, and the look he was giving me screamed danger.
“River Ward.” Another voice echoed through the night air, and I whirled around to see three other masked men walking closer from the other end of the small street. “We need to have a word with you.”
“Not a problem,” River answered, his body stiffening as he glanced at me. “In private.”
“The girl stays,” the man standing in front of me said gruffly. “We don’t need her alerting anyone else that we’re here.”
Too late for that. River’s phone was still in my hand with Eli still on the line. The sleeve of my sweater was long enough to cover my hand, and I made sure the phone was still hidden.
“She’s drunk.” River waved his hand dismissively. “She has no idea what’s going on. Just a girl I was planning on taking home for the night.”
He was downplaying who I was to him. To protect me. Biting my tongue, I purposely swayed a bit, acting like standing straight was a hardship. Pretending to be intoxicated while fear strangled me was all but impossible. I staggered up to the man in front of me, who stared at me with suspicion.
“Nice ski mask. Perfect for this weather.” I giggled, gripping the phone tightly. “I have to pee. Excuse me.”
My breath was locked in my chest when I twisted around him. For a second, I thought he was going to let me leave, until his hand grasped my arm, yanking me in front of him.
“You aren’t going anywhere,” he growled, his hold turning painful.
“We need to leave before someone spots us,” one of the other men said nervously. “Let’s get them to the van.”
“I’ll go with you,” River rushed out from behind me. “She isn’t part of this. Let her go.”
I was still staring at the man with cruel green eyes, and I could tell he wasn’t going to listen. They’d already made the decision. He was gripping my arm, and the phone was still under my sleeve. I slid my other hand into my pocket as he watched me curiously, making no move to stop me. Before he could see what I was holding, I flicked my knife open and slashed at his arm.
I couldn’t tell if his snarl was from pain or anger, but I didn’t wait to find out. The moment my arm was free, I raced toward the front of the building. I shrieked in pain when he got a grip of my hair and jerked me backward. I flailed, blindly swinging my knife as he dragged me closer to where River and the other men were. I cut him again before he squeezed my wrist hard enough to make me drop it.
He pulled me into his chest, his hand still tangled in my hair. I’d managed to keep hold of the phone, but my sleeve was pulled up when he grabbed my wrist. He stilled, and the blood drained from my face when he pried the phone from my hand.
“What the fuck is this?” he hissed. “Did you call someone?”
“No,” I choked out as he flipped it over to look at the screen. The smallest amount of relief shot through me when I saw the screen was black. Eli must have hung up. I struggled against him, trying to remember what I learned in my self-defense classes. Using the skills against Eli was easy. Because in the back of my mind, I knew he’d never seriously hurt me. Not physically. Being in a situation against men who wouldn’t blink at killing me was completely different. And I was frozen.
“She doesn’t know anything,” River hissed, making me look at him. He was on his knees, with two men pointing guns at him. Fresh blood trickled from a cut on his cheek as he stared at me. The panic he was trying to hide flared when I met his gaze.
“Maybe not,” the man beside him murmured as he looked at me. “But I think she can still be useful.”
The man suddenly let go of me and pushed me forward. I stumbled before regaining my footing. My chest heaved as I stood there, not sure what to do. In front of me were River and three masked guys. Only one man was behind me. Better to try against one than three. Raising my arms in defense, I turned around and sucked in a breath when I realized how close he was.
He raised his hand, backhanding me across the jaw. I cried out as I tried staying on my feet. I ignored the stinging pain and spun around, kicking the guy in the stomach. He doubled over, and I moved to rush past him until something hard and cold pressed into my back.
“I will fucking end you if you hurt her,” River threatened, his voice vibrating with fury I’d never heard from him. “She has no connection to anything in Detroit.”
The guy I had kicked roughly grabbed my arms, yanking them behind me. He placed something around my wrists, and I heard the zip tie cinching tighter. Despite the cold, my body was flushed. With fear. Panic. Terror.
“It’s obvious she has a connection to you,” the guy holding me said. I flinched when he ran his knuckles down my face. “You care for her. She’ll help us get the answers we need.”
