“B-but where are you going?” Why does it give me anxiety for Ryder to be in here and not with me?
A slow smile graces Ryder’s lush lips, flashing all his perfectly beautiful teeth, melting me to my core. “Is somebody worried about me?”
Ugh, arrogant asshole. I roll my eyes before replying with all the sass in my body, “No.”
“Uh-huh, right.” His tongue prods the inside of his cheek. “Anyway, I have to go back down to deal with something. I’ll be back.”
Turning to Hayden, he holds his elbow out, and I loop my arm through his. I like his warmth. It’s comforting. I’mnot entirely sure how to explain the emotions I feel as I escape this place. For starters, I never imagined I’d be rescued. My hope had diminished as the minutes ticked by.
“What time is it?” I wonder.
“It’s… twelve thirty-three AM.” He answers.
I exhale a shaky breath. It felt like days, not hours, being trapped and tortured here.
“The medic van is stationed at the motel, that’s where we’re taking you.”
I bite the inside of my cheek, a little nervous about the hands of strangers touching me. I never had an issue with doctors before, but of course, now I don’t know who or what to trust.
“Can you stay with me?”
“If you need me to, I will be there, sweetheart.”
I grip his arm a little tighter and lean my head into his shoulder. I feel like if I close my eyes, I will cross into the vast nothingness of sleep. Before I can answer sleep’s calls for me, I desperately need a shower. I’m covered in dirt and cuts. I trail my fingertips down the gash on my bicep, shivering at the memory. My hair is caked in dirt and blood, too.
“Did they… Did he…?” Hayden doesn’t have to finish that sentence for me to know what he’s asking.
I drop my gaze to the gravel road beneath our feet. “Will it change what you think of me if I answer?”
Hayden’s footsteps falter, and he releases my arm to hold my upper arms, rubbing them in a soothing motion.
“Kelsey…No, absolutely not.” His eyebrows pinch in disbelief, but immediately soften. “You’re so strong and incredibly badass. What we saw on that footage… Fuck, I love your sass.” Seconds later, his lips are on mine. His hands move up to cup my jaw, and he pulls me closer, my chest to his belly. Butterflies flutter wildly in my belly, and my ears buzz with desire. I part my lips, and he takes advantage, invading my mouth with his tongue. His minty taste from his gum earlier is like lungs full of fresh air. He devours me, and I get lost in him—the kiss.
A throat clears ahead of us. Theo stands with his rifle resting upright in one arm and a lit cigarette in the other hand. “Y’all kids done smoochin’?”
A sheepish grin pulls my lips. I dart my tongue out, licking my bottom lip and feeling those flutters again when I taste Hayden’s minty gum. “You got another one I could have?” I could kill for a cigarette or a joint right now. I’ve never gone this long without one in almost three years since I started.
He pulls his pack out from his cargo pants pocket and holds it out for me between his fingers. I take it, placing the familiar filter between my lips. “Got a lighter?” I mumble through the cigarette. He pulls one out from the same pocket and flicks it open. I lean in, light the tip, and inhale deeply. My eyes roll back with my exhale. It feelssogood. Hayden and Theo chuckle at me, but I ignore them and enjoy my moment.
“The motel is right up the road, only a few minutes away.” A distant voice says, I’m lost in my own anxious thoughts, staring out the window at the passing moonlittrees. I bite my nails vigorously until I taste the blood pooling beneath what remains of my nails. I think I like the pain. It distracts me from the deeper pain that I can’t so easily numb. I’m scared, no, terrifiedof the medics. I know in the back of my mind that they aren’t crooked like Graves and they genuinely want to help. I just can’t shake the feeling.
“Do you think Ryder’s okay?” Nobody has heard from him yet, and although it’s only been thirteen minutes, I worry. He never said what he was going back down for, so my mind is racing with concern.
Hayden huffs a laugh, “Trust me, he’s fine.”
The car parks in front of the motel. It’s far from a five-star resort, but anything is better than where I just came from. My anxiety peaks the closer we get to the medic van, and my body begins to tremble. Hayden laces his fingers between my clammy ones and gently squeezes.
“It’s okay, I won’t leave your side unless you tell me to.” He says, sensing my discomfort. I smile tightly in response.
“Oh my God, Kelsey!!” A feminine voice screams from across the somewhat empty parking lot.
My head snaps in their direction, mouth gaping as I peer back at no other than Jessie. I can’t force the words out of my mouth. All I’m capable of is what sounds like a squeak as hot tears stream down my cheeks. She sprints across the lot and slams into me in a tight hug.
“You have no idea how fucking happy I am to see you right now!!” She exclaims. Warm droplets run down my shoulder, and when she pulls back, gripping my shoulders,I find her face covered in tears, too. Her eyes are bloodshot and swollen as if she’s been crying for hours. She brings her hand up to swipe away the tears.
“Are you okay?” She asks stuffily while frantically searching my body. She gasps when she discovers my blood-caked hair and abused knees and elbows.
“I’m fine. Promise.” I know better than to lie to Jessie. She reads me like an open book. But I guess she isn’t going to interrogate me further, hopefully seeing the fatigue written all over my face and body. She gives a tight-lipped smile, and then a large figure is walking up behind her.
