Page 56 of Devoted

“Okay, baby. Do you have an en-suite?”

“No.” I was trembling now, the adrenaline starting to surge. Surprisingly, it was such a familiar sensation that it grounded me. My brain thought I was in a fight or flight situation several times a day. I guessed that meant I was better prepared to cope when it actually happened.

“A wardrobe? With doors?”

My eyes flicked over to the sturdy wooden wardrobe in the corner. “Yes.”

“Go and get in it, as quietly as you can,” Zeke ordered sharply. “Give me your address and I’ll be there before you know it.”

I stopped where I was, tiptoeing across the room. “I can’t do that.”

“You can,” Zeke said grimly. “And you will. Your address, Sam.”

Something smashed downstairs and I flinched at all the jeers. Just how many of them were down there?

And why thefuckhad they broken in? It wasn’t like I had anything worth stealing.

‘If you give him your address, he’ll be hurt. Maybe even killed.’

“I can’t.”

“Sam”—Zeke sounded desperate—“I need to know where you are. I can’t help unless you tell me.”

‘If he comes here, he’ll be hurt. It’ll all be your fault.’

I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t even start to reason with myself in this situation.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered, getting into the wardrobe and closing the doors as quietly as I could. “I have to go now to call the police. I’m sorry, Zeke.”

Just as I pressed the red button to hang up, I heard one bellowed word from Zeke. A name.

But not mine.

“Nate!”

Who was Nate? And why was Zeke screaming for him?

I shrank back as the voices drew closer. There was no time to think about that now. I had to call the police and pray that, whatever the intruders wanted, they’d leave me out of it.

12

Ezekiel

The line went dead and my wings ripped from my back. “Nathaniel!”

Nate’s lilac eyes were suspicious as he stepped out of the kitchen, bowl in hand. “What?”

There was no time to explain. Grabbing his arm, I hauled him through the house. There was a smashing noise as he lost his grip on his bowl and it crashed to the floor. I didn’t pause, didn’t pay attention to the shit my wings were knocking off tables and walls.

No time. No time. No time.

When we were in Nate’s office, I shoved my phone into his hands. “Track this number for me.”

Nate was slow on the uptake, glancing down at the device. “Why?”

“Nate, do it.” Micah’s grim voice came from the doorway. I looked over to see that the entire unit was gathered, all nudging each other to try and see what was going on. Micah was at the front, arms crossed over his chest. “Fast.”

Nate kicked into high gear, going over to his workstation and tapping away at the keyboard.

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