Page 35

That’s what my nightmares are about every night.
Every time I close my eyes, Mitch not only finds me, but he finds me with Ryker. Over and over, I watch Mitch kill Ryker right in front of me. It’s why I try not to sleep at night. But ultimately, sleep does get to me, and so do the nightmares.
Ryker has tried to get me to tell him what the nightmares are about, but I can’t bring myself to talk about it. He already has to worry enough about me. I just tell him I can’t remember what I saw. He’ll then bring me into him, holding me until I ultimately fall down the rabbit hole again. It’s a never-ending cycle until morning comes.
As I walk down the street, I start to get hungry. A little trip over to the diner would be nice and honestly, relaxing. But as I make my way down the sidewalk, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand. Without warning, the air feels thicker, and it becomes harder to breathe.
I look around and see nothing, but I feel it. There are eyes on me.
Ryker. I need to get to Ryker. Immediately, I turn and walk fast towards the station. As soon as I get in there, I bolt inside. As I stand in the entrance, I see Deputy McCormick standing near the door to the back of the station.
“Hey Zoey. How’s—” Deputy McCormick starts before I cut him off.
“Ryker,” I say between gasps. “I need Ryker.” I grab at my chest, trying to suck in air, realizing that I’m having a panic attack. Deputy McCormick comes towards me and places a hand on my shoulder. I jump at the touch and push him away. “Stop!” My hands go up over my face.
When I look up again, McCormick has his hands up. His eyebrows are furrowed and his mouth is turned down. “Holliday, get out here! Now!”
I fall to my knees, gasping. My chest is tightening more and more, and my lungs are struggling to pull air in. I close my eyes to try and control the dizziness, tears beginning to trickle down my cheeks.
“Shit! Zoey! Look at me, darlin’.” I hear Ryker’s voice, and he turns my head towards him as he kneels in front of me. His eyes are pools of blue. It’s all I see. Everything else fades away. Just blue. “Count with me, Zo.”
Ryker counts with me to twenty and helps to bring me back from the panic attack. Suddenly, the air rushes back into my lungs. I take a deep breath, breathing in sync with Ryker. Once I’m able to, he helps me up off the floor and wraps his arms around me.
“You’re shaking, Zo. What happened?” Ryker whispers in my ear.
“He’s here. I can feel his eyes on me. Someone was watching me.” I sob into his uniform.
“McCormick, go check outside. See if you see anything.” Without another word, the deputy heads outside and Ryker turns back to me. “Did you see anyone?”
I shake my head. “No, but I felt it. I swear I felt it.”
“Okay, just relax. Let’s go to my office.” Ryker walks me through the door and over to a room and sits me on a tan, plush couch. He heads back outside and talks with someone for a minute before coming back in. My eyes scan the room. A dark wooden desk sits in the center of the office with bookshelves flanking the sides of a window behind the desk. While studying the room, someone walking back into the room catches my attention. My head snaps to the door to see Ryker approaching.
“McCormick didn’t see anything or anyone that stuck out. He’s going to go circle around and check again.” Ryker sits down next to me on the couch, his hand rubbing circles on my neck. “So why don’t you just relax here for a bit and then I’ll drive you home?” He moves his hand to my forehead before running it through my hair.
I cry into my hands as he pulls me into his side. “I swear, I’m not crazy. Someone was watching me.”
He places his hand under my chin and turns me towards him. “Zo, you’ve had shit for sleep for a while now. I believe you, I do. But also, the lack of sleep might be getting to you.” Ryker kisses the top of my head.
A knock comes at the door, and Deputy Johnson walks in.
“Hey boss, I have … Zoey are you okay?” Deputy Johnson flashes me a concerned look. “What happened?”
Ryker shakes his head. “She had a scare. Thought someone was following her. I’m going to take off early and get her home. So whatever reports you have just leave them on my desk, and I’ll grab them tomorrow.”
Johnson nods, his mouth turned down. “Got it, boss man. Zoey, let me know if there’s anything I can do to help. Okay?” He places the files he had in his hand on Ryker’s desk and turns to leave.
The ride back to the ranch is quiet. But not letting me forget that he’s there for me, Ryker laces his fingers in mine. His touch sends warmth through my skin. His thumb circling my palm ignites a flame deep within me, sending shivers down my spine. Slowly, I breathe out and try to calm my thoughts.
Ryker’s here. He’s all I need right now. I’m safe with Ryker.
Lost in my repeating thoughts, I don’t even realize he let go of my hand or that we’ve pulled up to the house. The opening of my door startles me, and I gasp as I jump in my seat before I realize that it’s Ryker.
“Just me, Zo.” He holds his hand out towards me as concern flashes in his eyes. Instead of reaching for his hand, my arms wrap around his neck, and his arm folds around my back.
“Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get you inside.” Ryker doesn’t even put me down. His other arm goes under my knees, and he effortlessly carries me against his chest into the house.
He brings me into his room and sits me on the bed. Ryker slowly takes off my shoes and socks. He’s softly relaying to me everything he’s doing so it doesn’t come as a surprise. He stands up, disappears for a minute, and comes back with a clean pair of his flannel pants and a t-shirt. Once he’s removed the rest of my clothes, he puts his t-shirt on me.