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She was right.
When he traced the teeth marks on the inside of his mouth, he was vividly reminded of her mouth on his. That was a feeling he would gladly have permanently imprinted on his lips.
Eli felt guilty from the moment Ali had spit in Nik’s face. She’d been so determined to work with him. He could’ve told her no, but he was selfish and had let her stay. All of this could’ve been avoided if he had acted more wisely. He’d sworn to protect her and once again he had failed.
Nik had been cold and venomous when he’d returned to the greenhouses. Eli had been genuinely scared for her when Nik had pulled her away by the arm. He was easily twice her size and the way he’d gripped her wrist made it seem like he would snap her in half.
Eli didn’t like or respect the guy. But if he wanted to find a way out of Rysburg, it would be best to not draw extra attention. He didn’t want to be on anyone’s radar, but Ali seemed to draw Nik’s attention no matter what she did.
It still made his stomach turn to think about Nik’s warning. That he would make Ali beg for him. It seemed ludicrous, but it worried Eli nonetheless.
She wouldn’t do that, would she? Has he said anything to her? Should I warn her?
She wasn’t exactly Eli’s property, but up until a week ago she was supposed to be his wife. And she was still his best friend. He still loved her. He was allowed to be worried about her. He was allowed to have an opinion on her life. Was he allowed to intervene? Would she get mad if he brought Nik up again?
Every minute she was gone made him more anxious. What was Nik doing to her? Would he hurt her? Would he force himself on her? Eli felt sick at the thought. He didn’t like that they had left the greenhouse and sought privacy. He wrung his hands together and shifted nervously, pacing back and forth as he waited for them to return.
It was too difficult to focus on his work. His mind was consumed with thoughts of Ali. He startled when water overflowed from one of the planters. He’d held his watering can in one place for too long.
After about fifteen minutes, they walked back through the rows of crops. Ali walked a little funny, like it hurt to walk. But she kept her distance and moved to her designated row, staying far away from Eli. Despite his best efforts to catch her eye, she remained focused on her work and kept her head down. It was impossible to tell if she was okay.
Nik, on the other hand, looked smug as ever. He strutted with his head held high and sat next to Sam. They exchanged words that Eli couldn’t hear and laughed like they didn’t have a care in the world.
These fucking assholes. I can’t wait to burn this place to the ground.
It was excruciatingly difficult to take his mind off Ali for the rest of the day. He kept throwing glances her way, hoping her expression would give something away. Anything. She remained stone-faced and didn’t look his way.
He threw himself into his work and busied himself to make the time pass faster, but it hardly helped. When their work was done, he wasted no time running to her side. She was walking a little easier now, but he didn’t miss the grimace on her face as she moved.
“What happened?” he asked immediately.
She hesitated before responding, “Nothing, Eli.”
Nik paused his conversation with Sam to watch the two of them interact. It infuriated Eli that he couldn’t have a single moment alone with Ali, that he didn’t get the same level of privacy they did. How could she be honest with him when Nik was breathing down their necks?
“Bullshit. Obviously something happened.” He lowered his voice and moved closer. She still wouldn’t look him in the eyes.
“Well, yeah. Something happened. But I really don’t want to talk about it, Eli.” She frowned and tossed her dirty gloves into a pile with the others, then continued walking toward the exit.
“Did he hurt you? What did he do?” He studied her face, no visible signs of abuse, then wondered what her body looked like beneath her clothes.
“Nothing. I’m fine.” She crossed her arms, folding into herself like she could feel him assessing her and wanted to hide.
He wasn’t paying attention to her responses. “Did he”—he gulped and pinched his brows together—“do anything to you?”
She stopped in her tracks and looked horrified. “No!” Then she did her best to soften her expression, taking his hand in hers and squeezing once. “I don’t want to talk about it. I promise I’m okay, though. Can you let it go?”
Eli didn’t want to let it go. He wanted to know exactly what had happened and just how bad his response should be when he finally got his revenge on the people of Rysburg, especially toward Nik. His mind played all the worst scenarios. It would be better if she just told him. He hated not knowing what had happened, but she was convincing. If she said she was okay, then he believed her. He nodded. “All right, but if anything ever does happen…you’ll tell me?”
There was a flicker of something in her expression that he couldn’t identify, but she quickly hid it. “Of course.”
He held her hand the rest of the walk home, warming her fingers as best as he could. They were both shivering by the time they walked through the prison door.
He insisted she shower first. She likely needed to wash away the misery of the day more than he did. As she left, she gave him a halfhearted smile and continued toward her cell.
When it was his turn, he let the hot water of the shower ease his tension and wash away his worries. He was tired. Tired of every day feeling like a struggle. And now it felt like his one source of support was pulling away. Of course, she was dealing with her own shit. They were all working through their issues in their own way, but he needed her.
He could only hope that she needed him too.
