Страница 93 из 349
“That’s not happening.” With her uncle down, this additional attack seems like an attempted family assassination, and I don’t want her dying on my watch. “What’s option B?”
She sighs, giving in to my protection without a fight. “Cole has a place.” She opens the glove compartment, brushes aside a gun and numerous documents, before pulling out a blank security keycard. “I don’t even know if this is the right pass to get through the gates. Mine is in my car at the restaurant.”
“Well, we’re not going to your house, or back to the restaurant, so it looks like we’re giving the card a try.”
“I assumed as much,” she drawls.
I grin, enjoying her hostility a little too much. “Where are we headed?”
“Westport.”
Westport? A ninety-minute drive.
“Second-guessing letting me go home yet?” she taunts.
Hell no. I don’t want her going anywhere familiar. “Westport is a great idea. Once we arrive, we can call your brother and get an update.”
“We can’t call him sooner?” Her question is almost a plea.
“He’d have a swarm of police up his ass by now.”
“What about Layla? Can I use your phone to call her? I left mine with my purse, and as you can probably guess, they’re back at the restaurant, too.” She blinks those long lashes at me.
“Sure.” I lean to the side, pull my cell from the back pocket of my suit pants, and hand it over.
She’s dialing in seconds, the ring tone a faint hint of sound.
It doesn’t take long to figure out her sister is unavailable. There’s no answer. Not on the first, second, or third time she calls.
“She’s probably still ru
She gives back the cell and stares at the gun in her lap. “I don’t even know where she was when the bullets hit. What if she was right near the glass? What if—”
“I’m sure you would’ve heard by now if something went wrong. Bad news always travels faster than good.”
“That’s comforting,” she mutters. “Thanks.”
“Just trying to be honest.” I flash her a half-hearted smile. The expression isn’t reciprocated. Her face is solemn. Pained. She fills me with guilt because I have no fucking clue how to help her. “Seriously, if something happened, I’d have Hunter and Sarah blowing up my phone by now. The silence is a sign the worst is over.”
“Maybe.”
I don’t push the conversation further. I’m familiar with the adrenaline high. She probably thinks her mind is clear and sharp, when inside that head of hers would be a fucked up mess.
If gossip can be believed, her brother keeps her sheltered from family business dealings. She’s supposed to be kept in the dark from the brutality and criminal activity. If those rumors are true, tonight would act as a bitch-slap of reality.
I leave her in silence to deal with her thoughts, keeping my mouth shut as we travel out of Portland. I should’ve been subtle in my concern over taking her home. It’s obvious her life is under threat. But on the other hand, I doubt she would appreciate me coddling her.
The closer we get to Westport, the more I notice the stiffening of her posture. Her unease is growing instead of dissipating. I glance at her every few seconds. With each visual pass, I latch on to the fingers trembling more and more against the gun seated in her lap.
“Keira,” I say softly, “I know you don’t want me asking, but are you still doing okay?”
She doesn’t respond. Her focus is glued to the darkness outside the window. She’s not ignoring me. There’s something more to her lack of communication. She’s lost, her beautiful skin devoid of color.
“Keira?” I touch her wrist, my fingertips co
She’s in shock.
I swerve off the road, her gasp hitting my ears. I kill the engine and rush from the car to round the hood and pull open her door.
“What’s going on?” She turns to me, her lips parted.
Shit. Her eyes are wide, but the pupils are no longer dilated. She’s present under her concerned stare. “You’re pale. And cold. I thought you were tapping out on me.”
She rubs her arms. “The air-conditioning is freezing in here. Cole always has it too low.”
“I was calling your name…”
“I didn’t hear you. I must have been lost in thought.”
Fuck. I retreat and run a hand through my hair, trying to calm my breathing. I’m being a pussy. A tight, wet snatch with all this coddling bullshit.
“Decker?” Her voice is timid as she unclasps her belt.
“Don’t.” I shove my open palm in her direction. “Just sit the fuck down. I need to get us out of here.”
She jerks back as if I swung more than my frustration at her. And yes, the pain in those baby blues makes me feel like a ripe asshole deserving of an unlubricated fuck.
“I’m sorry,” I lower my voice, “I didn’t mean to snap.”
She refastens her belt and scowls straight ahead. “It’s fine.”
Fine—the most cringe-worthy syllable known to man. With one word, my crappy night becomes a whole lot crappier. “Okay… Well… There’s not much further to go until Westport. Can you focus for me so you can start giving directions?”
She raises her chin, her lips tight. “I’m focused.”
“Good.” I gently close her door and round the hood, cursing my stupidity with each step.
Minutes ago, I thought one of us was losing our mind.
Turns out, it’s not her.