Page 63 of Caught in the Crossfire
Why wouldn’t she tell us?
We’d promised not to push her. We’d all agreed it would only make it worse.
But she wasn’t getting better.
And I was just getting worse.
If she got hurt again, I knew I’d lose it.
My teeth gritted. “If you won’t take care of yourself, then I’ll have to do it for you.”
I’d lock her here. I’d barricade her in her room. I’d make the other guys agree with me. Cas was right that she’d hate every fucking second, but at least she’d be alive.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
No.I wouldn’t do that. I stepped back, dragging my hands through my hair.
“I don’t know,” I huffed. I didn’t know what the fuck I was saying. “Whatever. It doesn’t matter. Forget I said anything.”
I would not be this goddamn idiot. I had to get my head straight and let her do what she needed to do. Iknewshe wasstrong. I wanted her to be the woman who looked death in the eye and faced it down. But the more I loved her, the more insane it made me.
This…lovewas raw. A gaping, festering wound certain to spell my doom. It was bullshit.
So I pulled away before the wound could get any worse. Before I could hurt her any more.
“Ryuji! Where are you going?” she called while I made a beeline out of the kitchen.
“Gym,” I replied quickly, but I had no idea. I needed time to think. “I’ll see you tonight.”
24
WYNN
We had just pulled in front of the marina in two separate armored vehicles when the panic attack hit.
My chest constricted, and my breaths went shallow. My eyes squeezed shut while I tried to breathe my way through it. I was ready for this. I swore to myself I was, but the wound on my stomach throbbed in disagreement.
Ciel was the first to notice. His eyes hadn’t left me ever since our argument in his room, where he’d sworn to stick close to me. I appreciated his help, but I was once again burdening him. I could handle myself. I wouldn’t be the weak link anymore.
I shoved my hand into my pocket, grabbing my brass knuckles. My fingers clenched around the weapon, letting the metal dig into my hands as I closed my eyes and took deep, steadying breaths.
Willow’s voice was in my ear, telling me to breathe. To ground myself in the here and now. To get it under control.
Ciel’s hand brushed against my thigh, the look on his face questioning. He was in the backseat next to me, and he was supposed to be tapping into the marina’s security camera feeds.
“I’m fine,” I hissed. If Ryuji or Obi saw my panic attack, they’d call off the mission. Ryuji had barely spoken to me in days, and accusing glares burned holes in my back. I knew he blamed me for what happened to Leona, and he couldn’t be the only one of my brothers who felt that way. I did too.
I had to get this under control so we could get vengeance. I had to show Leona and my brothers that I wouldn’t make the same mistakes again.
Ciel’s palm landed on my thigh and squeezed as he leaned over. His breath tickled while he whispered in my ear. “You’re not fine. I’m done pretending you are.”
My head snapped up, but he was already looking at the tablet. Instead of his hand, his thigh firmly pressed against mine.
“I looped the feeds,” he said, to my complete surprise. I had a flash of fear that he’d tell the guys and ruin everything. “The ship is docking now. I see a few other cars pulling up. They’re driving right up to the dock. I’m guessing it’s Orik Vokshi.”
All six of us wore our earpiece comms. Ciel, Obi, and I were in this car. Ryuji, Cas, and Leona were in the other. We’d brought two just in case we needed a second exit strategy. The guys weren’t taking any chances with safety tonight.
Obi’s voice came through the comms. “We’ll slip through the shadows once they dock and the crew starts moving. Engage with stealth as long as we can. Prioritize the safety of the trafficking victims.”
