Luke nodded. “It’s him, Liz. He’s my dreg partner, remember? I know him better than anyone.”
Another man spoke. He had dark hair and gray eyes. “I shot Mateo in the leg, but the bastard got away. This is definitely Ryan.”
I turned back to Ryan, staring into the face of the beautiful man I’d somehow fallen for.
“It’s me, Liz,” he whispered, holding his arms out. “Come here. You’re safe now.”
I stared at him hard, but I didn’t feel that evil aura that usually radiated off of Mateo.
This was Ryan. It really was.
I flung myself into his arms, and as he gathered me close, his warmth and strength enveloping me, I knew it was him.
Because only Ryan could make me feel so safe and warm.
CHAPTER THIRTY
Ryan
Mateo had gotten away. I swore I would hunt the little shit down and torture him, make him scream for mercy, before I ended his life. I would make him pay for what he’d done to Liz.
Liz was shaking, obviously in shock, as I helped her get dressed in her discarded clothes that I’d found lying on the floor in the far back bedroom. Then I picked her glasses up from the nightstand, and gently set them on her nose.
She swallowed hard and looked up at me with tears in those beautiful eyes. I wasn’t sure exactly what Mateo had done to her, but her face was bruised, her lip swollen and cut, and she had nasty teeth marks on her neck. I had swept my gaze down as I helped her dress, but a quick look didn’t tell me if he’d violated her down there as well. Only Liz knew the answer to that, and I’ll admit that not knowing was driving me crazy. Had that fucker raped her?
The sound of approaching sirens had us leaving quickly, disappearing before the cops showed up. We didn’t bother with cleanup, as there wasn’t enough time. We all headed back to our temporary hideout to discuss our next step.
Liz was silent on the short drive, turning away from me while she stared out her window. I didn’t know what to say to her, so I stayed silent as well. Maybe she just needed time to process what had happened.
We reached the condemned building where we were hiding out. I parked the car around back, then turned to her.
“Liz,” I said gently, unable to hold back any longer. “Did he…” I broke off, not sure how to go on.
She turned to me, her eyes glazed and filled with pain. She shook her head. “I don’t think so. He hit me and I passed out. When I woke up, I was naked. But I’m pretty sure he didn’t rape me. I’m not sore down there. I think you guys interrupted him before he could. And I twisted his dick too hard for him to be able to use it.”
Relief swept through me, followed immediately by admiration and respect. “You’re a strong girl,” I praised. “I’m so proud of you.”
Her face crumpled and she let out a sob.
“Oh Liz.” I pushed my seat back as far as it would go, then I pulled her across the car, dragging her on top of me, hugging her to me. There wasn’t enough room in the car to hold her the way I wanted, but she still clung to me, sobbing quietly, squished against the steering wheel while I held her and comforted her as best as I could. “I’m so sorry, baby. So sorry.”
I stroked my fingers through her hair and gently rubbed my prosthetic hand up and down her back, trying to comfort her. Gradually, she quieted and lifted her head. A wariness came over her features and she pushed away from me, climbing back in her own seat.
Her sudden withdrawal dumbfounded me.
“What’s wrong?”
She lifted her chin, her gaze meeting mine. She wiped at a stray tear. “You lied to me. You made a bet with Luke that you could seduce me without that love potion thingy.”
I flinched. “I don’t know what Mateo told you, but it wasn’t like that. I promise.”
She turned away, shoving her door open and sliding out of the car.
Shit!
“Liz, wait.” I scrambled out after her, but she was already walking away, heading for the building.
Shannon and Nishi were waiting for her, and they quickly engulfed her in their arms, leading her inside.
Goddammit. I needed to talk to her. I needed to explain.
The other dregs all followed me inside. I watched Liz across the room with Shannon and Nishi. They stood by her protectively, whispering to her, their arms around her, offering their comfort. Shannon and Nishi were both great girls and I was glad they were here for Liz. But I wanted to tell everyone to leave so I could have some time alone with Liz to explain myself. I wanted to be the one to comfort her. I wanted to hold her close and make her feel safe and help take away her pain.
“Can you tell us what happened?” Nate asked Liz gently.
Liz began haltingly, then her voice strengthened as she told a tale that made us all want to kill Mateo. She explained about fleeing and exchanging cars, trying to escape and Mateo hitting her, then Mateo calling someone on the phone at the hotel, and tackling her when she tried to escape again, then going to that house and Mateo having sex with the two prostitutes before killing one of them, and then coming to her room. “That’s when the soldiers arrived. They talked about someone called The Controller.”
I glanced around at the other dregs. “Anyone heard that name before?”
Everyone shook their heads no. “Maybe it’s the name the soldiers call Ellington,” Noah suggested.
I nodded. “Possible.”
“Or maybe he’s someone new that none of us know about,” Tony murmured.
A moment of silence stretched while we all contemplated that.
“We need to figure out a plan to lure Mateo out so we can kill the little shit,” Luke announced. “Whoever the hell he is. Whether he’s Mateo or someone else, he needs to die, especially for what he did to Liz.” There were murmurs of agreement from around the room. Liz reddened and lowered her gaze, obviously embarrassed.
“We’ve got to find and kill Ellington as well,” Nate pointed out.
“And we’ve got to get Ryan’s mom to a safe place,” Logan added.
Everyone exchanged glances.
“Mateo might go after my mom,” I said. “He went to the first hotel she was staying at, trying to get to her, but luckily, she’d already checked out. Now she’s staying at the Hampton. I would feel better if at least one of us was staying there with her, keeping her safe in case Mateo or Ellington find her.”
Jacob nodded. “I can do that.” He glanced at Tracker. “You in?”
“Yeah.” Tracker met my gaze. “Jacob and I will take care of your mom.”
Luke glanced at Noah. “We have Ellington’s phone number. Liz called him from her phone. Can you track the number and try to locate him?”
“I’ll certainly try,” Noah replied.
“Um, just for the record, I never actually talked to him,” Liz spoke up. “It went to a voicemail, so I just left a message.”
“We got the same thing when we called,” I told her. “Voicemail.”
“It might just be a message phone,” Noah pointed out. “In which case, tracking it might be useless.”
“Or Ellington’s just being cautious and only answering calls from numbers he knows,” I suggested. “We still need to try.” I went over to the chair where I had set Liz’s purse earlier. “Is it all right if I give Noah your phone so he can conduct his search?”
Liz nodded, so I gave the phone to Noah.
“I’m thinking Ellington is running low on soldiers,” Nate murmured, drawing everyone’s attention. “How many soldiers do you think we’ve killed since our escape?”
Everyone was silent a moment.
“At least a hundred,” Logan said. “Maybe more.”
We all nodded our agreement.
“If Mateo is really Mateo, then it seems Ellington’s having to use the recruits to carry out missions now,” Nate went on. “Because he’s running out of trained soldiers. The Company isn’t going to last much longer. If Ellington’s smart, he’ll lay low somewhere so the FBI can’t find hi
m. And now that we just took out about thirty more of his soldiers, he’s probably going to get desperate. ”
“Desperate men make foolish mistakes,” Luke pointed out.
“Why don’t we all check into a hotel for the night. Get some rest,” I suggested. “Mateo won’t get far on his own. If he’s wounded, he’ll probably stay here in the city and wait for Ellington’s instructions.”
“Mateo will probably coerce someone into helping him,” Luke stated, the disgust apparent in his words. “If he fooled me, he can fool anyone. We all need to be extra in tune to our partners and each other right now, because Mateo might try to fool us by becoming one of us. So we need to be prepared for that.”
More murmurs of agreement erupted around the group.
“I tracked Ellington’s phone,” Noah announced. “It’s still in Atlanta, so either he never left town or he left his phone behind.”
Another moment of silence stretched while we all contemplated that. Where was Ellington? Was he still in Atlanta? Or was he here somewhere, close by?
“Everyone be on the lookout for Mateo,” Nate advised. “Let’s head out.”
Everyone disbursed, heading for their cars. Nishi hugged Liz one last time, then urged her toward me, before going with Logan.
Shannon paused beside Noah, waiting while he gathered up his things.
“What hotel you checking into?” Noah asked me.
“The one next to where my mom’s staying, I think. That way I can be close by, but far enough away so that if someone follows me, they won’t find her.”
Noah nodded. “We’ll do the same.” He paused, eyeing me a moment. “Have you seen her yet?”
I shook my head. “No. I thought it best to stay away for now.”
“Good idea. But you’ll have to see her soon. Now that she knows you’re here, you can’t keep putting off your reunion.”
“I know, but I’m a little nervous about it.”
Noah slapped my arm. “Of course, you are. I’m nervous about seeing my mom, too. But I won’t deny I’m anxious for that day to arrive.”
Shannon squeezed Liz’s arm, then slipped her hand in Noah’s, and they went out.
I glanced at Liz. “You ready?”
She hesitated, eyeing me warily, then glanced over at Luke, who was the only one still here. Liz was still upset by whatever Mateo had told her, and unsure about my true intentions. She was hurt and I wasn’t sure how to ease her mind. How did I explain that stupid bet to her? How did I explain that it wasn’t what she thought?
“Give me a minute with her,” Luke said, his gaze locking on mine.
I searched his gaze, but I couldn’t read him. Luke only told me what he wanted me to know, and kept the rest to himself. He’d always been that way. And now that I knew his secret, I understood why he was so closed off from everyone. But I trusted him implicitly. He would never do anything to hurt Liz. He would never betray me in any way.
I backed away. “Okay.”
Liz’s gaze followed after me until I reached the doorway.
“I need to explain something to you,” he said quietly. “So before you jump to conclusions, just listen.”
I walked out, leaving them alone.
Trusting that he would try to ease her mind.
But not knowing how she might react to whatever he was about to say to her.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Liz
Ryan walked out, and I nervously jerked my gaze back to Luke. What was it he wanted to say to me? Why couldn’t he say it with Ryan here? What was going on?
“I’ve known Ryan a long time,” he began, his gaze intense as it bored into mine. “He has a big heart and would never intentionally hurt someone. Ever. He would never use anyone for his own gain. He’s actually a caring guy, though most people would never suspect that from the way he acts all cocky sometimes. He likes to have a good time, but don’t judge him for it. He’s never deliberately used a woman before. He’s not a bad guy, Liz. I promise. He just hasn’t found someone who gets him. Until you.”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t know what to believe. For all I knew, Luke could just be trying to protect Ryan and saying what he thought I wanted to hear.
He shook his head. “And no. I’m not just saying what I think you want to hear.”
I gasped softly, stepping back. “You can read minds?”
His lips twitched, but he didn’t answer.
I eyed him while he stared back, unblinking, his face expressionless.
“I know your secret,” I stated. “You’re the empath Mateo was referring to, aren’t you? You don’t have to hide it from me.”
Something flickered briefly in his eyes before disappearing. “I would appreciate if it you would keep that knowledge to yourself.”
“I won’t tell anyone, though I don’t know why you’re so worried about what other people think. Your friends all seemed trustworthy, and I doubt they would tell anyone.”
He grunted. “It’s not that I don’t trust them. But we weren’t talking about me. We were talking about Ryan.”
Yes, we were.
“So, I suppose you’re going to say Mateo was lying, and you and Ryan really didn’t make a bet about whether or not he could seduce me without using that love potion thing?”
He cocked a brow. “Love potion?”
I waved my hand. “Sexual pheromone…whatever. Ryan called it a love potion.”
Luke snorted. “He would. No, I’m not denying it. We did make a bet, but I was the one who pushed Ryan into it, and it wasn’t like you think.”
I stared at him, unsure what he was trying to say. “So, you’re saying I didn’t get played by a player? That he wasn’t using me, trying to seduce me just to win a bet?” Heat crept into my face. “It wouldn’t be the first time,” I admitted. “Though this time around I was smart enough not to sleep with him.”
Luke sighed. “Ryan didn’t want to accept the bet, Liz. I egged him on, telling him if he didn’t try to seduce you, then I was going after you. He didn’t like that at all. He told me to back off. And he never tells me to back off. We’ve shared women before—all of whom were willing, let me add—and he’s never cared whether or not I went after a girl before. But for some reason, he didn’t want me anywhere near you. Why is that, do you think?”
What was he getting at?
“I don’t know,” I whispered. “You tell me.”
Luke huffed. “Come on, Liz. Think about it. He has feelings for you. Why do you think I made that bet with him in the first place? To push him toward you. To make him realize you mean something to him.”
Silence stretched. I gaped at him, disbelieving. “But…he didn’t even know me then.”
Luke shrugged. “You think that matters? He felt a pull toward you. He sensed you were different, and he wanted you. You were the first woman to ever snub him, and I’ll admit I loved it. I got a kick out of seeing him squirm. He was willing to agree to that stupid bet because he wanted you all to himself. He wanted to keep me away from you.”
I swallowed hard and lowered my gaze. I didn’t know how to respond to that. “What would you have done if he hadn’t agreed to the bet?”
Luke heaved out a sigh. “Probably nothing. Bro code and all, you know. If a guy’s interested in a girl, the other dudes back off. But he didn’t know I wouldn’t really go after you. Just give him a chance. Let him explain. Let him tell you in his words why he accepted the bet and why he did what he did.” He stared into my eyes, his gaze more open than I’d ever seen it. “He came after you, Liz,” he reminded gently. “He rallied all of us together to save you. A man doesn’t do that, he doesn’t risk his life and the lives of his friends unless he cares.”
I closed my eyes, my heart pinching. Luke was right. Ryan had come after me. He’d saved me. Did that mean he truly cared for me?
The bet still bothered me. I just needed to do what Luke suggested and let Ryan explain.
I puffed out a breath. “Okay. I can do that. I�
�ll listen to him and let him explain.”
Luke grinned, a genuine smile that lit up his entire face and spread to his eyes. He wasn’t so intimidating when he smiled. In fact, he was a really good-looking guy.
And a really cool guy. I liked Luke. He didn’t have it as easy as the rest of us. Would his “condition” prevent him from ever getting close enough to a woman to fall in love? How did he deal with all those emotions, all those energies all the time?
Luke’s lips curved into a smile. “You’ll never understand me, Liz, so stop trying to.”
My eyes went wide. “You can read minds.”
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
“Come on. Let’s get Ryan and get the hell out of here.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Ryan
Liz was quiet on the drive across town to the hotel. I don’t know what Luke had told her, but she seemed more relaxed than she had before, so I had to assume he’d eased her mind about me. I still needed to explain myself to her. After what that prick Jeremy had done to her, I couldn’t have her thinking I’d done the same thing. I hadn’t accepted that bet only to seduce her. I’d accepted to keep Luke away from her. And because I’d been drawn to her, and curious as hell about her. I didn’t regret making that bet with Luke. Not at all. Because if I hadn’t, Liz wouldn’t be here with me right now. And I wouldn’t have gotten the opportunity to meet such an amazing woman.
A woman that all the other dregs believed I was in love with.
I parked in the second level of the Bricktown Parking Garage, then Liz and I walked to the hotel. Luke followed, parking next to us. We were alert, letting our senses scan for danger as we made our way to the hotel. Mateo was out there somewhere, so we had to be ready for anything.
I didn’t ask Liz if she wanted to stay with me, I just assumed she would. She didn’t say anything to the contrary, so I booked us a room, and we headed up. As we were bringing our things into our room, Tracker texted me, saying that he and Jacob had found my mom and they’d managed to book the room right next door to her.
She’s really excited to see you, man. You should go visit her. She’s in Room 445.
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