“Hello! I’m so sorry to bother you. I think I’m totally lost.”
Who is that?
I look at Ella. Color is returning to her cheeks as we lock eyes.
Her gaze darts to the carpet. To the knife. Then back at me.
I want to shake my head. Tell her no. She can’t fight Ty, certainly can’t fight all these men, but I can’t expect her to lie there and do nothing.
“I’m busy.” The man goes to shut the door, but the woman must wedge her foot there, because it doesn’t close.
“I really am sorry to be a bother, but would you really leave a woman out here all alone?” she asks. “Maybe I should introduce myself. I’m Silence Silver.”
Silence.
Z’s wife. He’s here.
My eyes lock with Ella’s just as the back windows explode. Weapons are drawn. Shots are fired. I call out Ella’s name as she rolls onto the floor and people continue firing, but she doesn’t stop moving. She crawls over to me.
“Are you okay?”
She nods, but her hands are trembling as she cups my face. “I’ll be fine. We need to get you out of these.”
Our attention is drawn to the front door—where Z has entered. He’s in jeans and a gray Harvard sweatshirt, a college that motherfucker did not go to, and he’s holding a gun. Clinging to the back of him, cheek pressed against his sweatshirt, is Silence. She looks the same as when I saw her five years ago. Her blonde hair is long, tied in a high pony, and her freckled cheeks are flushed.
As the commotion continues, Z strides over to me, Silence in tow.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“Hunter sent out an alert.” He examines the cuffs and pulls out a small, leather wallet. Inside are a number ofsilver devices for lock picking, and he gets to work on the cuffs. “Nice to see you again, Ella.”
She nods, face pale. “Never thought I’d be happy to see you.”
He grins. “I bet.”
The cuffs come free and I wrap my arms around Ella. We stand, and she remains close, her ear resting against my chest, just as the gunfire stops. The sudden silence is jarring, and my ears are still ringing when someone calls out the all clear.
The living room is filled with bodies and Z’s men. Blood soaks into the wooden floor, decorates the walls and mirrors, and bullets litter the room.
“How did you get here so fast?” I ask.
“I liked the look of the city when we came up here last time,” Z says. “So, I thought I’d bring Silence on vacation. Thanks for ruining my weekend.”
Silence folds her arms. “You weren’t going to get laid anyway, you piece of shit.”
He groans. “Come on, Silence?—”
“Fuck you, you fucking liar.” She prods his chest aggressively, blue eyes filled with fire. “Freelance computing, my fucking ass!”
He stole my fake job.
“I couldn’t tell you, baby?—”
She puts her hand in his face. “Do not speak to me.”
I kiss Ella’s head, holding her as close as possible, feeling her frantic heartbeat against me. She’s breathing fast, and I tilt her face up. Her lip is swollen, and the cut across her cheek looks equally painful.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” I whisper, gently cupping her neck.
