Chapter 36
36
KILLIAN
Z enker whirls, raising his fists. He looks around wildly, unable to spot us at first.
Dressed in black, we emerge from the darkness as shadow men. Advancing quickly, I slam my palms into his chest.
Zenker falls backward but doesn’t hit the ground because War grabs the front of his shirt while he’s mid-fall. After hauling him up, War slams him to the ground with the force of a pile driver.
The impact shoots up from the ground into my feet and calves. A few blows from War will end Zenker.
“Don’t kill him,” I warn, pulling my black ski mask up, so Raine can confirm it’s me. She’s pale and shaking, her eyes as wide as I’ve ever seen them.
War’s boot connects with Zenker’s chest, and along with another thud, I hear the sound of cracking ribs. I step around them, my focus zeroing in on her. As always.
Behind me, Zenker wails and wheezes.
“Shut your fucking mouth,” War growls .
When Raine’s eyes widen farther than seems possible, I follow her gaze.
The wheezing noise continues until War grabs Zenker’s throat and chokes him into silence. When he lets go there are grunting and gasping breaths but no screaming.
Jamie rifles through his pockets. “Handcuff keys,” he says and throws them to me as I drop onto the ground next to Raine’s makeshift wood coffin.
I catch the keys and lean in to unlock her wrists and ankles.
“You’re okay,” I whisper, sliding my arms around her so I can lift her to her feet.
“I’m glad you found me. Thank you.” Her voice is raw.
I squeeze her tighter, wanting to warm her up and reassure her at the same time. Then, I realize she might have injuries I could make worse. “Are you hurt?” With my hands sliding down her sides, I press against her body gently.
Her forehead rubs back and forth against my chest. “No. Just scared.”
My shoulders drop, a sense of relief flowing through me. “You knew I’d come for you, right? That nothing would stop me?”
“Yes,” she says through chattering teeth. “But I didn’t know if you’d get here in time.”
That’s valid, so I don’t know what to say other than, “Yeah, well, he’s lucky I did.” I lift her out of the box. “No shoes?”
She shakes her head.
“Stand still. Don’t walk. You might step on something sharp.” I hold her against me and rub her back, trying to warm her up. “We agree he’s a bad guy, right?”
If she says no, I’m gonna have to ignore or convince her. The guys won’t like that. But I’ll try because I want things to go back to the way they were before she overheard me.
She presses her lips between her teeth and looks away. “He’s awful. Worse than you know.”
That causes me to become still. She’s dressed. I don’t see any wounds. Did he hurt her in ways I can’t see? That makes me want to tell War and Jamie we should take our time .
But then she would overhear the blows and the screams. No. No matter what happened, that wouldn’t be good for her.
I lean closer, taking hold of her again as I whisper against her scalp, “You’ll be all right, Raine. I promise.” I sweep her up in my arms and carry her through the woods.
Zenker can wait. Everything can wait until she’s in a spot where she feels safe and warm.
I walk through the brush to the SUV, open the back door and set her inside on the seat. “I know you’re cold. Rest. I’ll put the heat on for you.”
She nods, chewing on the side of her lower lip.
After I’ve got the heat blasting, I return to her. “You know what? Today, I learned what fear feels like.” I look her over. “Glad I didn’t have to learn grief as well.”
Her chocolate brown eyes study me, full of emotions I can’t even name.
“Watch your feet, baby,” I say softly.
Raine moves her feet farther into the truck, and I close the door to keep the wind from blowing on her. I need to head back to finish Zenker.
Instead, I stare at her through the glass.
Alive. Safe. And back in my sight. That’s all that matters.
Whatever happened to her, we’ll deal with it. Even if she has to talk to someone like her dad. I’ll drive her back and forth. I’ll watch over her every second until I’m sure she’s okay again… I’ve done it before.
I turn and jog back to the site. I’ll end things quickly because I want to get Raine away from here as fast as possible.
War and Jamie have dragged Zenker into the water and have his head submerged. It’s like a pair of cats playing with a mouse.
He led us on a chase fifty miles north of campus. When we lost his phone’s signal, we thought we might find him too late.
That was not a good moment.
It took an unsettling amount of time to get his car’s VIN and locate it using its nav system. A lot of hacking, not all of it elegant or stealthy. That couldn’t be helped, though. We’ll worry about covering our tracks now that Raine is safe.
I pull the tactical folding knife from my utility belt and stalk out onto the rocky sand. As I open the blade I say, “Turn him.”
War and Jamie haul Zenker around so he’s facing me. He sputters and coughs while gasping for breath as sea water runs from his nose and mouth.
They each have an arm, so he can’t raise his hands to protect himself. He does try to get his feet under him to stand and break free, but he’s too late.
I grab his hair with my left hand and drag the blade across his throat with the other. Blood spills in a waterfall down his neck as his eyes bulge.
“Drop him.”
War and Jamie let him go, and Zenker falls face first onto the rocks and cracks at least one bone from the sound of it.
He tries to push himself up as blood pours from his neck. He turns halfway over before he collapses onto his side. I kick him the rest of the way and press my boot down on his chest so he can’t take another breath. He’s partially submerged, but his face is above water and the panicked look in his eyes is satisfying.
“He’s lucky she’s alive,” I say softly. “Or we’d have made a night of this.”
War and Jamie are silent. No idea if they wanted to drag things out or not. Doesn’t matter.
Zenker tries to gasp but can’t as I crush his sternum with my boot. Bulging eyes give me a pleading look. My response is to press even harder.
I watch as the life drains out of his eyes.
“Good luck in hell, mother fucker.”
RAIN E
Before we get on the highway, they seal their clothes and gear into plastic and put them into a hidden compartment under the spare tire. The smell of bleach and smoke is overpowering when they climb into the truck, wearing jeans, t-shirts, and fresh socks and sneakers.
We drive back to Foxgrove with the heat blasting from every vent. Killian sits close to me on a bench seat, with his leg pressed against mine. A calm stillness has come over me.
I’m safe now. Truly safe. War and Jamie came with Killian to find me. They were all armed. If they’d wanted to kill me, any of them could have done it easily. There was even someone there to take the blame. Instead, they helped rescue me.
Killian’s hand slides over mine, and his thumb strokes my skin. We’re in the back row, in the darkness. War and Jamie are talking to each other and the radio is on, so I’m sure they don’t hear Killian when he says softly, “You’re not angry anymore, right? This fixes things?”
My head turns slowly, so I can study his profile. “I’m incredibly grateful that you are who you are. I would’ve been killed if you hadn’t found me.”
“So, we’re good again?”
I blow out a slow breath. “You still lied to me. And confided in your friends that you planned to trick me. What if I had done that? Pretended to care about you and made a game of it.”
“I wasn’t pretending.” His brows furrow and he leans close, whispering in my ear. “And it was never a game. I did what I did to protect you. And I didn’t tell anyone. War was there when I was ordered to do it. He told Jamie, not me.”
“But why didn’t you tell me ? If it was the only way for me to be safe, I would’ve played along.”
“You wouldn’t have been believable. You’re not a good liar, Raine.”
“You say it like it’s a bad thing,” I say, with a dry chuckle.
“No.” His expression is serious as he stares at me. “There are no bad things about you.”
My heart squeezes. Despite all his flaws, he manages to say things that are disarmingly sweet.
“Don’t you think I want things to go back to the way they were? But how can I trust what you tell me, Killian? You should’ve confided in me. Maybe not at first, but after we spent the night together while they were gone. You should’ve?—”
He shakes his head.
“Yes,” I whisper fiercely. “You should’ve told me then.”
“And risk setting us back to when you wouldn’t stand in the same room with me? Let alone keep letting me sleep in the same bed?” He licks his lips. “No fucking way. Once I had you, I would’ve done anything to keep you. Lying is nothing compared to what I would do.”
“But it wasn’t real. Because I trusted you and now I don’t.”
“What don’t you trust? Not only would I kill for you… I’d die to protect you. Even when you weren’t talking to me, I would’ve fought with War and Jamie until they were dead or I was. That’s how committed I was to not letting anyone hurt you. Doesn’t that count for something?”
“Yes. Of course it does.” My throat is so dry it’s hard to swallow.
“No one will ever love you the way I do, Raine. No one fucking could. Can’t you see that?” His gaze is intent, his tone impatient.
My heart feels like it’ll hammer its way through my chest. “When it comes to us, I need to be the one you confide in. You can’t take anyone else’s side against me.”
“Against you?” His brows rise. “Are you fucking kidding? You’re part of me. Like the blood in my veins. Betraying you would be like cutting my own throat.”
“When I realized you were tricking me—at someone else’s suggestion—it felt like a betrayal. It hurt me.” My teeth sink into my lip, and then I whisper the truth. “You broke my heart.”
Killian’s brows rise, and he shakes his head slowly. “Then… I’ll never lie to you again.”
And there it is. The thing I desperately needed to hear.
“Thank you, and you can trust me to always keep your secrets. I promise.” I lick my lips and exhale the breath I was holding. “So, moving forward, things will be better. And you won’t hold me against my will again, either, right?”
He blinks and cocks a brow. “I can’t swear to that. Things happen.”
His grave tone causes me to laugh. Albeit mirthlessly .
“I care about you. So much,” I whisper. “Even though, at times, I don’t want to. I can’t help myself.”
The corner of his mouth curves slightly. “Welcome to my world, since the second I laid eyes on you.”
That causes me to chuckle again before turning serious. “I love you.”