Page 18 of His to Break

In the doorway of the dingy motel room, Ryker crumpled to the ground. The moonlight cast an eerie glow on the scene, illuminating Ryker's salt-and-pepper hair — now darkening with blood.

Caleb felt a raw, primal fear clawing at his insides, but even amidst the chaos, he couldn't help but notice how Ryker cradled Eli in his strong arms, protecting the innocent child as he fell.

Lurching forward with all the desperation of a man pushed to his limits, Caleb caught Eli just before the kid could hit the cold, unforgiving ground.

"Got you," Caleb whispered into Eli's soft curls, holding the trembling child against his chest like a shield against the horrors of the night. His heart swelled with a fierce protectiveness that left no room for doubt; he would do anything to keep Eli safe.

But safety was a distant dream. Caleb looked up at the man who had taken down Ryker. He stared. "I know you!" he said, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop himself.

The man scowled down at him. Yeah, that was the look that Caleb remembered. He recognized the man who had brought Ryker down: that same tough, military-like stranger who had stalked them through the market.

The man had a gun aimed directly at Caleb, the butt of the weapon now slick with blood from the forceful blow that had knocked Ryker out cold.

"Keep back!" Caleb snarled, instinctively retreating while clutching Eli closer to his chest. His mind raced, trying to decide whether to run or fight, but he knew deep down that neither option would save them. "Don't you fucking dare hurt him!"

"Idiot," the man growled, scowling. "I'm here to save him, not hurt him."

That made Caleb freeze. "What?!"

The man sighed. "I'm Hunter. Hunter Altomare. Eli's uncle sent me. I'm here to rescue both of you."

Eli's uncle…? Caleb's heart pounded. Mia had never much talked about her family. That wasn't strange. Not many people in their situation wanted to talk about their pasts. She'd had a brother — and he was there to help?

Though the mention of rescue brought a flicker of cautious hope to Caleb's heart, it was immediately smothered by the adrenaline racing through him. "Y-you could have hurt Eli!" Caleb's voice wavered, a mix of anger and terror as he stared at the gruff stranger before him.

Hunter's cold eyes seemed to pierce through him, a predator sizing up its prey. "I did what I needed to to eliminate the threat."

And then Hunter moved the weapon away from Caleb—

And pointed the weapon at Ryker's unconscious form.

Caleb's body reacted on instinct, throwing itself between Hunter and Ryker. He trembled like a leaf caught in a storm, yet his voice was firm when he spoke. "Don't!"

"What the fuck?" Hunter snorted, his gaze flitting between Caleb and the unconscious Ryker. "You've got some wires crossed, kid. You know he's bad news, right? I'm the one here to rescue you. He's here to kill you and take Eli back."

Caleb felt ice spread through his veins at Hunter's words, but something deep within him rebelled against the idea.

It wasn't that simple. If Ryker was just out to kill him and take Eli… He could have done it. He could have walked straight into their motel room and shot Caleb while he was still asleep, then snatched up a traumatized Eli.

But he hadn't.

And he'd held Eli closely as he fell, protecting him without a second thought.

Despite their twisted circumstances, there had been something between them. Something behind those cold eyes.

Caleb's heart raced as he stood between Ryker and Hunter, his mind a whirlwind of confusion and fear. He couldn't deny the strange, magnetic pull he felt towards Ryker, even now as he lay unconscious on the cold pavement.

The memories of their moments together flooded back to him – the way Ryker's strong hands had caressed his body, treating him as though he were fragile porcelain rather than the broken mess he'd always believed himself to be.

Even if it had been a lie, it had felt right.

Much to Rowan's eternal dismay, Caleb wasn't a man of logic. He ran on instincts, vibes, good juju— whatever you wanted to call them.

And all of those things were telling him that he should protect Ryker.

"Listen," Caleb snarled through gritted teeth, his voice trembling with barely contained rage and desperation. "I don't know you. You could be lying your skinny ass off. If you kill a man in front of me, you better be ready for me to fight you every step of the way."

"Skinny—? No, you know what, never mind," Hunter scoffed, his cold gray eyes raking over Caleb's defiant form. "You're willing to die for this piece of shit? A man who would have taken Eli away and left you for dead?"

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