Chapter 7
We stop in the kitchen, and Tanner grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. “All right, come on over to the sink.”
That feels like a strangely specific instruction, and I frown.
“I’m so thirsty, I could probably drink that whole thing.” I leave out how I drank from the bathroom sink by shoving my face under the faucet. It’s why I had to tie up my hair; it was in the way.
“You shouldn’t drink much at first,” Tanner says, waving me over. “And if you do happen to get sick or choke, then you’ve got the sink right there.”
“Is that a possibility?” I walk over, stopping at his side.
Maybe I should admit that I already had more than a few sips in the bathroom.
“Dehydration is weird. If you drink too much all at once, then you could start puking.” He nods, cracking the bottle. “Here, I’ll help, so you don’t go too crazy.”
I feel terrible about not warning him I’ve already had some water, but my mouth is dry, and my stomach feels fine.
“Thanks.”
He tilts the bottle to my lips, giving me the tiniest baby sip of water.
I huff, trying to tilt the bottle farther, but he’s strong.
He pulls back the bottle and leans against the kitchen counter. “See, you’ve got to take it slow, but I don’t think your body will let you right now.”
“I’m fine,” I grunt, making a grab for the bottle. He holds it out of my reach, and my eyes narrow.
I could probably climb him too.
He looks sturdy enough.
“Give it thirty seconds, and I’ll hook you up again.” He grins. “Please don’t shank me. You’ve got murder eyes, and I’m too pretty to die.”
An unexpected bubble of laughter slips out.
Tanner is cute. He’s got a thicker build than Ranger, with more pronounced muscles. Even with full tactical gear covering his frame, it’s easy enough to tell he’s a strong guy. He has laugh lines around his eyes and mouth when he smiles, which tells me he’s a happy-go-lucky type of person.
His straight, blondish-brown hair falls over his forehead as he stares down at me with his blue eyes sparkling. “Are you feeling okay? Ready for another sip?”
“Yeah,” I agree, licking my dry lips. “Please.”
“Don’t fight me this time.” He chuckles, bringing the bottle to my lips. The cool water fills my mouth, feeling like the most refreshing thing I’ve ever tasted. He pulls it away all too quickly, and my foot bounces against the floor as I pout. “I know it sucks, but trust me. If you overdo it and start puking, you’ll be in even worse shape.”
“Oh, yeah? Have you been kidnapped before?”
“No.” His head shakes as he frowns. “But I did two tours in the sandbox. You don’t know hell until you’ve puked up bile and all the fluids you just took in. The headache that comes after…” He sighs. “Just let me save you from that.” Warm, scratchy fingers brush my cheek, and his thumb barely caresses the bruise on my jaw. “What happened here?”
“I tried to run.” I shrug. “One of them caught me by the hair, and my face bounced against the wall.”
“So, they didn’t…”
They screamed at me a lot, made a bunch of threats I don’t want to think about, and acted like I was stupid, but in reality, I couldn’t give them information I didn’t have.
“They didn’t hit me or rape me.”
He grimaces, rearing back, like he wants to get away from my words. “Jesus Christ.”
“Yeah,” I agree, refusing to meet his eyes.
It was bad, but it could have been so much worse.
Tanner gives me a little less than a quarter of the bottle and accompanies me back outside, but everyone is gone.
He shrugs. “It’s cold. Do you want my shirt? It won’t do much, but it’s better than nothing.”
“I want out of this disgusting dress and a fresh pair of underwear.” My face burns as my gaze falls to my bare feet. “Sorry, I’m exhausted.”
“You don’t need to apologize,” he says. “I’m a shitty savior. I just realized that you’re barefoot. Come on.” He holds out an arm. “I’m not going to stand here waiting for someone to come back for us. Let me carry you around to the front. If nothing else, we can wait in one of the SUVs.”
“Do you know where my sister is?” I ask, moving closer. “I really need to call her and let her know I’m all right.”
He scoops me up like a bride. “I was a late addition to this party, so I don’t have all the information. You’ll need to talk to Ranger.”
My eyes narrow as I tilt my face up to study his. Something in his tone immediately sets me on edge.
Tanner wasn’t lying about smelling like sweaty man-funk.
Being an omega around a compatible alpha is embarrassing.
My nose is weirdly obsessed with his scent, to the point I end up twisting in his hold until I can bury my face between his arm and torso.
“Are you doing okay down there?” he asks with a laugh.
“Yep, all good.”
“Okay.”
“There you are.” If I’m not mistaken, the voice belongs to Ranger. “What is she doing?”
“She is hiding,” I reply, pulling my face free.
“I could have framed that differently.” Ranger’s head bows as he strides forward on long legs. “Are you feeling any better after your trip to the restroom?”
“Yeah, thank you. Do you have a phone I can use? I need to call my sister.”
“I can assure you, Lyra is safe. Tanner is going to take you back to the hotel. Once I’m finished here, I will meet you there.” He clasps his hands in front of his waist and nods to one of the vehicles. “Why don’t you relax? It’ll be warmer inside the SUV. I need a word with Tanner. Then you can be on your way to a fresh change of clothes and a shower.”
My mind wars with being polite—considering they freaking rescued me—and demanding answers, because I feel like I’m owed more than a few.
Honestly, looking around and spotting the plethora of bodies makes me realize it would be smart to get the hell out of here.
If the police show up, I don’t want to be put in a situation where I have to rat out my rescuers.
A hotel room will also have access to a telephone.
My stomach rumbles loudly enough, all three of us pick it up.
“You’ll also be able to eat,” Ranger says calmly. “Although, I think it would be best if you’re looked over by our medical officer first.”
My eyes widen at his words.
They have a doctor on staff?
I need to speak with Lyra and find out what the hell just happened to me and why.
“Okay.”
Tanner carries me over to the running vehicle, and I get settled inside.
There are two men in the front seat that I don’t recognize, but I’m more focused on staring out the window to assess the conversation Tanner and Ranger are having.
I’m fairly sure it revolves around me.
It sets my hackles right up.
While I greatly appreciate being saved, I don’t like that I have no idea what’s happening.
Even more than that…
I’m now completely at these guys’ mercy. It feels a little like trading one set of jailers for another.
This one has just treated me better—at least, so far.
It’s hard to keep a wall up with Tanner because he’s just so damn friendly.
The SUV is warm on the drive to their hotel.
So, why does my body tremble with shivers?
I have no idea.
The massive alpha unclips his seat belt and scoots to my side.
He grins, nodding at his chest. “I’m not sure if you’re brave enough to go another round with my man-funk, but I’m available for cuddling if you’re cold.”
I give him a soft smile and shimmy my top half closer to his chest.
Omegas do best with coddling from alphas. He’s an unknown factor, and part of me screams that I need to be careful, but the rest is just too exhausted to keep fighting. I’ve been on edge for so many days, but the vibe with my kidnappers was completely different than with Tanner.
I rest my forehead against his pec, rolling my face up to meet his. “Thanks.”
He chuckles. “It’s nothing. I couldn’t stand watching you shivering for much longer. I was about to scoop you up and drop you into my lap.”
Huh.
If I would have known that was an option, I might have gone for that.
The hotel room is nice, but it’s not huge. There are two queen-size beds, a small table, and a bathroom. It’s still better than being trapped in that trunk.
“If you want to jump in the shower, you can go ahead,” Tanner says. “I’ll run and grab the medic. That way, he can give you a once-over as soon as you’re done.” He hands me a stack of clothing that isn’t mine.
I’m fairly sure the sweatpants belong to Ranger and the T-shirt is Tanner’s.
It doesn’t bother me.
I’ll wear just about anything to be out of this disgusting dress.
My eyes bounce between Tanner and the bathroom.
It’s the strangest feeling because, if he leaves, I’ll be able to use the telephone, but the idea of being alone makes me unnaturally anxious.
The next major problem is that I can possibly remember Lyra’s phone number, and maybe my job’s, but my cell phone normally has everyone’s number at the ready.
I don’t think I know anyone else’s number by heart.
“Would you stay?” I ask, looking up at him under my lashes. “I don’t want to see the doctor right now.”
Tanner nods, scratching his jaw. “Yeah, I mean, that’s your call. No one is going to force you to talk to the medic. Do you want me to order room service while you clean up?”
“Please, I’m starving.”
“No problem,” he says in an easy tone. “If this place doesn’t have room service, I’ll send someone out to grab us something.”
I move before I even know what I’m doing.
My arms wrap around his middle, giving him a squeeze. “Thanks, Tanner.”
My cheeks feel hot as I spin around to retreat into the bathroom. So much has happened that I’m a little concerned it’s all going to hit me at once.
I’ll face that if and when it comes.
Right now, I’m just thankful to be alive.
If these guys aren’t what they seem, then I’m pretty sure I can sweet-talk Tanner into helping me escape. Even he said that he was new around here.
I saw some stuff tonight that could get them into serious trouble, but I’ll keep my mouth shut, as long as they don’t try to keep me trapped here.