Page 54 of Cavern of Silence

"You're right. It is your fault."

"This is great, babe, thanks." He kisses my forehead and takes one of the plates.

We sit next to each other.

"What happens when we get to Omoa?" I ask.

"I don't know yet, but we'll figure it out."

I play with the food on my plate.

Ryker picks up my hand. "What's going on, my sexy goddess?"

"I'm trying to figure out where I could go that's safe, but they're everywhere."

"The Global Leaders?"

"Yes."

"Julieta, I need you to tell me what their purpose is and more about who they are."

I yawn. "Can we talk about it tomorrow? I haven't slept in a bed in months unless you count the air mattress."

"You will tell me about it tomorrow?"

You shouldn't. You've already told him too much.

"Julieta, I need you to trust me."

"I do trust you."

The flecks in his blue eyes flicker. "You do?"

"Yes."

He leans over and kisses my head. "Good. I trust you, too."

We eat in silence, and when we slide in bed, and he holds me against his warm flesh, I feel happy for the first time in years.

Don't get used to him. This is just a fling. He'll be ready to get rid of you by the time you get to wherever you're going.

I try to turn the noise in my head off, but it keeps me awake longer than I want it to. When I finally fall asleep, my dreams are a mix of the men's faces whose deaths I witnessed in the fight club and Jonas branding me. I wake up covered in sweat with Ryker holding me and trying to calm me down.

It's another reminder that no matter what happens, I'll never escape them and be free.

And now that I've experienced Ryker, it cuts deeper than ever.

10

Ryker

"Shh. I've got you."I kiss Julieta's tears. She's shaking from her night terror. "It's just a bad dream."

"But it happened," she cries and grips the sheets. "It all happened."

I hold her tighter. "You had flashbacks?"

She nods into my chest.