59
I watch in horror as Fallon’s fierce hazel eyes fade and lose focus. Watch as her beautiful face goes blank as Tripp cradles her in his arms. She sags against his chest, a muffled whimper parting her lips, and then goes still.
“NO!” I lunge for her, the chains rattling as I grip the wire of the cell. Fear has me by the throat, so tight I can barely breathe. “FALLON!”
“Shhh,” Tripp soothes, kneeling to rest Fallon on the cold floor. Her head lolls to one side, her eyes now closed. “I’ll take care of you.” He looks enraptured as he scans his gaze over Fallon, grunting with pleasure.
I yank at my chains, slam my fists against the mesh wire, and scream. “Twisted motherfucker! You piece of shit. You’re fucking dead.”
God help this motherfucker when I get out of here. He is in the fucking ground with Aiden King and Declan Valiante and Gavin Cross.
Tripp, focused on Fallon, mutters, “Careful with her. I have to be careful with her.” As he caresses a finger over her cheek, he looks at me. His lips turn up. “You, not so much.”
Rage tears at me as I stare at Fallon, desperate to help her but unable to.
Tripp knew what he was doing keeping us separated. Cruelest fucking torture I’ve ever been through.
And yet, it gets worse.
Tripp leans down and presses a kiss to her mouth.
A cold sweat sweeps my skin. “Don’t,” I croak, close to breaking down.
“Mmm, tastes good,” he says with a grin. “Whiskey.” He drags a finger across her mouth, parting her full lips. He cups her face, caresses her hair.
Christ. My heart almost stops.
“Don’t,” I beg. “Don’t fucking don’t touch her.”
If he touches her—if he—
I squeeze my eyes shut; the thought too awful to bare. I’ll lose my goddamn mind. I’ll tear this cage apart with my bare hands.
Tripp reaches into his pocket and pulls out a ring.
My fucking ring. Every part of my body aches to gut the bastard.
I fight harder at my chains, sweat dripping down my neck, boots scraping across cement floor.
“You don’t like that, do you?” He slips the gold band on his hand, grins at me as he flexes his fingers. A black cloud storms across his features. “Feels good. Feels right.”
“You sick piece of shit,” I seethe.
“What if I…” My muscles stiffen as he undoes his belt. “Take her with me?” He slides the ring of keys off his belt buckle and uncuffs Fallon’s shackles. They pop open. “What if I take her upstairs, huh, asshole? What’ll you do then?”
“I’m going to kill you!” I lunge and I lunge and I lunge. The cage, the chains, rattle. I stop when I feel one edge of the cage lift.
Setting the keyring on the ground, Tripp cradles Fallon’s unconscious body in his arms. The motion has me sick to my stomach, has me gasping for air, has me seeing nothing but red, nothing but Tripp’s blood all over the floor of the basement.
“Fallon!” I shake the cage. “FALLON!”
Tripp lifts Fallon in his arms, stands.
“NO!”
He takes one step, and then we both freeze.
Truck tires.
The sound of a doorbell.
“Fuck,” he whispers. His eyes move to the stairs.
I hold my breath, staring directly at Fallon. Willing her to wake up. To hear my plea.
I’m sorry.
I’m here.
I have you.
Finally, Tripp clumsily turns and sets Fallon on the floor. Close enough to my cage that I can reach her. He glares at me as he shuts the door of her cage and disappears upstairs.
I wait a long second, hearing footsteps upstairs. The slam of the front door.
He’s gone. Fucking piece of shit.
“Fallon,” I gasp. I drop to my knees and crawl across to her. I thread my arm through one of the slotted diamonds and hold her wrist between my finger and thumb. Her pulse is thready and hammering. But she’s alive.
I exhale a shaky breath of relief. “Thank Christ.”
We have to get out of here.
I have to get her out of here.
One singular focus. Save Fallon.
My eyes lock on the keyring left behind by Tripp.
“Fucking idiot.” Groaning, I stretch my arm through the diamond hole, but they’re just out of reach. I turn my gaze to Fallon. My heart drops at the paleness of her face, the unsteady rise and fall of her chest.
“Wake up, Trouble,” I whisper. “Wake up so I can get you outta here.”
The sun is low. Late evening. Outside, the sky has a slow dying glow that would normally be quitting time on the ranch. Porch time with Fallon.
By now, we’ve almost been gone twenty-four hours. No doubt my brothers have a search party out on us. One thing’s damn sure, no one ever saw this coming.
I never liked Tripp, always knew he had the hots for Fallon, but to think he had this twisted shit inside him…
It’s fucked.
It terrifies me. If we’ll get out of this. If Fallon will blame herself.
We won’t walk away the same. But I’ll make sure she walks away. I’m her protector. She’s my girl. And over my dead fucking body will Tripp hurt her.
A soft moan pushes its way from Fallon’s throat.
Adrenaline floods my system. I scramble up, rip around and crawl toward her. “Baby? Fallon?”
I keep my eyes on hers. And after what feels like an eternity, those gorgeous hazel eyes finally flutter open.
I almost fucking lose it right then and there.
“Wyatt?” Fallon rasps. She’s ashen, her eyes rimmed with dark circles. Who knows what kind of drug he gave her.
“Easy,” I tell her as she groans. “He drugged you.”
“No shit.” Slowly, she sits up, her eyes swimming. “Oh,” she whispers, clutching at her head. “Fuck.”
Guilt crests over me. “Baby, I’m sorry.”
Her beautiful face clouds with anguished emotion. “This is not on you, Wyatt. Never.”
“We’re getting out of here.”
“How?”
“By your arm.” Her gaze follows mine. “He left the key to the cuffs.”
She smirks and snatches up the keyring. “Fucking amateur.” She picks through the key ring and swallows. “Wy, there must be twenty keys here.”
“I’ll try ’em all,” I tell her. “Hurry.”
She passes the ring through the cage to me. I clench my hand around the key ring. Breathing hard, I work the first key into the lock. Swear when it doesn’t work. “You’re free, and that’s all that matters.”
“No,” she says, snaking her tattooed arm through the wire to cup my face. She shakes her head fiercely. “That’s not all that matters. I’m not leaving you.”
“Fallon—”
The basement door opens.
Fallon’s eyes widen.
Fuck.
He’s back.