Page 150 of Unrequited
Points to the ground again. “Lie down,” he whispers.
I obey. My spine hits the wet sand. The wind steals the breath from my lungs. Ashland kneels beside me. His fingers reach for my neck.
I slap at him, trying to shove him away. He bats my hands aside like they’re nothing and pins my wrist to the ground. His fingers find my pulse point again.
“Aye,” he mutters, not looking at my eyes. “That’s what I thought. No pulse.”
Wait—what?
He pulls out a phone. Finger to his lips.
When I don’t move, he dials. “I’ve got her,” he says, calm and flat, like a man commenting on the weather. His fingers trail down my neck. I shiver.
“There’s no pulse. Looks like she broke her neck.”
Oh my god.
“She’s gone.”
He’sstagingit. Faking my death. He’s in on it.With Seamus?
Then, without another word, he stands and disappears around the bend in the cliff. “Stay there,” he says, like it’s nothing.
The second he’s gone, everythingchanges.
The silent watchers from before suddenly surge forward. Too fast. Too many. I scream, or try to. Hands clamp down on my mouth, my arms, my legs. I fight like hell. Kick, claw, bite.
But it’s no use.
A gag goes across my mouth. A bag over my head. Darkness.
I can’t see them, but I can feel something—something about them is familiar. A smell. A breath. A whisper I half remember.
They wrap me in a thick towel and carry me like I’m nothing. I’m shoved into the back of a car. I thrash and scream against the gag, but my body’s still too weak. My adrenaline’s raging, but it’s not enough.
Then I hear it.
Russian.
A familiar voice, rough and sure. The bag is pulled off my head.
Relief hits me so fast it knocks the breath out of me.
The driver turns. Our eyes meet in the rearview mirror. Matvei.
My cousin.
“Hold on, Zoya,” he says, voice gravelly with emotion. “I’m sorry you had to go through this. You’re okay. You’re not safe yet, but will be.”
My teeth are chattering. “Wh-what happened?” I ask, shaking. I’m freezing even wrapped in the towel. Still wet. Still raw.
He sighs. “I’ll tell you everything. I’ve been working with Seamus.”
My eyes widen.
“You know my parents fled after their betrayal, don’t you?”
I nod.
