His Tormented Heart

by Katee Robert

  She looked up to find Ryu in front of her. It was a token of her worry that she hadn’t noticed him approaching. There was no telling who could be watching. If they arranged for a restaurant close by, they obviously knew she was staying here with Ryu. The lobby wasn’t exactly crowded, but enough people lingered that she didn’t want to speak plainly.

  She tried and failed to dredge up a smile. “I was just thinking that it’d be nice if we went out to dinner tonight.”

  “Dinner,” he said slowly. Understanding dawned in his dark eyes. “Dinner sounds nice.” He held out his arm and she set her hand into the crook of it. “Let’s get our stuff put away first.”

  “We can’t take too long. We have a reservation in a little over an hour.” An hour. The others were in the city, but she had no idea where in the city. The timeline would put Cami as intervening with Esther at nearly the same time they had dinner instead of hours before.

  She didn’t like it. She didn’t like it one bit.

  But Delilah held her expression as best she could and allowed Ryu to lead her to the elevator and take it up to their floor. A minute later, he shut the door to their room behind him. Ryu held up a hand, motioning her to silence. “Let’s take a shower.”

  “A shower?”

  “Yeah. Clean up after traveling.”

  She watched as he went into the bathroom and gave it a thorough search, going so far as to shine a light into the vent overhead. Finally, he turned on the shower and motioned her into the room.

  Ryu shut the bathroom door. “We should be able to speak clearly in here if we’re quiet.”

  “They sent me an address and made a reservation for seven. It’ll happen there.”

  He pulled out his phone and started typing. “What’s the address?”

  She rattled it off, her heart in her throat. “This was a mistake. It’s too fast, too soon. We’ll find another way.”

  “No.” He took her shoulders. “It’s a tighter timeline than I’d like, but ultimately it changes nothing. We’re going. It’ll be fine.”

  It’ll be fine.

  Did he even hear himself?

  She pulled away. “You don’t know it will be fine. They might set up a sniper and shoot you from a distance. They might poison your food. There’s a thousand ways they could kill you in a restaurant without stepping foot inside the building, and it doesn’t matter if your siblings get the person responsible because you’ll be dead.”

  “And your sister will be safe.” He said it so calmly, it took several long seconds for the words to penetrate.

  Did he just …

  He did.

  Delilah laughed bitterly. “So it’s like that, then. You’re still paying penance to your guilt and if this acts as punishment, then all the better.” When he didn’t immediately respond, she had to fight the urge to shake him. “You were so pissed at your sister for being determined to walk a dangerous road that could end up with her dead, and now you’re here doing the exact same thing. What the actual hell, Ryu? Do you think your death will make up for anything your father’s done? Because it won’t. He’ll still be a monster, and you’ll be in the fucking ground.”

  “I don’t have a death wish.”

  “Could have fooled me.”

  He pulled her close. She resisted for half a second and then let herself slump against him with a muffled sob. Ryu wrapped her up in his arms and she could almost, almost believe he could keep the bad things at bay with nothing more than his formidable will.

  Life didn’t work like that, though.

  “Ryu, I don’t know what I’ll do if something happens to you.”

  He hugged her tighter. “My siblings will be there. Nothing will happen to you or Esther.”

  Promises he couldn’t make. He had no idea what would happen, so he had no idea if his siblings would be able to counter it. They didn’t know anything right now. They were well and truly flying blind.

  His phone buzzed and he released her with one arm to check the messages. His body relaxed against her, just a fraction. “Cami has eyes on Esther. She’ll move on her the second we walk into that restaurant.” Ryu gave her one last squeeze and released her. “It’s time to go.”

  Words bubbled up inside her, panic and fear giving them wings. “Before we go … Ryu, I l—”

  He pressed a finger to her lips. “Not yet. Tell me after we walk out of this unscathed.”

  That was the problem. She didn’t know if they would walk out, let alone unscathed. What if this was her last chance to tell him that she loved him?

  Delilah gave herself a shake. She couldn’t think like that. Ryu already rode the edge of reason when it came to what might happen in the next hour. She couldn’t afford to do the same. She’d have to believe enough for both of them. “Okay.”

  After that, they had nothing else to keep them from changing and heading straight to the restaurant. Every step of the way, tension knotted the muscles in Delilah’s back. She swore she could feel eyes on her, but at this time of night, the sidewalks were crowded. It was impossible to tell if someone looked at them a little too long, or if they were being followed or anything.

  No.

  She couldn’t panic.

  If she did, Ryu would look after her instead of himself, and she needed him to be okay at the end of this. She didn’t know what she’d do if he wasn’t.

  Their destination rose up in front of them all too soon. A classy restaurant with intimate low lighting and a classical feel. The hostess took their name and immediately led them back through the main room to a little hallway. “Our private dining rooms,” she said as she swung open a door and motioned them in.

  Delilah tensed, half expecting men with guns. But there was nothing out of the ordinary at all. Ryu held out a chair for her and then took the one directly next to her, leaving them both facing the door. He gave her hand a squeeze under the table. “Nice place.”

  How could he sound so calm when it felt like her heart might burst right out of her chest in fear?

  “Ryu—”

  “What are you hungry for?” He picked up the menu and started reading. The sheer strangeness had a hysterical laugh clawing its way up her throat, but she managed to hold it inside. Barely. Delilah picked up her menu with shaking hands, but the words blurred and ran together on the page. It was just as well. If she tried to eat right now, she might throw up.

  She almost screamed when the waitress appeared, but Ryu seemed perfectly at ease. He ordered for both of them—a move she would have given him serious side eye for if she wasn’t on the verge of losing it. The second the woman disappeared, he pulled Delilah out of her seat and into his lap. “Breathe. Everything is going to be okay.”

  “You can’t promise me that.”

  “No, I can’t.” He rested his chin on the top of her head. “Have I ever told you about how my brother and Cami met?”

  She knew he only wanted to distract her, but Delilah wouldn’t hold off her fear forever if she just sat there and thought about all the horrible things that could happen to Ryu. “No, you never told me.” She cleared her throat. “She participated in the Wild Hunt this year, right? They both did.”

  “That’s right.”

  Now that he mentioned it, Delilah remembered a drama surrounding the whole thing. Normally War played the White Stag, the person hunted by the competitors. Catch her and they won—something no one had managed to do in the history of the Island of Ys. But this year, Cami had played that part. It had been all the gossip for the handful of days she managed to evade the competitors, right up until one of them caught her. Not Famine, though. He’d competed, but he hadn’t won.

  “Luca used to be a Thalanian noble, before he was taken.” He trailed off for several long seconds, no doubt thinking about who was responsible for taking Famine—Luca. “He took one look at the princess and decided she needed someone to protect her.”

  Delilah pulled back enough to look at him. If this woman needed protecting, why the hell had they
sent her after Esther?

  Ryu nodded. “He went after her, planning to keep her safe. The first night, she ambushed him. She didn’t really need his help. Not once.” He tapped his pocket, the one that held his phone. “She accomplished what she set out to do.”

  Oh.

  Oh.

  She finally took a full breath and relaxed against him. So this story had a point, a secret meaning within meanings. Cami had successfully extracted Esther. Her sister was safe.

  The knowledge should make her happy. Fear for Esther had been driving her for so long, especially in the last two weeks. Her relief felt hollow, like a breath she couldn’t fully release. Even if Esther was safe, the danger hadn’t passed. If anything, it was heightened now, because they’d have pissed off the people who wanted to use Esther as leverage. Ryu would pay the price if they failed.

  She cleared her throat. “That seems uncharacteristically easy.”

  “I think so, too. She didn’t see anyone watching your sister, and no one tried to stop her from hauling her out of her building.” He frowned. “I fully expected there to be a fight.”

  She should be happy there wasn’t, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of another shoe about to drop. Nothing about this situation had been easy from the beginning. Surely it wouldn’t start to go right now, when they needed it to the most.

  The door opened and Ryu set her back in her chair. “Food’s here.”

  “Sorry to disappoint, but there’s been a delay.” A blond man stepped into the room. He gave the impression of a Roman gladiator clothed in an expensive suit, as if the refinement was a costume he put on under duress when he’d much rather be wearing leather and wielding a sword. Delilah was barely able to adjust to his presence before he raised a gun and pointed it at Ryu. “I’m going to need you to come with me.”

  Delilah started to shove to her feet, but Ryu caught her arm and held her in place. He had a mild look on his face as if he’d expected exactly this to happen. “You’re the mystery caller, I expect?”

  “Someone’s been telling tales.” The man shook his head at Delilah before refocusing on Ryu. “I prefer Tristan.”

  She braced for that gun to turn in her direction, for the bark of a shot and the pain in her chest when the bullet penetrated. It didn’t happen. Instead, the blond motioned with his free hand. “Come on, Ryu Zhao. I don’t have all night.”

  Ryu jerked as if he had been shot. “That’s not my name.”

  “Isn’t it?” Tristan shrugged. “Have your identity crisis on your own time. I have my orders, and my employer isn’t a patient man.”

  “No, I suppose he wouldn’t be.” Ryu rose to his feet and smoothed a hand down his suit. As if he wasn’t being threatened right now. As if this was just a normal conversation and a normal inconvenience. He gave her a soft smile. “Go to our room and call my sister. She’ll ensure you’re taken care of.”

  Delilah stared. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”

  The blond rolled his eyes. “He loves you. It’s romantic. Let’s go.” He stepped back and motioned Ryu to precede him to the door.

  She fisted the fabric of her dress, trying to resist the urge to start throwing things. To fight, to claw, to do something beyond just sit there like a target. “I suppose this is the part where you shoot me?”

  “Why would I?” Tristan gave her a look like she was crazy. “You followed orders beautifully, dove. Your sister is fine, though frankly, she seems stressed the fuck out with finals. I doubt Death will thank you for leading her brother into a trap, but that’s not my problem.” He turned a sharp look on Ryu. “That’s enough stalling. Let’s go.”

  And then they were gone, disappearing out the door while Delilah sat frozen. Ten seconds passed, marked only by the racing beat of her heart.

  Wait a damn minute.

  What was she doing?

  Delilah shot to her feet. She looked around, but there wasn’t anything resembling a weapon conveniently stashed in the room. The closest thing she could find was a steak knife that seemed more for show than for function. It would have to do. She opened the door and slipped out into the hall.

  It was deserted.

  Delilah turned toward the main restaurant and changed her mind. The guy wouldn’t have taken Ryu that way. There had to be a back door in this place, right? She headed deeper into the building, holding the knife at her hip.

  As she turned a corner, someone grabbed her from behind. Delilah tried to strike, but they easily unarmed her and twisted her arm behind her back. Just as quickly, the person let her go. “Easy. It’s just me.”

  Famine. Or rather, Luca.

  She hissed out a breath. Thank god she wasn’t alone. She didn’t have the skills necessary to help Ryu now. His siblings did. “They took him.”

  “I know. Kenzie and Liam are following.” He studied her. Somehow he looked bigger here than he had on this island, as if he’d shucked aside the inconvenient healing process while in enemy territory. “Are you okay?”

  What a stupid question. Of course she wasn’t okay. She’d been threatened, manipulated, and just watched the man she loved taken at gunpoint. She and okay weren’t even on speaking terms. Yelling at Luca wouldn’t help things right now, and having this conversation was only slowing them down. “I’m not hurt, if that’s what you mean.”

  He nodded. “Cami got your sister. I’m going to take you to them now.”

  Delilah stopped short. “What do you mean? We need to go after Ryu.”

  “He wanted you protected, no matter what happened.”

  She wished Ryu was standing in front of her so she could smack him. She couldn’t even be surprised that he made arrangements over her head to ensure that she was safe, even as he put himself directly in danger. Did he honestly think she’d abandon him?

  Apparently he did.

  She planted her feet. “Absolutely not. We’re going after him.” Delilah held up her hand to forestall any comments. “I’ll stay out of the way, but he’s got a better chance if you’re there to help the other two.”

  Luca hesitated, clearly torn. “You will follow orders. No deviation.”

  “Yes. I promise.” She had plenty of amazing skills, but none that would help in this kind of fight. Doing anything to jeopardize Ryu’s rescue was out of the question.

  He nodded. “Let’s go, then.”

  She followed him silently, happy to be moving. Their path took them deeper into the restaurant and out a back door that led to the next street over. Luca checked his phone and took a right, setting a pace Delilah had to fight to keep up with. Through it all, her mind became a confused jumble of disjointed thoughts.

  Ryu, Ryu, Ryu.

  Why did Tristan let me go?

  Oh god, Ryu, please be okay.

  How do I explain this to Esther?

  I don’t know what I’m going to do if Ryu’s hurt.

  Hurt. She couldn’t bear to consider an alternative. Surely if they wanted him dead, Tristan would have shot him in the private room and been done with it? She didn’t know. She just didn’t know.

  Luca put out a hand to slow her. “They’re close.”

  “How do you know that,” she whispered.

  “Can’t you hear?”

  Now that he mentioned it, she could hear sounds not too far in the distance. It took Delilah’s brain half a second to understand what the sharp popping sounds were.

  Gunshots.

  Chapter 19

  Ryu had decided somewhere between leaving the private room and preceding Tristan out the back door of the restaurant that this was the best way to go about things. The man obviously had no intention of killing him yet, which meant he would take Ryu to the one person he both wanted and dreaded seeing.

  His father.

  He turned a slow circle, eyeing the buildings around them. His siblings were here somewhere, and he needed to call them off. It didn’t matter if the thought of facing Fai Zhao after twenty-five years made his chest go cold. It had to
be done. Better he do it now than let Amarante in a few weeks. He might not get out alive, but at least he wouldn’t have Nicholai’s hounds chasing him down if he did. Or that was what he told himself as a dark car slid up to the curb and Tristan nodded to it. “Here’s our ride.”

  Ryu hesitated. “You know your boss likes to torture children?”

  “I’m aware.” Something went shuttered in Tristan’s gray eyes. “I had nothing to do with any of that.”

  He studied the other man. Tristan was his age, maybe a few years in either direction. No, he hadn’t been one of the people who frequented Camp Bueller. Could he have been one of the children, though? Ryu wasn’t sure. He didn’t recognize the man, but that didn’t mean anything. “We want to stop him. Make sure that kind of thing doesn’t happen again.”

  “If you’re looking for a sympathetic ear, you’ll have to look somewhere else.”

  He hadn’t really expected it to work, but it was still worth a try. Ryu shrugged. “As long as you can sleep at night.”

  “I can’t.” Tristan opened the door of the car. “Stop stalling and get in.”

  Ryu took a step forward.

  The glass in the back window of the car shattered. His body caught up before his brain did, instincts sending him to the ground even as he registered that someone had shot out the back window. Ryu lifted his head. “No!”

  Whoever was behind the gun—probably Kenzie—obviously hadn’t gotten the memo. Another shot, and the car lurched drunkenly forward until it hit the building. They’d taken out the driver. Fuck. There was no getting out of this rescue attempt now. He lifted himself into a crouch, still staying low to the ground, and turned to find Tristan pressed back against the wall of the restaurant. The blond looked really fucking tired. “Nothing ever goes to plan when it comes to your family, does it?”

  “Now’s the time to change sides.” He didn’t know why he said it. This man had terrorized Delilah for weeks on end and threatened her sister.

  But he’d also turned around and walked away once she fulfilled her part of the bargain. That spoke of a thread of honor, which didn’t match up with what Ryu knew of both his father and his father’s operations. Who was this guy?