Page 18 of Unchained

His expression hardened further. The blues of his eyes were so intense that his gaze made her heart slam against her solar plexus. “I have no family.”

She pressed her tongue to the roof of her mouth to stop the slew of questions. There had to be someone in his life who cared about him. She studied the length of his body. So big and strong, yet also so lean. “When did you eat last?”

His tension softened a touch. “I don’t know. Not today.”

She pulled her hand away. “They didn’t feed you?”

“They did. If I pleased Leonetti, he rewarded me with a steak dinner. But I’d have rather starved than do what he wanted.” He brushed his fingers over her forearm. The touch sent a shock wave of sensation through her body, further muddling her brain.

“Don’t get me wrong,” he continued. “They put out some kind of oatmeal slop for breakfast, and they usually provided another meal to sustain my strength before administering the drug.”

She turned to the fridge. “I don’t have much. I just got the basics earlier and planned to do a bigger trip tomorrow on my day off. I’ve got some leftover soup I made yesterday.” She dipped into the fridge and pulled out a container then turned and bumped into his chest. Her insides tightened.

“I appreciate the offer, but I need to go—now.” The tightness around his mouth told her he was losing his grip. If the withdrawal effects kicked in before he was resting somewhere, they could cripple him.

“I’ll take this.” She grabbed a reusable tote and placed the container in the bottom then grabbed a few more food items and bottles of water and tossed them in.

“You should pack a bag too,” he said, his voice so low she froze.

A shudder raced over her flesh. “I have one.”

His brow quirked with interest. “Good. You won’t be able to come back.”

He was right. God, what had she gotten herself caught up in? She had a go-bag packed and stashed under her bed in the event Isaac found her—or her mom—and she had to leave quickly. Did she really have to run? She shook her head internally. Who was she kidding? She’d watched Brooks inject the head nurse with a sedative and hadn’t reported it. Then she’d helped him escape and had stolen a vial of the drug—

Shoot! She’d completely forgotten about the concoction in her shirt pocket.

She left the tote on the kitchen table, went to her bedroom, and pulled the vial from her scrub shirt, which was dangling on a hanger. Then she grabbed her phone charger, gun, and the five grand in cash she always kept in her top drawer. After pulling the small duffel bag out from under the bed, she tucked the items inside and made her way back to the kitchen.

Brooks sucked back the rest of his coffee and set the mug in the sink then turned to face her. “That was fast.” His sharp gaze slipped over the duffel bag as she stuffed her purse inside.

“We should go.”

He stepped toward her and took the bag from her fingers. His skin had paled since he showed up at her house, making the scruffiness of his jaw that much more apparent. As Brooks turned toward the door, a river of fear caught hold of Cam’s senses. She couldn’t focus on anything but getting him somewhere safe. After that, he was on his own and she’d find somewhere else to plant temporary roots. She jammed her feet into her loafers, scooped up her runners—she could always use a second pair of shoes—and followed him to the door. He held the screen door open while she took out her keys and locked the back door. His form wavered next to her. She looked up as he slumped against the side of the house, his arm bracing his weight.

She gasped and reached for him. The screen door smacked her in the back before shutting. “Are you okay?”

He lifted his head from the crook of his arm. Droplets of sweat had collected on his brow, and his complexion was green. He let out a deep, painful grunt. “It’s starting.”

Panic surged through her. She had to get him out of here. Catching his arm, she led him around the side of the house to her car, which was waiting in the driveway. She hadn’t parked in the garage in case she decided to look for him. Opening the passenger door, she clung to his arm, but his size compared to hers was laughable. If he fell, they were both going down.

He flounced onto the seat and dragged his feet into the footwell. After tossing her bag in the back, Camryn got in the driver’s seat. One glance at Brooks made her cringe. His body barely fit in her snug little car. His knees almost touched his abdomen. He kept one hand splayed on the dash, the other on his stomach. With his head dipped, she couldn’t make out his expression.

“It’s okay. Just hang in there.” She buckled her seatbelt and pulled out of the driveway. “There’s a motel five minutes from here.”

“No,” he said on a gasp. He shook his head vehemently. She coiled closer to the door in case vomit followed. “You need to get us farther. They’ll find us.”

Crap. He was right. There was only one motel in town, so it would surely be the first place they’d check. There were towns thirty minutes away in various directions, but those would be next on their list. “How long can you last?” she said, her tone high enough to break glass.

He pinched his brow. “I’ll manage. Get us as far as you can.”

Camryn struggled to keep her breath even. She needed to exude confidence. She was a nurse, after all. She could handle this.

Armed guards was another story.

CHAPTER 7

Pain ripped through Brooks’s gut. He moaned and pressed his back into the seat. Every time he opened his eyes, the glare of headlights or streetlamps incinerated his brain. The sound of the tires whirring made his head pound. He’d lost track of how long they’d been driving, but the darkness told him they were a long way from morning.

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