Her steady breaths lull me into a sense of safety, and I fall into oblivion, basking in the feel of Eloise's skin pressed to mine. It’s beautiful and warm, soft and intoxicating.
But all beautiful things fade eventually.
A few hours later, Eloise and I wake up to a loud pounding on the side of the boat. My heart drops to my stomach, filling me with a sense of dread and the knowledge that whoever is on the other side of the wall is here to take Eloise away. And this, too, I’m right about.
“Come out with your hands up, Mr. Arden! We know you have the girl.”
30
Eloise
The poundingon the hatch matches the rapid thrumming in my chest, reverberating off the walls and echoing in my ears like thunder.They found me. It’s all over.
“Come out, Mr. Arden! Don’t make this any harder than it needs to be. Don’t make us get the police involved.”
I whip toward Riot, desperation clawing its way up my throat and making it difficult to speak. “Riot… what do we do?”
His mouth sets in a thin white line. Instead of answering, he snags my clothes off the floor, placing them carefully into my lap. “Put those on. They’re coming in one way or another.”
“But Riot?—”
He cuts me off by crushing his mouth to mine, kissing me like it’s the last time he’ll ever get to—because it very well may be. When he pulls away, I’m breathless and flushed, desperate for more. More kisses, more touches, more time.But I don’t get that.
The banging grows more insistent, as do the voices on the other side of the hatch. Riot’s right—if he doesn’t come out, they’ll find a way in, and the outcome will be so much worse.
“Riot,” I whisper. “I don’t want you to go.”
“I know, sweet girl.” He cups my face, brushing his thumb over my bottom lip. “It won’t be for long, though. I’ll come for you. I’ll get you away from him, one way or another.”
My lip trembles. “Promise?”
He hooks his pinky with mine, sealing it with a kiss before brushing his lips against mine. It’s impossibly soft, so full of adoration that it brings tears to my eyes and fills my heart with a song. He pulls away much too soon, and the look of devastation in his pale golden eyes spreads fissures throughout my soul.
“It’s time, Eloise,” he whispers.
I can’t speak, so I nod, allowing him to lead me toward the hatch.
“We’re coming out!” Riot calls. “Back up so I can open the hatch!”
Two pairs of footsteps recede, and Riot leads me onto the main deck of the boat, shielding my eyes from the rising sun. The two men are waiting for us on the ground, so Riot takes the lead, jumping down onto the sand before helping me off the boat.
We approach the two men with our hands up, and as soon as I’m close enough to see their smug grins, I realize that I know them. Both are private security guards—close friends of Dave’s. He’s enlisted them in the past to retrieve me whenever I ran away or tried to seek help. It’s been years since he had to—but the memory of them laughing as they dragged me kicking and screaming through the psychiatric hospital doors is just as distressing as the day it happened.
I try to take a breath past the fist tightening around my windpipe, and when that doesn’t work, I cling to Riot, hoping he catches me when I inevitably pass out.
He rubs his hand down my arm, wrapping his warm palm around mine. “It’s okay,” he whispers in my ear. “I’ve got you, sweet girl.”
“Come here, Eloise.” The one on the left crooks a finger at me, his cruel eyes glinting in the morning light. “Be good and do as you're told.”
Instead of moving toward him, all the muscles in my body clench, freezing me to the spot. I turn my head sideways, meeting Riot’s heated gaze. There’s a spark in his eyes—a manic glimmer living within the deep golden pools.
“Riot…” My whisper is a warning. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
“I can’t help myself.” He grabs my face in both hands, crashing his mouth to mine in a bruising kiss. When he pulls back, the spark in his eyes has morphed to a raging wildfire. “No matter what happens, you keep fighting, Eloise,” he whispers. “Don’t make it fucking easy for these bastards.”
I never get a chance to respond. As soon as he’s done speaking, Riot lunges across the distance between us and the guard, his fist connecting with one man’s face, an elbow for the second. His blows land true, and the next thing I know, both of the guards are sprawled out on the sand, dazed and in pain, but ready for retaliation.
Riot jumps on top of the one closest to him, holding him to the ground as he lands two more quick punches to his jaw. The second guard comes up behind Riot, putting him in a chokehold and attempting to drag him off his partner.
