Runes needs me.
The club needs me.
Kids are being trafficked and we need to stop it.
But tonight—tonight I'm going after Ingrid.
And this time, she's not getting away.
CHAPTER FOUR
Ingrid
The massage room feels too small after Gunnar leaves.
Too quiet.
Too full of his lingering presence—the scent of his skin, the heat that radiated from his body, the way my hands trembled every time I touched him.
I lean against the door, eyes closed, trying to catch my breath.
Trying to pretend my heart isn't racing.
Trying to convince myself that the relief I felt when his phone rang wasn't mixed with crushing disappointment.
He had to leave.
Club business.
Important, dangerous work that has nothing to do with me.
Which is good.
Perfect, even.
Means I don't have to finish that conversation.
Don't have to explain why I left.
Don't have to admit that he's right—I am running, I am terrified, I do feel something I can't afford to feel.
A knock on the door makes me jump.
"Ingrid?" Mom's voice. "Honey, can you come to my office for a minute?"
Oh no.
"I need to clean the room first."
"It can wait. Come on."
That tone.
The one that means she's not asking.
I take a deep breath, smooth my hair, and try to compose myself.
Then follow her down the hall to the office she shares with Fern.
