Page 70

I don’t want to engage, but I need to know what he’s talking about. “What happened to him, Kyle?”

Kyle sighs, shaking his head like he genuinely pities the guy. “He made choices, Ryder. I warned him what would happen if he kept pushing me away, but he didn’t listen.”

The nausea rises so fast I nearly choke on it.

“You know, people like him…they twist everything. I gave him love, but he was too broken to see it. He pushed me until I had no choice.” He sighs before continuing. “It’s heartbreaking, really, what he did to himself. But actions have consequences. I warned him what would happen—begged him to stop running from what we had.”

He leans forward slightly, voice softening like he’s trying to console me. “But maybe that pain had a purpose because it brought me here to you. And I don’t want you to end up like him. You still have time to learn, angel. Know that I’m patient—so patient—but even patience wears thin when someonekeeps hurting you after you’ve done nothing but try to love them. You don’t want to keep making that mistake, do you?”

I blink, unsure I heard what he’s insinuating correctly. “What do you mean? What did you do to him?”

“He wouldn’t stop fighting me. I gave him chance after chance, and he kept throwing my loyalty back in my face. He made his choice when he refused to stop. His death was his decision.”

Oh god. Kyle killed someone because they didn’t love him back, and in his head, it wasn’t murder.

It wastheirfault.

He truly doesn’t see anything wrong with this.

My heart slams into my ribs. “You…you killed him?”

Kyle shrugs, but his expression is calm. “He gave me no choice. I warned him, and he still chose not to listen. His death was his fault, just like Logan’s was.”

My stomach lurches, and this time, it doesn’t stop. The nausea claws up my throat too fast to swallow down, and I vomit right onto Kyle’s shoes and pants. My whole body shakes as I gasp for air, bile burning my throat, and tears threaten to fall. I hate how powerless I feel at this moment. I have no idea what to do or how to survive this, except to start complying. Even if he thinks I’m part of his divine plan, he just made it clear that he’d still be willing to kill me. He’s done it before, and now I know, he’d do it again.

Kyle stares down at the mess, and for a moment, I can’t tell what he’s going to do—yell, shove me, snap entirely.Kill me.

But then he does something worse.

He smiles.

A small, eerie smile that barely touches his eyes. “You’re overwhelmed,” he says, almost tenderly. “I hate that it’s sohard for you, angel,” he murmurs. “But I’m doing this for us, and maybe now, you’ll get that.”

He crouches down in front of me again, totally unfazed by the vomit. “Can’t you see how much I love you?” he asks, brushing a hand through my hair. “Once we leave this place, everything will be easier. I’ve built the perfect home for us. You’ll be so good for me, won’t you?”

The air in the basement shifts because he’s serious. He’s going to make me disappear, lock me away somewhere no one can find me, and call it love even though he has no idea what love truly is. His expression darkens slightly as he studies me, then he sighs. “I have to do this, Ryder. You’ll understand when we get there.”

Panic crashes over me as he reaches into his pocket. I jerk against the ropes, raw skin screaming, but it’s no use. My heart races as I see the syringe.

“You’re stubborn,” he says, almost admiringly. “That’s why I have to protect you from yourself. That’s why you need me, Ryder. I’ll save you.”

He steps forward, and I thrash as hard as I can, but it doesn’t matter because I can’t move. My wrists feel like they’re bleeding from the rope burn.

He uncaps the needle with his teeth and jabs it into my neck.

“Shh,” he whispers. “You’ll thank me for this. We’ll be home soon.”

26

LOGAN

My heart nearly stops.

“What?” I croak.

Mom puts her phone on speaker. “I checked everywhere. There’s no sign of him,” Dad sighs. “His phone is here, his keys are on the counter, and the door was unlocked when I got here.”

My chest tightens, and my pulse is erratic in my ears.