The soft plea of my name has me glance down at Bay, who still hasn’t moved, eyes still clenched shut.
“What do you need?” I mutter, mindlessly reaching for her hand and giving it a small squeeze. “What can I do?”
“This.” I feel the faint of pressure of her fingers against mine, but it doesn’tfeellike enough.
“We’re almost there,” I reply, even though I have zero clue of where we’re going. “Hold on for me.”
“I’m fine,” she croaks out a bit. “Don’t worry about me.”
A retort forms on my lips, but it’s a defense mechanism. I can’t lie to her and tell her I’m fine when I’m not. I don’t wish to pretend to be something I’m not when I know she’d be able to see right through me.
“Tell me something,” she says then. “Anything.”
I’m immediately at a loss for words.
I’ve never been the most clever human being, but there’s also nothing fascinating about me either.
“I like apple juice the best,” I deadpan, unable to form another topic of conversation. “I don’t like cherries.”
Bay shifts, attempting to do what, I’m not sure, but she fails. “You…can put me down.”
“Why?”
She shakes her head, pressing her lips together which only makes her eyes tighter.
“Does it hurt?”
She bobs her head as I notice a tear descending one of her cheeks.
And I’ve never felt so helpless and useless as I do now.
There’s nothing within my power that can take away what she’s going through. What Matteo did.
What he’ll never be able to do again.
After today, my manhunt for him won’t stop until he’s found. I will take pleasure in listening to his screams and allowing the inner demon in me to rip him apart.
“I hate cantaloupe,” Bay suddenly says out of nowhere. “And I like cherries.”
I bob my head and pocket the information for no use at all. “Okay.”
“Two minutes,” the guy behind the wheel announces, and an immediate glare of mine lands at the back of his head.
“You said thattwominutes ago.”
“It’s not a hop, skip, and a jump, man,” he replies evenly. “And I needed to make sure we weren’t followed.”
I used to think Levi Wallace had a decent set of men with brains.
Now I’m starting to doubt my assumption.
I could’ve handled anyone who decided to fuck around and find out. He didn’t need to take a detour or a longer way to make sure.
Bay blows out a shuddered breath, making her whole body rattle in succession, and my heart skips. “Give him…some credit. He’s not…me.”
I wish I could smile at the joke, but I don’t like how much blood is on her face. I don’t enjoy the pain she’s having a hard time hiding. I don’t like that she was jumped within feet of me, and I didn’t notice right away.
I could’ve stopped it.
