Page 28 of A Fine Line

Anton smiles at me and then moves back to where he was standing next to Erik as we wait for Darius to finish up and find out what we’re doing next.

I lean back against the wall, and my skin prickles. I peek over my shoulder, only to see my own reflection in the mirror.Carolina. I turn and stare straight ahead, knowing I’m looking right at her. I feel it in my bones, in the tightness in my chest. A feeling that not even an hour ago was suffocating, but now, it almost feels like a relief. I raise a hand and press it against the glass, and I swear I feel the heat of her hand through the glass as she presses hers against the same spot on the other side.

I inhale sharply, shaking my head at the idiocy of my thought process. Jesus fucking Christ, what’s wrong with me? I don’t have time for this shit.

I put my back to the wall again, watching Darius continue to murmur to the restrained man, and after a few more moments, Dare stands and walks over to me. “He said he can show us where he thinks they’re holding the girl. It was also quite clear that she won’t be the only one being held there. So, we’re gonna want to take a day or two to get things sorted so we can get them all out.”

I grind my teeth together, unable to respond through the rage pumping through me, and he rests his hand on my shoulder and squeezes. He leans in closer to me and asks, “Are you gonna be good for this? Because we can’t have you go into the situation and lose your focus.”

“Are we going to burn the fucking place to the ground?”

“Of course.”

“I’ll be good. So long as we can ensure that none of those child-abusing shitbags can breathe when we’re done with them, I’ll be more than good.”

Anton and Erik join us, and Anton turns to Darius and asks, “So, was that guy here to spy on us or something?”

“No,” Darius says as he shakes his head. “He’s another desperate man having to do desperate things to suit despicable people.”

“I’m not buying it,” I spit out. “Once Carolina’s daughter is secure, he’s a fucking dead man.”

Dare laughs and knocks me on the shoulder as he replies, “I didn’t say he wouldn’t pay for his sins; I’m saying that sometimes, sins aren’t chosen. That doesn’t give them a free pass or anything.”

“Kind of like the sliding scale that differentiates between whether you die or if you and everyone you’ve ever loved dies?”

“Exactly,” Darius replies emphatically. “And there are many circumstances where their friends and family knew and did nothing. They’re also culpable.”

We move out into the hallway, where Nettie and Carolina are waiting for us. Carolina is leaning her back against the wall, and she asks, “Did he know anything?”

I walk toward her as I reply, “We think so. We’re going to do some recognizance and then make a plan.” I stop in front of her, taking a step closer to her than is really necessary so I’m infringing on her personal space. She doesn’t try to move away; she looks up at me with soft brown eyes so full of deep yearning that my breath catches in my throat. I stroke the backs of my fingers down her cheek, then along her throat and over her collarbone until I’m pressing my palm over her heart. I feel her heart beating as I say, “We’ll find her. I promise.”

Nettie clears her throat, drawing my gaze away from Carolina, and I raise my brows at her as I ask, “You got a problem?”

She gives me her trademark haughty Nettie grin and replies, “Nope. This is great.”

I squint at her and give her a tight-lipped smile that definitely doesn’t meet my eyes before I return my gaze to Carolina, who’s watching me curiously. I look her over, my eyes traveling from where my hand rests against her chest and up to her neck, along her jawline to her lips, and over her cheekbones and the curve of her brow. Then I meet her eyes again and shake my head, whispering, “Fuck.”

With great effort, I step away from her, letting my hand drop to my side and muttering again, “Fuck, fuck, fuck me,” as I turn on my heel and walk down the hallway without saying another word.

Chapter Eleven

Carolina

JustwhenIthinkTony Andersen can’t be any bigger of an asshole, he proves me wrong. And I can’t even pinpoint exactly what he’s doing that makes him a big asshole, but for some reason, everything about him is rubbing me the wrong way today.

First of all, he won’t stop staring at me. And even when I catch him staring at me, he doesn’t avert his eyes like a normal fucking human being and try to pretend that he didn’t get caught staring. I’ve checked my face in the mirror three times, thinking maybe I have something on it, but that’s not it.

Apparently, he’s a fucking psycho.

Eventually, I decide I need to get away from him, so I move to the other side of the room, and Nettie follows. It’s late evening on our second day here, and we all decide to congregate in the game room. There’s a bunch of people here, men and women, playing a variety of games, from billiards to darts to cards.

Tony and Dare have been discussing the upcoming plans with Anton, and since they basically keep saying the same thing over and over again, not having to hear it again is ideal.

I sprawl on the sofa, my head resting back with my eyes closed, and Antoinette keeps fidgeting beside me. Finally, I peek an eye open, turning my head to look at her and ask, “What is it?”

She raises an eyebrow and half-shrugs but then giggles. “So…what’s up?”

I open my other eye and raise my brows. “What’s up with what?”

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