AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Once I reach the nearest door, I figure it out—and what I see freezes me on the spot.
Somebody is in there. Somebody in filthy clothes, sitting on the floor with his back to the wall. His knees are pulled close to his chest. His forehead rests on them while his arms wrap around his legs. I don’t know if he realizes I’m watching him. I don’t know if he’d care.
I only know he is the most pitiful thing I’ve ever seen, and there’s no way he’s here because he wants to be. Not in an empty room—no furniture, no TV, nothing except for a bright light in the center of the ceiling and a bucket on the floor.
He’s a prisoner. They keep prisoners here. And they treat them like animals. While on another floor, my brother talks about it being a vacation.
There’s a sensation in my belly like a fist closing around my stomach, and it’s enough to shake me out of my shock and get me moving. Running. I run for the elevator and throw myself inside, and this time, when I press the button for Mason’s floor, the doors close, and the car begins to move.
How much has Mason not told me?
Is there anybody around here who has it even worse?
MASON
“No. Absolutely not.”
“She won’t be in any danger.” Griffin glances at Dallas, who nods. “Not with us there.”
“Having her along with you would make it much more likely to draw them out.” As usual, Dallas is the one with the answers.
But this time, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. It’s unusual for me to go against him, but this is one of those times when I know better than he does. “I’m not exposing Teagan to any threats. I don’t care if having her with me would put anybody at ease or whatever you’re thinking. It’s not going to happen.”
“If we’re setting a trap, we need to make sure it works. We’ll have Teagan post a picture on Facebook with her location.”
“We’re not putting a civilian’s life in danger.”
Dallas doesn’t back down from my irritated glare, not that I would expect him to.
“If she’s there,” Griffin insists, “that could double the chance of whoever is behind this coming after us and leaving themselves vulnerable. Don’t you see?”
“They already want me, whoever they are. I’m going to have to be enough.”
I don’t like it when they exchange another look. I know them both too well to mistake what they’re silently communicating. She means too much. I care too much. They could be right. I do, but that’s not for them to decide.
“Think,” I insist. “How many people do you think will be at this fundraiser? Hundreds. Hundreds of people and countless opportunities to make Teagan disappear in the crowd. We’ll already be on the lookout for any possible threats, guys trailing us, all of that. How am I supposed to stay focused when I have to worry about her safety as well?”
“We will all be there,” Dallas reminds me. His calm, measured explanation shouldn’t set my teeth on edge the way it does. He’s talking sense—at least, as far as he sees it. But he doesn’t see the whole picture, and that’s what has me fighting the urge to tell him how wrong he is.
“Sure, and they’ll be watching you, too. We’ll all have targets on our backs.” Folding my arms, I shake my head. “I’m not interested in discussing this any further. Teagan is not coming with us. She’ll stay here, where I’ll know she’s safe, and the three of us can draw out whoever is behind this at the event. That’s all there is to it.”
Something passes over Griffin’s face. Something sly and knowing. Something that doesn’t put me in a better mood. “Do you have something to say?” I ask.
“No, sir. Your word is law.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass.” An alert comes through on my phone—the door to my apartment was used. That means she’s back from visiting Jase in his suite. “Now, if you’ll excuse me. I have to explain this to her, so she doesn’t get the wrong idea about me disappearing tomorrow night.”
“I still think it would be a good idea for her to come along.” Dallas’s voice follows me out the door, but I don’t bother responding. We’ll only end up talking in circles again, and my position won’t change.
Nobody knows better than I do how crucial it is to draw out whoever has decided to throw away their life by fucking with mine. I will not sacrifice her. And I won’t spend the night constantly looking after her when I need to be watching my back. The idea of having eyes in the back of my head is cute and everything, but that’s not how it is.
And while I trust them with my life, do I trust them with hers? Especially when I know damn well she’ll probably end up wandering off. She’s that predictable.
