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It was on the tip of my tongue to ask him to kiss me, to hold me and tell me we would make it out of this alive. But I trapped the words behind pursed lips, refusing to beg any more than I already had.
“I’m ready.”
It was Tristan’s turn to nod. He grabbed the radio and I followed him outside. The sun had already sunk behind the tree line, casting the forest in a murky haze. It would be dark within the hour.
I tried not to think about that as we made our way through the dense brush.
Tristan repeatedly glanced back, checking that I was behind him. But he barely met my eyes. With every step, I felt the distance between us grow. By the time we got out of here,ifwe got out of here, I knew we’d go back to pretending we were nothing to one another.
It hurt.
More than I anticipated. But I guess that was the consequence of knowing what I’d lost. Not that I’d ever really had it.
Tristan made it perfectly clear last night, before everything went to crap, that he had no intention of exploring things between us.
In his head, I was untouchable. Off-limits. Forbidden fruit.
“I see it,” he whispered into the night, sweeping his arm out for me to stop.
Adrenaline and fear pumped through me, my heart a constant drum in my chest. I was cold and tired and so hungry. I just wanted it to be over.
I wanted to go back home and sleep for a week, nursing my broken heart and wounded pride. I wanted to see my brother and Arianne and my gorgeous little niece.
Clapping a hand over my mouth, I smothered the sob trying to escape. Tristan glanced back, narrowing his eyes but I didn’t meet his gaze.
“Follow me,” he instructed.
Slowly, we made our way around the outer perimeter of the warehouse. I could vaguely see the structure through the trees. My heart was beating so hard I felt light-headed.
Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and picked up the pace. Stumbling forward, I tried to keep up with him. Until we arrived at a small shed, secreted away in the scrub.
Tristan whirled on me and cupped my cheek. “Listen to me, I want you to stay here until I come back. No matter what you hear, don’t leave, okay?”
“N-no, I can’t… you can’t leave me. What if… oh God, what if—”
“Shh, Principessa.” His eyes shuttered. “I need to get a cell phone. Or at least find a way out of here. But I need you to be safe.”
He pulled the door open and tipped his head inside. “Here, take the flashlight.”
My trembling fingers closed around it, tears streaking down my cheeks.
“I’ll come back for you, I promise. Just sit tight.”
He inhaled a ragged breath, pressed a kiss to my forehead and ushered me inside. With one last lingering look, he closed the door.
And left me alone in the dark.
CHAPTER8
TRISTAN
It took everything inside me to leave Alessia. My heart roared at me with every step I took away from her, but I had to know she was safe.
I had to—
The radio crackled to life again, barely audible voices coming through. I lifted it to my ear and tried to distinguish what they were saying. The fact the reception was so poor suggested they were at the farthest end of the range. Which could work in my favor, assuming Mahoney hadn’t left a small army to guard the warehouse.
I scanned the area and slipped out under the cover of darkness. My white shirt was like a beacon under the pale moonlight, but I didn’t have the heart to take my jacket back from Alessia. So I would have to make do, and hope I found a phone before they found me.
