Page 11 of Broken Bonds

“Anytime.” He coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable.

I was scrolling through my phone, looking for the Uber app, when a bolt of lightning lit up the sky, making me jump. Sensing the urgency, I quickly found the app, but after putting in my request, I got denied immediately.

This wasn’t happening. Please, please,please.

He was still standing there, watching me, his brows furrowed and concern lighting up his gaze when I made a distressed noise in the back of my throat. “Everything okay?” He was shifting from foot to foot now, uneasy.

“The app isn’t working. I’ll just call for a taxi. You can go. So long.” I waved him off, trying not to reveal how freaked out I was. “Don’t worry about me.”

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I’m not worried about you.” I flicked my eyes up from my phone to glare at him for a beat. “I don’t want to ride in this weather.” He crossed his arms over his chest, and I nodded my head, pretending to believe his lame excuse.

I dialed the number for the local taxi service, only to get an automated message. “Hurricane Dorian is here. We arecurrently out of service. Please call back once the storm has cleared if you still require our services. Stay safe.”

“No!” I tightened my fingers around my phone, trying not to cry. This wasn’t happening. This was just a nightmare, and I would wake up any moment now.Any fucking moment, please!

“Closed?” His question grated on my last nerve.

“Yes, it’s closed because the hurricane is here, and I’m trapped here with you!” My phone dinged. I unlocked my phone, grimacing at the sight of my mother’s text message.

Mom: Flight’s been canceled.

“Nooooo,” I moaned, distressed. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

My phone dinged again.

Mom: We’re stuck in traffic.

Ace was looking at me and then at my phone, waiting for some kind of explanation as to why I was freaking the hell out. I was moments away from spiraling—crying, screaming, tantrum,something.

It dinged again.

Mom: They won’t let us come back.

I was doomed. I was going to throw up. My chest was too tight. My lungs weren’t working. Why weren’t my lungs working?

His phone rang, and he tugged it out of his pocket, swiping his thumb across the older android’s screen to answer the call. “What’s up, man?” His eyes shot to mine, and he nodded his head. “Yes, nothing will happen to her… We’ll stay here tonight and leave in the morning.” My mouth dropped open. He hung up and placed his phone back in his pocket.

Stay here tonight? Leave in the morning? Nothing will happen to her?

Oh, God, we were stranded. Stuck here. We were so, so, so screwed. This couldn’t get worse, could it?

“No,” I whispered when he opened his mouth.

“I hope you have booze inside.” He grimaced. “Otherwise, it’s going to be alongnight.”

“We can’t stay here!” I wailed, pulling at my blonde hair until my scalp smarted.

“We can’t go out on the roads in this weather. It’s too late, and it’s getting too dark,” Ace tried to reason. “This is the safest place for us.” I was shaking my head again, but he grabbed my hands, gently squeezing them. “Calm down. I promised Ryan you would be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you,” he swore, his words filled with conviction that made my throat close up.

“We’re going to die here,” I choked out, my voice strangled. I was past the point of freaking out. I was internally having a meltdown.

“We’ll die on the roads if we try to go out there now. Every single person out there is panicking, and I’m not willing to put both of our lives in danger.” Tears glistened in my eyes, and I blinked rapidly, trying to force them back. “Here is one hundred percent safer than out there. Your family is driving to Georgia; they’ll be safe. We’ll stay here until we can move somewhere better, but I promise you,” he crouched so his eyes were level with mine—warm and promising—as he gripped my upper arms, “I’ll keep you safe.”

Water dripped into his eyes from his hair, but he didn’t break our eye contact. I hated to admit that I felt safe with the asshole, but only because I knew Ryan wouldn’t leave me here with someone he didn’t trust… right? Thathadto be the only reason.

“Okay,” I sighed in defeat, my shoulders slumping. Ace tightened his grip, like he was trying to ground me so I wouldn’t spiral further. I knew he was right, but I had no intention of telling him so.

chapter five

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