Tyson ignores him and wraps a hand in my hair, yanking me to my feet. “You’ve got five minutes.” Then he shoves me away from them.
Matt’s laughter grows, and I know I’ve lost. It’s over. My worst nightmare just doubled. Tyson was playing Ryat all along. Just another lie. Another part I never saw coming.
I turn, my hair whipping me in my tear-streaked face, and I run out of the living room, knowing I have nowhere to go but have to try.
I’m running down a hallway when I feel a hand grab the back of my shirt and pull me into a blacked-out room.
I scream into the tape when my back is shoved into a wall, a hard body pressing into mine.
“Shh, Blake. It’s me.”
CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
RYAT
SHE STIFFENS, HER screaming stops, but she’s breathing heavily.
“It’s me, Blake,” I say again. Then I reach over and flip on the light. She blinks several times before her pretty blue eyes meet mine.
I run my hand down the side of her bloody and duct-taped face. “I’m going to take this off, okay? But you have to stay quiet.”
She nods, blinking, and tears run down her face.
I rip it off all four layers as quick as I can.
“Oh, my God! Ryat, what … how …？”
I slap my hand over my mouth. “We have to be quiet,” I tell her.
She nods once again, and I remove my hand. She sucks in a deep breath, but does as I say. “That’s my good girl.”
She whimpers, and I pull her from the wall. Digging my hand into her front shorts pocket, I pull out a handcuff key and spin her around, undoing them.
“Ryat …” She sobs softly, her shaking hands coming up to her mouth to try to quiet it. “I don’t …”
“I’ll explain it later, okay?” Before she can explain I kiss her forehead. Her hands come up and dig into the material of my shirt. “Fuck, I’ve missed you, Blake,” I whisper and pull her into me, hugging her tightly.
“I love you,” she sobs, digging her face into my chest.
“I love you too.” I pull away, grabbing her tear-streaked face. “I need you to stay here.”
“What? No!” Her eyes widen as panic takes over her features. “Ryat … no.”
“I need you to stay here. In the dark. I’ll be back, okay?”
“Please.” She chokes out, her knees give out. Before she can fall, I grab her, gritting my teeth at the pain it causes in my side to help her to the floor. I popped several pain pills on the plane ride here, but they’re not really doing any good.
“I promise, Blake. Look at me!” I order, roughly gripping her face. I wait for her eyes to focus on mine. “I promise we’ll be going home soon. But I have to get Matt.”
“But Tyson—”
“He came with me, Blake. He’s here to help us.”
I lay in my hospital bed waiting for Phil to return with my pain pills so we can get the fuck out of here, and I hold my cell to my ear. “Hello?”
“Hey Ty, I …”
“Fuck, Ryat! It’s good to hear your voice.”
“I need a favor,” I say getting to the point of this call. I don’t have the luxury of time right now.
“Name it,” he comments without hesitation.
I’ve been unfair to him. None of what happened to Blake that night at Blackout was his fault. Plus, he was the one I got the tracker idea from after she ran from me. Let’s just hope I don’t find what he found when I get to her.
She sniffs and nods quickly. I turn off the light and lock the door before shutting it behind me so Matt can’t enter without kicking the damn thing down.
“Here we come. Ready or not.” I hear Matt call out with excitement.
I pull the Glock out from behind my waistband and grip it tightly in both of my hands. It’s going to take everything in me not to shoot him between the fucking eyes, considering what he’s done with Blake. I almost want to say fuck the confessional and just get rid of him right here and now. But that would be the easy way out for him.
“Hey Ty?” Matt’s voice carries down the hall.
“Yeah?” He asks.
“How’d you get in?” Matt questions and my teeth grind. Fuck! I thought we’d have more time. We were planning on Matt being more into the chase than wonder how Tyson got into the home.
“Tunnels.” Comes his clipped answer.
I come to the end of the hall and see Matt still standing in the living room, hands on his hips. “When did you get the chance to be alone with Blakely that you were able to put a tracker in her, without her knowing?” He wonders.