Page 88 of The Twilight Theft

An explosion buffeted me, knocking me flat. The high-pitched ringing in my ears muffled everything. I clapped my hands on either side of my head, the pain in my leg competing with the disorienting ring. It was too much.

Somehow, I was sitting up again. An arm wrapped around my throat and something cold pressed against my temple.

Wyatt said something. It sounded like a threat. All his kind words were gone.

I was already useless, except as a bargaining chip. “You didn’t want me to come with you.”

“The bird will be here any second,” said Wyatt. “If either of you tries to stop me, she’s dead.”

I gripped his arm, trying to pull it away from my throat. Failing. “Helicopters don’t fly around DC—it’s protected airspace. Don’t you know anything?”

“We only want Jayce back.” Rav put up his hands, showing he wasn’t armed. At least not with physical weapons, because I’d seen him take down plenty of men with his bare hands.

Next to him, Marc did the same. “You can keep the chip if you hand her over.”

Wait. Where was Drew? Had Rav ordered him to stay back? Had all his shouting my name been part of a ploy?

Of course it was.You’re a reckless thief who can’t be trusted, remember?Drew didn’t care.

“As much as I’m sure you’re an honest and upstanding pair of men, I think I’ll hold on to the little lady a few more minutes.” Wyatt hauled me up, inching us closer to the southern ledge. What would he do if that helicopter didn’t come?

Would he keep me as a hostage?

Or throw me over as a distraction?

Chapter 35

Drew

Iskirtedtheperimeterof the roof, hiding in every shadow I could. We had a plan. It started with the assumption Jayce was unconscious, too badly hurt to respond, or afraid for her life. Either way, she wouldn’t have warned him about the breach charges, so Wyatt would have been caught off guard and his ears would be ringing.

After Rav had blown the door, there’d been a few screams from below. But we were four floors above the patio, and the explosion was contained. Maybe people thought Gideon and Liana were setting off fireworks. That was the sort of thing the Tremaines would have done for their party. Rather than running for cover, most of the guests could have been waiting for the visual display.

Our plan was simple. Once we’d seen Jayce was conscious, the two big men held Wyatt’s attention and I snuck around to disable him.

What the plan hadn’t considered was a gun at Jayce’s head.

Push it into the locker, Drew.

After the past week, I had to clear my mental locker out—it was stuffed full to the brim. I needed time away. Somewhere uninhabited.

Why did I let her climb the building? Why did I move out of her way? Why the hell did I give her that boost?

Foolish, stubborn woman. She’d gotten it in her head she was going to do it, and she would have, whether or not I helped her.

But when I’d heard her scream—

That goes in the locker, Drew. Rescue her first. Then you can worry about her.

“That’s it, boys,” cooed Wyatt. He was fifteen feet from the southern edge of the building, keeping Jayce vertical with an arm around her throat.

She half-hopped, half-dragged herself with each step he took, barely able to move her left leg. That must have been the scream.

Fucking Wyatt James knew about her accident.

I fucking told him.

And then he’d used it to hurt her.

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