Page 76 of Love Undercover
She nodded, then realized he wouldn’t be able to see it, but he didn’t insist on verbal confirmation as they shifted through the trees. They stopped once for him to grab his black bag, which he threw over his shoulder before pulling her along again.
He didn’t seem to care how much noise they made, but it didn’t matter with the wind rustling the trees and the raindropsas they splattered the leaves and ground around them. Plus, the thunder had gotten closer, letting out long, loud grumbles after every flash of light.
Time stretched, and she couldn’t help glancing backward, worried that someone had already been sent to search the small wooded area for them. How long after they found the bodies would they wait before they’d come for her and Chase?
She stumbled over a fallen tree, catching herself against Chase, who slowed to help right her. He said nothing about her tripping, didn’t scold her for not doing as he’d told her.
They just kept moving.
36
Grief and Guilt
They reached the edge of the stand of trees, and Chase pulled her to a stop. Her terror snapped on the air, vibrating like an electric shock that he felt through their connected hands.
He waited, watching the dark road for any other vehicles. He wasn’t sure Zim wouldn’t come flying back out or if a second vehicle might arrive with reinforcements.
Only a few seconds passed as the thunder rumbled above them, giving the moment an eerie sense of foreboding he couldn’t shake. But he took a breath and shot out of the trees, pulling her across the road with him, his hand tight around hers. Until they were safe and away from here, the unease wouldn’t dissipate.
He opened the passenger door for her, helped her climb in, and sprinted around to the driver’s side, tossing the duffel into the back before getting in. He left the headlights off as theywhipped around and went flying down the deserted highway. It was probably ten miles before he felt safe enough to flip them on.
He glanced over at Sadie. One of her hands gripped the door, and the other was a claw around the center console, fingers digging into the fabric, just like the day before. Had that really only been twenty-four hours ago?
It gutted him to see how small and frightened she looked. Her lips were a colorless line across her beautiful, pale face, and her hair was soaked and dripping onto her shoulders. He turned the heat on full blast, angling the vents at her.
“How are your hands?” he asked.
She jerked to look at him, her already big eyes rounded in what could potentially be categorized as shock. Her delicate brows pulled low over her eyes as she looked down at her hands in question.
“Did they burn? Any blisters?” he prompted.
“Oh. . .” She ran her fingers over her palms. “No. They’re fine.”
“Good.”
The way she continued to stare at her hands made him wonder what else had happened back there, if they had done anything to her. The thought alone stirred his fury.
“Sadie, I hate to ask, but. . .”
Her attention swung to him, her expression unchanged.
“Are you okay? Did they do anything to you? Did they—“
“No.” The word came out on a breath. “They didn’t touch me. I’m not hurt at all.” Her head swiveled back to the window, and he made out the blank expression on her face in the faint reflection of the glass.
The rage had been hot and stinging through his body, but it lowered to a simmer now. He still felt the anger the whole situation had inspired like a poison in his veins, an unending burn in his blood.
If he'd had time, he would’ve done as much damage to Travers and Santiago as he could have. Caused as much pain as humanly possible. It was a partial satisfaction that the two were no longer breathing, dead by his own hands.
But now he needed to figure out what to do next. And he needed clarity to do that. They still only had half the information they needed, and he had to figure out who he could trust with what he had, or get the final piece of the puzzle—the evidence of how everyone was involved. After finding Kyle dead and getting jumped, he wasn’t sure where he would turn next. Or if he should get help from anyone else. Any person he came in contact with would automatically be in danger.
So he was well and truly on his own from here on out.
His fingers tapped an endless rhythm on the steering wheel as the wipers dashed across the windshield. The rain was pouring so hard, it made it impossible to have a conversation over the sound of it hitting the car.
Not that it mattered. Sadie wasn’t capable of having a conversation at the moment. Eventually, her head lolled backward as she fell asleep.
Waves of guilt buffeted him while a string of rebukes played like a broken record in his head. He never should have brought her to Kyle’s. Never should have left her alone. Never should have let Santiago and Travers set foot inside his house that first time.
