Page 13 of The Revenge Plan (Forbidden Descendants 1)

“He’s not messing around about it either. He’s asking girls if they’d seen her as they leave and come in.” Izzy rubbed her hands over her face before focusing on Haven and moving closer to watch her, her gaze full of pity and worry. “He might want to find her as much as she doesn’t want him to.”

Maybe. But if I had my way, Nicholl would not win this round.

“She asleep?” I asked softly, unable to actually see her face for myself.

My sister shook her head. “No. Her eyes are open and she’s breathing, but she’s completely out of it. I don’t think she even knows we’re talking about her.”

I knew about the breathing part. I could feel her breasts press against my chest every time she inhaled, and then she’d lull more heavily on top of me when she exhaled. It drove me crazy with a craving I knew I shouldn’t be having as much as it reassured me that she was still at least alive. But I hadn’t known she was awake. That was concerning. Why wasn’t she responding to anything if she was awake?

Shit. Had she known I’d been playing with her hair?

Izzy’s gaze lifted to mine. “We need to get her out of the building, Wick. Out of here and away from him. With the state she’s in—”

“I know.” I clenched my teeth and momentarily squeezed my eyes shut. “Shit, just—”

The ringing of her phone interrupted my thoughts. “This damn thing,” I muttered, reaching down between us. Since the phone rested in her front pocket, it vibrated against my junk every time it went off, and I had finally reached my limit.

Yanking it free, I caused my sister to gasp my name in reprimand for being so familiar with Haven Gamble’s prone body.

I sent her a scowl. “It won’t fucking shut up.” Checking the screen, I saw Nicholl’s name pop up and sniffed bitterly. “Figures.” I held it out in front of Haven’s face. “You want to take this?”

In answer, she tightened against me and clutched me harder before burying her face completely in my shirt so she wouldn’t have to see the phone at all.

“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” I tossed the offending object to Izzy, who fumbled to catch it against her chest. “Turn it off, will you?”

Haven’s breath hissed through cotton and moistened my skin before she turned her face back to the side with her ear resting against my heartbeat again. I settled my palm on the back of her head and stroked her hair with my thumb to apologize for showing her his name.

“We’ll get you away from him. I swear.”

Without saying a word, she allowed her muscles to loosen as if she were reassured by my promise.

Standing by the bed, Izzy widened her eyes at me, silently asking how we were going to accomplish such a feat.

“If he’s going to call his guys in,” I said, smirking as I lifted my hips to dig my own phone from my back pocket. “Then I guess I’ll just have to do the same.”

With her comfortable perch on top of me suddenly unsettled, Haven whimpered out a sound of distress and clutched the side of my ribs with her free hand to steady herself as we both rose a couple of inches.

“Shh. It’s okay,” I murmured, brushing her temple with my cheek as I sank back onto the mattress, lowering us again as soon as I got hold of what I needed. “I was just getting my phone. I’m done now.”

And just like that, she went slack, except she kept her hand at my side, holding me. I drew in a breath, trying not to let that affect me, even though it did, and I used my thumb of the same hand I was holding my phone with to call Cannon because my other hand couldn’t seem to relinquish its fascination with her hair.

“Yo, man, where you at?” Cannon answered. “I thought you said you were going to get online so we could play tonight.”

Cannon was a defensive end rusher for the team as well as my best friend.

He was also obsessed with every survival game to ever be invented. I usually gave in once or twice a week and played a round or two with him. And I had promised to get online to pair up with him this evening as soon as I finished my weekly, big brother check-in with Izzy.

“Change of plans,” I said. “I’m in a bit of a situation here. How many of the guys do you think you can call in? Nicholl has his Os staked out around Dandridge Hall, and I need to get Iz and myself out undetected.”

I purposely didn’t tell him whose girlfriend I currently had lying on top of me, because I wasn’t sure how he’d take that bit of news.

“Think anyone would be up for a distraction-slash-rescue mission?”

“Dude.” Cannon’s confused chuckle echoed through my ear. “What the fuck is going on?”

“Tell you later. Right now, I just need a path cleared from room two-twelve to my truck in the back parking lot. Think of it as a real-live survival match. You got my back or not?”

“Hell yes. I got you, man. Give me ten to round up the troops, and I’ll text you the game plan.”

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