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I shake him off.
“This is fucking ridiculous,” I roar, sitting up. “I don’t care anything about going. She got herself into this mess; she can get herself out of it.”
“Dammit to hell, Connor. Get your ass out of bed. You can sleep on the plane.”
I don’t move. Geo opens another drawer before slamming it closed. Then, something is shoved in my face, resting against my nose. I blink my eyes open. The picture swims in front of my face, and it takes me a second to recognize it. The damn picture of me and Ruby. I sit up, clenching it in my fist.
“What the hell, Geo?!”
“I’m trying to remind you of what you’ve already lost. Do you want the same thing to happen to Wryn? Do you?!” he shouts in my face.
Do I? I don’t fucking know. She sold me out. Do I care what happens to her?
“Because Wryn is being hunted by Viktor Leoni right now, and there’s no telling what he plans to do to her once he finds her again. I’m surprised she was still alive to escape. You have a second chance here. You can make this right. Maybe get your shit together and pull out a win for us.”
I stare down at the picture. I know what he’s saying is right, but my pride is wounded, and I’m angry. I’m furious that I didn’t even see it coming. I’m angry that she didn’t deny it. I’m angry that I fell for someone who turned out to leave me in the end. My mother, Ruby, Lucas, Wryn. They all left. I guess the exception would be Bertrand. I helped him exit. I guess I’m a fucking traitor too.
This world is so fucked up. I can’t tell up from down. Maybe what’s right for one person is wrong for another. Wryn felt like that was her answer because I fucking kept the real answers from her.
“Am I to blame for this too?” I ask Geo, frowning down at Ruby’s smiling face.
“Not for Ruby, but maybe a bit for Wryn.”
“Thanks for the kick to the balls,” I say.
I didn’t expect him to tell me anything but the truth, but it still hurts. No one who has been wronged wants to be told they were in the wrong too.
“Give her a chance to explain. One where she isn’t most likely terrified for her life.”
Geo holds my bag out, and I stand up, letting the picture flutter back to where I was lying. I grab the bag and take a deep breath, then nod.
“Let me pack some things, and then we can go.”
Geo nods back and heads toward the door before stopping briefly and looking back at me. “Meet you outside in five.”
23
WRYN
Iblink my eyes open, seeing bright daylight blaring through the curtains. I glance at the small clock on the bedside table and see it’s almost noon. I slept for forever. I raise my arms above my head, stretching. I’m so much better after eating and getting some rest.
I let my eyes travel the room, taking in the colorful teal walls, the bright mandala bedspread covering me, and the decorative artwork that dots the walls. Miss Lulah has her own style, and I kind of love it. After living in the dark, foreboding Soltorre mansion, I welcome all the colors.
I pull the covers back and immediately head for the bathroom. After doing my business, I walk out to find Miss Lulah at the stove, humming as she stirs something in a pot.
“Good morning,” I say, hovering in the doorway.
She turns, a large smile on her face. “Good morning, dear. Did you get enough sleep?”
“I think so. You should have woken me up. It’s almost time for lunch.”
“Not in this house,” she says, shaking her head. “We don’t skip breakfast, no matter what time we wake up. Go ahead and have a seat. I’ve kept a plate warm in the oven for you.”
She points toward the table in the next room, and I move that way, pulling out a chair and sinking into it as my stomach rumbles. It’s nice to be taken care of. I don’t think Miss Lulah judges me for what I did. And that’s nice too.
I try to finger-comb my mess of hair, the tangles catching my fingers and making me wince as I work through them. Miss Lulah sets a plate of toast, bacon, and scrambled eggs in front of me.
“I hope you eat meat,” she says merrily, then bustles back into the kitchen.
