“I think we can do this clean and quiet. No use bothering Marcus, for now.”
“Sounds good, brother,” Ryan agreed.
“We’ll meet again tomorrow night. I should have more details worked out. Give Grace and Tate my best.” The men parted, and Nick began the walk back to the warehouse.
The next few days would be trying, to say the least. Unpredictable events cartwheeled toward Nick. He hoped he and Kate would come out unscathed on the other side of them. Unscathed was subjective, though. While they might be alive and breathing, Nick wondered how this would change them and if the detriment to their psyches would be their end.
Chapter 41
Nick entered Kate’s cell and found her asleep on the hard floor. He closed the door behind him and sat beside her, a bottle of water tucked in his arm and a bowl of beans in one hand. He set the provisions on the ground and touched her face with the back of his hand.
Kate jerked awake, then settled when she saw it was Nick. He uncapped the bottle of water and held it out to her. Kate took it in her hands and gulped down several mouthfuls.
“I brought you something to eat.” Nick gestured the bowl of beans toward her. Kate eyed it, looking between Nick and the bowl.
“Have you eaten?” she asked. The question surprised Nick, and he scoffed without thinking.
“I’m fine. That’s for you,” he replied.
Kate’s stomach growled and twisted at the thought of eating, yet Nick’s gaunt appearance stirred worry within her.
“I can’t eat all of that. Split it with me?” Kate scooped a bite of beans into the spoon and slipped them into her mouth. Thesavory juices tingled on her tongue, and she chewed slowly, enjoying the flavors igniting on her taste buds.
After taking several more bites, Kate handed the bowl to Nick. Taking it with reluctance, Nick moved the spoon around in the beans, watching the goopy piles spill onto each other.
“Beans,” Kate stated. “It’s one of our favorites, remember?” She offered him a small smile, and when he started to eat, she breathed out a sigh of relief.
“The drop is set for tomorrow. I’ve got everything in place to get you out. As long as everything goes well, it’ll be our last night here,” Nick said after finishing the last bite.
“What happens to the other captives?” Kate asked.
Nick and Kate exchanged a long, stern stare. His heart sank, and the pressure within him rose as he suspected what was coming next.
“Kate, you are my only concern,” Nick answered.
“Please, Nick. There are innocent people here, just like me. And who knows how many others Margot has. We can stop this. We have to!” Kate’s eyes turned glassy, pleading with Nick.
Nick huffed out a sigh, running his fingers through his hair. Beneath his eyes, a deep purple aura tainted his skin, accompanying sagging lids.
“I can’t, Kate. I’m sorry. I don’t know how to rescue everyone.”
“Then leave me here. I’ll figure it out on my own.” Kate looked away, refusing to meet Nick’s expression that was sure to be awe-struck. Nick chuffed out a laugh that was absent of humor and shook his head.
“Absolutely not. I will drag you from here if I have to,” Nick replied, irritation creeping into his tone.
“I won’t go. If these others have to endure it, then so will I,” Kate said in a quiet voice.
Nick dropped his head into his hands and closed his eyes. The moment his eyelids shut, sleep threatened to take overhis consciousness, so he forced them open again. He lifted his eyes to meet Kate’s, her expression begging him in every way possible.
“Fuck,” Nick said softly to himself. Then louder, “Fuck!” Kate flinched at the volume of his voice. “Okay. Okay, yeah. It’s just a few more steps. A few more plans. I can do this. I can hold out just a little longer.”
Guilt spread thick across Kate’s body as she watched Nick, hardly holding himself together. Knowing she was causing him immense stress made her feel small and ungrateful.
“You have to let them transport me so we can see where Margot is keeping the captives,” Kate said.
“Why can’t I break you free and we follow the guards to Margot’s?” Nick asked, flustered.
“Then we will have no inside information. We won’t know the layout of her building, or what kind of defenses it has, or how many people guard the place. Or what if we’re spotted on the way? The guards would kill us or deter our plan. Then, we’re back to square one.”
