Just like that. No hesitation. No warning.
My throat is sticky when I say, “That won’t be enough.”
“I’ll keep the pictures for when we need them, then.”
“What?”
His smile is more beautiful now than it was back then. I almost forget how to think when he speaks again, this time sounding like his teenage self.
“I’m at your service, hellcat. Just tell me what you want to do.”
18
ROWE
October 1st
Dear Rowe,
I’m okay. Are you? I want to come visit, but Ash says to wait. The last thing I want to do is make things worse for you. Trust me, I don’t hate you. Far from it.
Ezra hasn’t contacted me. The cops deleted everything from all of his devices. I think he’s old news now. Thank god. Or thankYOU, I guess. Nobody outside of my family and our friends know that the videos existed in the first place.
Can you be honest with me this time? Do you hate ME? I don’t want to make this a pity party for myself, but I feel so,soguilty. I want to send you something but I don’t know what. A gift sounds so . . . lame. Like I’mtrying to buy your forgiveness. They probably don’t let you get gifts there anyway.
I’m just worrying about you. I’ve been at the ranch a lot these last two weeks. Diesel is okay, but he’s sad. Sometimes I see him searching for you when we’re out on a ride, and it makes me cry. Is that pathetic to admit?
Anyway . . . just let me know that you’re okay. We’re all missing you. If you tell me I can come see you, I’ll lie to Ash about it if I have to. I just want to hug you.
Hellcat
“We can’t kill him, Tilly.”
“No,youcan’t.”
I start after her, jogging to keep up with her lightning-quick pace. She’s gone from angry to sad to hurt and right back to angry in the matter of a few minutes. I don’t blame her for feeling as deeply as she does. It’s taking every ounce of self-restraint I have not to set Walt’s entire ranch on fire with him tied up and left to burn with it.
It’s been a long goddamn time since my stomach’s churned like that. Standing on a filthy floor, trapped in a hot box of piss and crud that’s been multiplying by the hour for who knows who long, I nearly curled over and puked. The hot flush up my spine was met with one of ice water, keeping me too unnerved to react the way I would have under different circumstances.
Tilly didn’t have that problem. She doesn’t restrict her feelings well, and I knew if I didn’t get her out of there quickly,I’d be an accomplice to a crime. She might not mind seeing me get taken away in a cop car for the second time, but with the aggravated assault charge on my record, I’d be going away for a lot longer this time around.
“What do you plan on doing, then? You need to just hold up for a second and think before you try to fucking stab him,” I bark.
She suddenly stops, her braid whipping behind her when she whirls around, facing off with me. The wet gleam in her eyes is a blow to the chest.
“He deserves it! Those babies are broken in there. I can’t leave them here, Rowe. I can’t. They must think we’re here to save them. We can’t just leave!”
“We’re not leaving them here forever. They’ll be okay while we come up with a plan. Weneedone, Tilly.”
She sucks her lip into her mouth, worrying it. I let myself go to her, not giving a shit that she could very well turn all of that rage simmering under her skin at me instead of Walt. Her lashes are bare and thick, a deep blonde to match her hair. They fan across the skin beneath her eyes as she blinks, holding herself still. I drop my hands to her shoulders and squeeze, my grip tight enough to successfully distract the both of us.
Dropping my chin, I cut our height difference in half and hold her gaze. She has no choice but to look at me, and I wish I could smile at her right now. “I promise you that we’ll come back for them.”
Her throat pulls with a swallow. I hear the gulping noise and stroke my thumbs over the skin below her shirt. She lifts her hands, and then her fingers are circling my wrists. I wait . . . half expecting her to use her hold to rip mine away.
It’s the opposite.
Pushing down on my hands, she keeps them in place. I don’t move. Don’t so much as breathe too hard.
