Page 133 of Beautiful Prey

I stared at them from the window. The officers took me out and brought me to them, and I didn’t even know what to say.

“Eve, so glad you're okay.” Tyler smiled. “You remember me?”

I remembered. It was hard to believe it had only been a few days.

“This is one of my family's facilities,” he stated, seeing my look of confusion. I remembered the conversation we had at the banquet. “Mr. Foley is here in lieu of your uncle since he couldn’t be here in his current state. I wanted to be here to escort you too, so you know you're somewhere safe.”

I licked the rainwater from my lips, my throat dry. “Why am I here? Why didn’t I just go to Detroit Mercy with Liam?”

“Your uncle requested it,” Mr. Foley said. “He wanted you to have the best care if—no, when I should say—you were to be found.”

Tyler’s smile widened; his suit immaculate even in the rain. He stepped down to me, covering me with his umbrella.

He leaned his face closer to me. “You will get the best care here, Eve, I promise.”

This was all happening so fast. I was still stuck on that dock watching Emery fall, watching him go under the water. This couldn’t be happening.

“I-I need to go back. I need to find him…I…I…” I was going to lose it again. I was never going to stop breaking. Like the waves. Over and over.

I didn’t know whether I slipped or I started to fall from exhaustion, but Tyler caught me.

“Let us make sure you're okay first, Eve. Come on. It’s warm inside, and you're freezing. We don’t want you going into shock.” He looked up at the officer behind me. “Uncuff her, she’s not a prisoner.”

They did as he ordered and my hands fell to my sides. I didn’t try to run again. Where could I go? The only car was the cop car. I didn’t even know my location.

And even if I could get back to the river. By now…

He’s gone.

The thought was there, loud and clear. I shivered violently, and Tyler took that as a sign to lead me up the steps to the building.

I shuttered my thoughts with each step. I closed myself off as my will broke. Piece by piece.

As they opened the doors and brought me inside, the Eve I knew didn’t follow. She got swept away along with her Emery in dark water.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

EMERY

Cold.

Dark.

Pain.

Nothing to hold on to. No light to reach for.

Would this awful hell ever end?

I woke to the sound of a scream.

It was a distant echo. A howl more than a scream.

An animal.

Everything else came in a rush. The wet earth under me, water lapping at my legs, the wind on my back.

Fuck, it was cold.