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Caleb didn't hesitate, meeting Hunter's icy gaze head-on. "I don't know. But I do know one thing: if he dies, I'm not going anywhere with you."
For a moment, all they shared was the sound of their ragged breaths, the tension in the air almost suffocating. Caleb clutched the silently staring Eli tighter, willing himself to be strong for the young boy who'd come to mean so much to him, even as his knees threatened to buckle beneath the weight of his fear and uncertainty.
Finally, Hunter rolled his eyes, the disdain for Caleb's defiance apparent in every line of his features. "Fine," he muttered, holstering his gun with a swift, practiced motion. He stepped past Caleb, ignoring the way that Caleb flinched away from him.
He grabbed Ryker's unconscious form by the collar of his shirt, and dragged him into the motel room. He dropped him inside, away from prying eyes, and turned back to Caleb. "Get in the fucking car," he barked, his voice devoid of warmth or concern. "We're leaving. Now."
Caleb hesitated, torn between the need to protect Eli and the inexplicable yearning that tightened around his chest at the thought of leaving Ryker behind. But as he met Hunter's cold, unforgiving gaze, he knew he couldn't risk Eli's safety — not now, not when they were so close to potentially escaping their lives of pain and fear.
"Alright," he agreed, steeling himself against the ache that threatened to swallow him whole. With trembling hands, he buckled Eli into the back seat of Hunter's car, the little boy's confusion and terror palpable as he clung to Caleb's shirt. "It's going to be okay," he whispered, trying to infuse his voice with a confidence he didn't truly feel. "I promise."
Then he turned back to Hunter. "I need to get his things."
Hunter didn't even turn to look at him. "He'll get new things when he gets back."
"Fuck you. Don't make all of this scarier for him, let me just get his toys."
"Christ almighty! Ten seconds," Hunter warned, his impatience dripping from each syllable like venom. "Grab what you need for the kid, and let's go."
Ten seconds. He could work with that. Caleb's heart pounded in sync with the ticking clock in his mind as he dashed back into the motel room, the weight of those precious seconds bearing down on him like an anchor.
A properly motivated man could do a lot in ten seconds. Caleb's heart hammered in his chest as he darted back into the motel room, the lighting casting eerie shadows across the worn wallpaper. The weight of Hunter's impatience hung heavy in the air, and Caleb's breath came in sharp, shallow gasps as he scrambled for a notepad on the nightstand.
"Come on, come on," he muttered to himself, the pen quivering in his sweat-slicked hand as he hastily scribbled down the license plate of Hunter's car.
This was crazy.
But he was used to crazy.
He couldn't let Ryker just be left behind without a trace.
He tore off the sheet of paper and rushed over to Ryker's unconscious form, now sprawled like yesterday's trash on the thinly carpeted floor.
A pang of tenderness pierced Caleb's chest as he studied the man's face — softened and vulnerable in unconsciousness, stripped of the usual cool command that made Caleb flush with desire.
This was no time to have fucked up feelings for unsuitable men. Caleb shoved the torn note into Ryker's pocket, his fingers lingering just a moment too long on the coarse fabric.
Nine... ten...Hunter's voice echoed in his head, the seconds ticking away like a bomb primed to detonate. With a reluctant sigh, Caleb tore himself away from Ryker's side, his gaze lingering on the strong lines of the man's jaw, the dark shadow of stubble that he longed to feel scraping against his own skin once more.
His footsteps slapped on the cracked pavement as he raced back out to the car. In the driver's seat, Hunter's cold gray eyes bored into him. For one terrifying moment, Caleb couldn't help but wonder if the man could see right through him.
"Finally," Hunter spat, his tone dripping with irritation as he revved the engine. "Let's get moving."
As the car pulled away from the dingy motel, Caleb stared out the window, his thoughts a whirlwind of fear and longing. He couldn't shake the image of Ryker's unconscious form, or the way his heart had ached at the sight of those strong hands cradling Eli even in the throes of darkness.
As they sped down the desolate road, Caleb sent a thought out, imagining it winging through the whistling air and landing back at the motel.
You wanted to track me down so bad?
Come and find me, then.
Please.
Chapter ten
Adeep,throbbingpainpierced through Ryker's skull, dragging him back to consciousness. His eyelids fluttered open, revealing a motel room shrouded in shadows. The muted colors of the cheap wallpaper seemed to mock his hazy vision as he tried to focus.
"Shit," he groaned, his voice rough and gravelly. Fresh blood stained his shirt, a stark reminder of what had transpired only minutes ago. He pressed his hand against his temple, trying to steady himself against the relentless vertigo.
