Page 53 of Montana Falls
But there was a tremor in his voice, a slight shake in his hands, and I could tell he didn’t fully believe what he was saying. I wanted to believe it too—Ineededto believe it. But the longer we sat there, the more the fear sank in, wrapping around my chest like a vice.
“What if they can’t find us? What if we die here and nobody even finds out bodies?” I asked, my voice trembling.
The thought was too real, too terrifying to push aside. What if we were too deep underground? What if whoever took us knew how to cover their tracks? What if John had planned this all along and he was running things?
I’d end up hurting far worse than I ever had before.
I wouldn’t survive.
Widow looked away, his jaw clenching as he rested his head against the damp wall. “They’ll find us,” he repeated, but his voice had lost that shaky confidence. He sounded as if he were trying to convince himself more than me so I kept my worries to myself.
If Widow’s confidence was shaken, then things were truly bad.
The silence returned, heavy and thick, and I pulled my knees tighter to my chest, fighting the overwhelming sense of helplessness. My head still throbbed, and every inch of my body ached from whatever had knocked me out and dragged us here.I felt weak, vulnerable in a way I hadn’t since the night my father had sold me off, and it scared me.
I wanted to believe Widow, I really did. I wanted to believe that the guys were out there, searching for us. That Sapphire was going to come in, guns blazing, and save the day. But what if they weren’t? What if we were already forgotten, buried alive in this horrible place with no way out?
What if they never found us, just like I’d said?
My breathing hitched, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to push the panic away. Widow was right. They had to find us. They always found a way, no matter how bad things got. They wouldn’t just leave us here to die.
I wasn’t going to die.
As the minutes stretched into what felt like hours, I couldn’t help but feel the walls closing in. The cold seeped deeper into my skin, and the oppressive weight of the earth above felt like it was suffocating me. I wasn’t sure how much longer I could take it.
Widow shifted beside me, his hand brushing against mine, and I flinched, startled by the sudden contact.
“We’re not gonna die here,” he muttered, almost like he was talking to himself now.
Once more I wanted to believe him, but in that moment, the darkness felt like it was winning. I hugged myself tighter, staring into the void of the room, waiting for something—anything—to happen.
Widow moved again and placed his hand against my cheek, thumb stroking softly. My stupid stomach had stupid butterflies floating around in it, but I set them all on fire and carried on pretending that I was fine.
Then I realized how broken I was in the head to get butterflies about such a stupid little thing, when I was literally in a murder basement, about to die.
No wonder my father thought I was a waste of life.
“Everything is gonna be okay, Lilah.” Widow whispered. “I promise you’ll get out of here. I’ll make sure of it.”
“Tanner said the same thing.” My lips parted, breath coming fast. “Now look at him.”
“He’s alive, and so are you. It might not be all sunshine and daisies, but you got out.” Widow moved close enough I could almost taste him. “And if it comes down to it, I’d take a bullet for you the same way he did. So take some deep breaths, and relax. You need to be strong so we can figure out what we need to do next.”
“Okay.” I swallowed down my nerves. “I’ll be brave… I trust you.”
He placed the softest of kisses against my cheek, just shy of my lips, then pulled back so he could smile. “Good girl. Now tell me all about your band again? I need some good conversation to help me think about our escape.”
We may have been locked away together, unaware of our location or if we would be tortured or dead within the hour. But none of that seemed to bother me. Or at least, it wasn’t at the front of my mind as I rattled on about my band members, friends and all other music nonsense like he’d asked.
The truth was, it was hard to think about the fear because I felt safe. With Widow.
He would protect me.
I just hoped it didn’t cost him the same way it had with Tanner the last time I’d been in a situation like this.
Chapter Seventeen
Iwas giggling so much my cheeks hurt. My head was leaning back against Kody’s shoulder, his laughter rumbling against my body, as I snuggled against him like the world’s best pillow. I had Logan’s hand in mine, fingers laced together, and I squeezed it just because I could, because I was happy, ridiculously happy. The tequila was buzzing through me, making everything feel soft and warm and a little bit hazy, like I was floating through a dream I never wanted to wake up from.
