Laughter creeps into my thoughts.Theirlaughter. The way it echoed off the tiles. My hands start shaking, and I grip the edge of the table.
It’s solid, textured. Not tile. Not the bathroom.
“Ryan?” Merci’s voice seems to come from far away. “You okay?”
I blink and look around. Sunlight filters in through the towering windows. Chairs scrape against the floor. Stillhere. Still at lunch. I let go of the table and take a breath. “Yeah.”
His eyebrows are pulled together as he watches me. “You sure?”
I nod, finishing up the last of my sandwich. Last thing I need is to break down in front of the entire food court.
Eli picks at his muffin again. “I heard you run. We should go together sometime.”
“Sure.” Might be nice to have company.
“I will never get people who think running is fun. That's just fucking weird.” Merci tosses the remainder of his grilled cheese onto the tray. “So, howdidCaptain Asshole get you to marry him? Doubt it was willingly.” He looks at me, quirking a brow. “Or was it?”
I fidget with the water bottle, peeling the sticker off as I get hot all over. Heard Viktor mentioning seeing the whole kidnapping part on his pet cam. Surprised he didn’t fill everyone in.
“We’re waiting.” Merci drums his fingers on the table.
“He’s threatening my scholarship.” I rub the back of my neck. “And held me at gunpoint.”
Merci slams his hands down on the table. “What the fuck! You’re shitting me.”
Eli grabs his phone, his features scrunched as his fingers fly across the screen. Not sure who he’s texting, but knots form in my stomach. My situation sucks, yet it's beencalmer recently. I can't handle Connor going back to his threats.
“I won’t be going to Jersey anytime soon. Placing my husband on a sex ban.” Eli slams his phone down onto the table, face beet red. “Can you believe those assholes all knew about the gun?”
Merci rolls his eyes as he takes another sip of his milkshake, then swallows. “You're surprised? Really? Zach had me chained up in a fucking warehouse.” He looks at me. “At least you didn't have to piss yourself because you couldn't reach a bathroom.”
My jaw drops and I stare at him, unblinking. I'm at a complete loss.Chained up?And he stayed with Knight.
What do I even say to that?
No way I'd ever consider staying with Connor after what he did to me.
We go back to finishing our lunch. Merci asks about Eli's newest sculpture project. Turns out he's an art student. He even shows us some of his latest sketches.
“All right, give us your number.” Merci wipes his hands on a napkin. “In case you need to vent about this shit or whatever.”
“We can be your support team.” Eli blushes, eyes wide and bright. “And friends . . . if you want.”
I want to say no, but honestly? Having more than one friend sounds nice. And having people to talk to about this nightmare sounds even better. “Okay.”
We exchange numbers and, for a moment, it feels normal, like I'm just a regular college student. But then reality hits. These two are still Connor's friends—part of his group.
When all this ends, when Connor doesn't need me anymore, will they stick around? I hate that I already know the answer.
But for now, I'll pretend this can last.
Chapter 10
Connor
Murphy’s bar is up ahead. Should've driven. This humidity’s fucking miserable. Sweat’s already running down the back of my neck and under my collar.
I look at my screen again. The blue dot on my phone shows Henneman’s still there. Not that my friends know he’s the reason we’re going to this particular bar.
