Page 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

I paced the living room as the afternoon dragged slowly. I tried to distract myself with a book, my laptop, and TV, but my brain was too busy to focus on anything.

When I remembered I hadn’t eaten at the diner, I made a halfhearted decision to prepare something, but after staring into the fridge for five minutes, I settled on another one of Courtney’s pastries.

As the sun began to set and the house darkened from the fading light, I moved through the house, turning on all the lights. After I finished, I heard the sounds of a vehicle pulling into the driveway. Relief washed through me as my heart jumped into my throat. I wasn’t excited to tell him goodbye, but I would be happy to see him again and hear how things went with Kellan.

I rushed to the front window, peering through the curtains. My SUV rolled to a stop, followed by another truck. Relief flooded me at the sight of my car, but it was quickly replaced by confusion.

The truck wasn’t Ryder’s, and Trevor was awkwardly extracting himself from my SUV. He looked comically large in my SUV, like a bear trying to escape from a tin can, but I didn’t even crack a smile.

It was Gage sitting in the driver’s seat in the truck, waving at whatever Trevor called out to him. He looked around the yard as Trevor approached the house. A moment later, the doorbell rang, followed by several loud knocks.

“Uh, hey. It’s Ryder’s friend Trevor,” he called through the door as if Ryder had instructed him how to approach. “You don’t have to open the door. I can just leave the key under the?—”

I pulled open the door, startling him mid-sentence.

“—mat,” he finished, holding up my car keys.

“Thanks,” I said, pressing my lips into a smile as I took them from him. “I really appreciate you fixing my car. What do I owe you?”

He waved a hand, his blue-green eyes sparkling as they caught the light. “Oh, no. Nothing. It was seriously no trouble. Basically, it just sat there while I waited for the part and then took three minutes to actually do the repair once it arrived.”

“Well, still,” I said, reaching for my purse.

“I can’t accept anything,” he said, holding up both hands. “Ryder would just bring it right back.”

I narrowed my eyes. “You’re running a business, aren’t you?”

“Seriously,” Trevor said with a laugh. “I appreciate it, but this one is on the house. I tried to let Ryder know I was going to drop it off, but I was having trouble reaching him.”

My stomach tightened. “He left earlier to go talk with Kellan about something.”

“Alone?” Trevor asked, his voice dropping an octave. His expression changed, and he shot a quick look toward Gage over his shoulder.

I shrugged, feeling my stomach churn. “I… don’t know. He didn’t say. Is that bad?”

“Well, I just wanted to drop off the car,” Trevor said, ignoring my question. “Everything should be running fine, but give me a call if you have any problems.”

“Sure,” I said, and he gave me a sharp nod before jogging to Gage’s truck.

I closed and locked the door behind him, watching through the window as he climbed into the passenger side of Gage’s truck. They didn’t pull away immediately. Gage looked off toward the trees as if looking for something before reversing out of the driveway.

The worry on Trevor’s face before he’d quickly masked it sent a chill through me. He seemed worried, but didn’t they know Ryder was strong? I didn’t like it, but I shook my head.

I had my car back and could leave now, head back to the safety of Chicago, and pretend none of this ever happened. Ryder had pleaded with me for a chance to show me that he could be trusted, but it didn’t matter. I was done with all of this. He would understand. In fact, he thought it would be for the best.

I went to my bedroom and pulled a duffel bag from the closet. I was getting out of this place before something bad happened. I’d go back to the world I understood, where the most dangerous things were traffic and manipulative people. Those things were annoying and shitty, but I could handle them.

I stuffed clothes into the bag haphazardly — just enough to get by until I could figure out how to get the rest of my stuff back. I’d also need my toiletries, laptop, and phone charger, but anything else I could just buy as needed.

I grabbed my purse and the bag, taking one last look around the living room. Part of me wanted to stay. This house was supposed to be my fresh start, a place of my own away from the noise and drama and pressure of the city. The other part worried about what would happen if I stayed.

With a deep breath, I stepped outside, locking the door behind me. The night air was cool and crisp, carrying the scent of pine. I tossed my bag into the passenger seat as I slid into the driver’s seat.

I locked the doors before inserting the key into the ignition, my fingers wrapping around to turn it… but I couldn’t move. My hand was frozen, refusing to make the simple motion that would start the engine and allow me to escape from this place.

What was wrong with me? Kellan wanted me dead because I knew too much, and I didn’t know if I could even trust that Ryder was telling me the truth about anything.

I tried again, but something held me back. What was wrong with me? This was what I wanted, wasn’t it?

Ryder had been right, though. When I’d been with Kellan and the diner, I’d felt very uneasy, and with Ryder, it was different. Still, like I’d told him, I was a terrible judge of character. My feelings about him meant nothing.

That look on Trevor’s face, though… what if Ryder was in danger? What if he needed help?

It shouldn’t matter to me. We weren’t anything to each other — just a one-night stand born of tension and attraction. I barely knew him, and it wasn’t like I could do anything to help him.

Even though I knew better, I apparently couldn’t leave until I knew he was okay. I removed the key, grabbed my things, and raced back inside the house, locking the door behind me.

Oh my God! What the hell was happening to me? I leaned back against the door, trying to make sense of it. I’d wanted to go enough that I’d packed my things, but it was like my hand just wouldn’t work.

This wasn’t like me. I didn’t stick around for men I barely knew, and I sure as hell didn’t put myself in danger for them. I’d learned over and over again not to make stupid mistakes… yet here I was, unable to drive away because I was worried about a wolf I’d met less than a week ago.

“Ugh!” I said, slowly sliding down the door to my ass.

It was all so insane.

I wanted to leave. I tried to drive away, but I couldn’t… it was like there was a powerful magnet holding me in place.

I reached into my purse, pulling out my phone. Maybe if I told him first that I was leaving, and I knew he understood, it would be different. I stared at his contact info for several minutes before pressing the call button.

Ring… ring… ring.

Ring… ring… ring.

Voicemail.

“Hey, Ryder, it’s me. Um, I just wanted to check in with you regarding our recent conversation,” I said, sounding like I was making a professional call to a business associate. “If you could call me back at your earliest convenience, that would be great. Thanks.”

I paced the living room with my phone in hand, waiting for a return call. It was almost 10 PM, and I still hadn’t heard anything from Ryder.

A knot of worry tightened in my stomach. He should have called or texted by now, and considering Trevor hadn’t been able to reach him either, it made it all the more nerve-wracking.

What if something had gone wrong? From what it had sounded like from Ryder and my own experience with Kellan, he didn’t seem exactly stable. If Ryder had confronted him alone, maybe something could have gone wrong.

No.

Ryder could handle himself.

He was a pack leader.

Perhaps his phone died, or he was driving. Maybe he was dealing with something at his business, although that seemed unlikely given the time of day.

I flopped down on the couch, placing my phone on the coffee table where I could see it. I’d give it a little longer before trying to call again. For all I knew, Trevor and Gage had found him, and they were just busy doing whatever the hell werewolves do.

My eyes felt heavy from the stress of the day, and I fought against closing them. Just a few minutes of rest, I told myself, still listening for the sound of a truck in the driveway.

I jolted awake to darkness, momentarily disoriented. The living room was exactly as I’d left it, except now bathed in shadows. I fumbled for my phone on the coffee table — the screen lighting up to show it was just past midnight.

No calls. No texts.

A cold feeling swept through me. Something wasn’t right.

The sounds of shouting erupted from somewhere outside. I got to my feet, moving quickly to the window to see if it was Ryder or someone from his pack.

The voices weren’t coming from my yard. Across the street, every light in the neighbor’s house was on, and I could see two shadows moving behind the curtains, but I couldn’t tell what was happening. My heart crashed hard against my ribs as I pressed my ear to the glass in an attempt to make out any of the words.

None of the words came together until there was one sharp word that cut through the air like a blade. “Help!”