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Just as I’m about to turn away, I swear I see a flicker of light, but when I look back, it’s gone again, nothing but the night surrounding us.

Still, I can’t chase away the chill that runs down my spine.

CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE

GIA

Skyla pullsthe cigarette from her lips, the end growing bright red against the streaks of orange crossing the sky just above the lake. “This entire thing is a massive mess. I don’t think we’re safe here.”

I bite the inside of my cheek as I lean against the oak railing beside her and look out at the small waves from the soft breeze, a thin layer of snow coating the yard. “I don’t think we’re going to be safe here either. It’s been too quiet for the last two weeks.”

“I know.” Skyla takes another drag of the cigarette before holding it out to me.

Taking it between two fingers, I press the end to my lips, taking a deep inhale and holding it before blowing out the smoke in rings. “You know, I stopped smoking years ago. The last few weeks have me thinking that I should be taking it up again.”

“This is all going to be over before you know it, and then it’s going to be nothing but a bad memory.”

I shrug a shoulder, flicking the ash over the railing. “I know I should be thinking like that, but I know my brother. He’s crazy and he’s going to stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

“And you think Royce isn’t aware of that?” She plucks the cigarette from my fingers, the cherry glowing brighter when she takes a deep drag.

“It’s not that I don’t think he knows.” My tongue flicks out over my bottom lip, wetting it as the chilly wind tries to dry it out. “He cares about Bianca. I can see it in his eyes when he looks at her, but there’s also the matter of his loyalty. When push comes to shove, would he give up everything for her?”

“It might come to that.”

“I need you to promise me that you’ll take care of Bianca when Noah tracks us down again. I need you to take her and run. Disappear off the face of the earth if you have to. I just want to know that my baby is going to be safe.”

Skyla puts out the cigarette and turns to face me. “Nothing is going to happen to her. I would die before I ever let anyone lay a finger on her.”

“Do you think Aiden is going to feel that way, though?”

Her lips press into a thin line, her gaze darting away from mine. Red-painted fingernails drum against the wood.

“That’s what I thought.” I rake a hand through my hair, glancing at the house where Royce and Bianca are still sleeping inside.

“I’m sure that everything will be fine eventually. We’re just going to have to walk through hell first to get to the other side.”

“And that’s what worries me the most.”

“It’s why you kept her from us, wasn’t it?”

I give her a wry smile. “Among other reasons, but I know what the Lynde family is. You and your siblings may be friendly enough, but I would be an idiot to forget that you’re all ruthless and bloodthirsty.”

“Ellie isn’t.” Skyla’s mouth twitches as pushes off the railing and stands tall. ‘I’m not going to let anything happen to Bianca though. I hope you know that. Aiden may not take too kindly to this, but he wouldn’t do anything to hurt her either. She’s family.”

“But I’m not.” I blink rapidly, trying to clear the tears gathering at the corner of my vision. “I’ve never been family and there’s no guarantee that Aiden isn’t going to kill me if he thinks it will benefit him in some way or another, which means that if shit goes sideways, I need to run, and I need to know that Bianca is going to be safe until I can come back for her.”

“Do you really think it will be that bad?” Skyla tucks her hands into the pockets of her corduroy coat, shrinking back into the collar as the wind picks up and snow begins to fall.

“I don’t think it’s going to be good. Nobody has been able to find Noah or his men for the last two weeks while we’ve been up here.”

Skyla eyes me like she doesn’t quite believe me. “You have other reasons for thinking that he’s got to be planning something right now, don’t you?”

“Zoe has been sending me some cryptic texts. Things that don’t really make sense and it’s clear she’s holding back to avoid saying too much in case someone is tracking her messages, which means that we’re going to have a big problem on our hands. Zoe is one of the few people Noah trusts. She and Jace are pretty much it.”

“Do you think she’s double-crossing your brother? I could have Summer or Jade try to get close to her. Both of them are back home. They might be able to get her out.”

“She wouldn’t go with you right now even if you tried to get her. She believes in what Noah’s doing to a degree. She might change her mind if he hurts me or Bianca, but the fact that she’s even trying to get a message to us is a miracle.”