Page 33 of Lost in the Light

“Addy?” Adam’s voice startled me and I looked up surprised to find him crouched before me.

“You have to leave!” I got to my feet before he could even say anything. I marched over to the door of the room and opened it, then looked to him. “Just go, please. I need you to go,” I said as calmly as I could.

“Just talk to me, baby,” Adam pleaded as he got to his feet but remained where he stood beside the bed.

“Go! Just go, Adam!” I yelled. I just wanted him out. I wanted them all as far from me as I could get them. I never should have gotten involved with any of them. I never should have even lived! I’d been right in that flashback! I was a broken mess and the best thing for everyone would have been if I’d met my end that day or any day after it.

“Okay. I’m gonna go, but I’ll be close if you need me, okay? You just call and I’ll be here,” he said softly as he walked up to me. He moved to cup my cheek in his huge hand and I wanted that touch so very much. Instead I shook my head before he made contact and dropped my eyes to the floor. I didn’t deserve his touch. “We all love you, Addy. Don’t forget that, okay?” That was the last thing he said before he left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Tears were streaming down my face as I locked the door then slid down it until I landed on the cold wood floor. I pulled my knees up to my chest and started to rock back and forth. I’d screwed everything up so badly. I should have known better than to hope I could ever find any peace in my chaotic, messed up life.

CHAPTER 10

KANE

I was pissed as I leant against one of the SUVs we rented and watched local police take control of the warehouse we had just vacated.

We’d been in Vegas a matter of hours when we swept into the place, after an hour of observing the comings and goings of what seemed to be armed guards. They were pretty slack, patrolling the exterior of the building haphazardly every half hour or so.

We’d encountered five armed guys when we stormed the place, but they hadn’t even had time to put their hands on the guns they’d laid on the table they all sat around. In seconds they were on the ground, neutralized and I was pissed I hadn’t gotten to hit anything.

The warehouse had been filled with cages along one wall and inside those cages had been young women of varying ages, bloodied, beaten, and terrified.

Aleks and Harris had done a quick sweep of the place for any information we could use to get another lead. They’d found one laptop and the cells on the guards we neutralized. Aleks had made short work of downloading the data from all of them onto his own laptop, then Asher had called the cops. We’d tried to comfort the girls and reassure them they were safe but most ofthem were too terrified, traumatized, or both to even stop crying and cowering.

It had killed me to think of Addy being just like them, trapped in one of those cages in that freezing fucking warehouse, afraid and alone. Asher seemed to think it was highly likely that was the warehouse she had recalled during one of her flashbacks, so it was also likely she had been just like those poor women, only she hadn’t been lucky enough to be saved.

I was still pissed about what had happened back at the penthouse before we left. When Harris had started relaying the information they had learned, I had been forced to just stand back and watch the woman I cared so fucking much for, wilt before my eyes. She had tried to stay strong, but with every word spoken she had broken more and more, then she’d crumbled and all I had wanted to do was rip her from Jordan’s arms and take her into my own.

I wanted to take her away from all of this and to a place where she could be safe to just heal. I wanted her so much I could barely fucking think straight anymore, and the fact that I couldn’t have her was eating me up inside. Jordan and Adam seemed to be getting closer and closer to her and I was being left on the sidelines.

I’d kissed her. I couldn’t have stopped myself the other morning. She’d just been there, all sleep mussed and trying so damned hard to stand up to me when I got pissed with her. She was perfection and I had given into temptation. I couldn’t even regret it. It had been not just the greatest kiss of my life, but the greatest fucking moment of my life. She felt so right in my arms, and when she kissed me, with a little unsureness and naivety, it had sealed my fate. I was a goner for her and no other woman would ever do for me now.

Addy was it for me. She saw me, the good and the dark parts and she got me. I saw that every time those beautiful wide eyes locked on mine. She was made for me. I wanted to be that for her too, but I couldn’t. My loyalty to Asher – the man who had saved my life more than once – was even greater than my growing feelings for Addy, and I couldn’t betray him. I’d made a vow to him to protect Addy and I couldn’t do that if my feelings were mixed up in it all.

“Kane? You good?” I looked up guiltily as Asher approached me.

“Yeah,” I nodded and stood from the car. “What’d the cops say?”

“They’re bringing in more EMTs for the women. Most of them need medical attention. Those fuckers we took into custody will be arrested and taken in for questioning, but I doubt they’ll talk,” Asher sighed.

He looked just as stressed out as he had when we left the penthouse the day before. Who could blame him? He was going through hell with all of the shit being uncovered about his own fucking father, plus the threat over Addy. He had a lot to handle.

“Any sign of the asshole Addy thought was in charge?”

“Bull. That’s what she said he was known by, and no. No sign of him. The FBI have been called in, but they’re not going to get anything we haven’t already found. Let’s just hope there’s something in the data Aleks downloaded from the devices.”

“At least we saved those women. How many were there?” I asked.

“Thirty-six. I just wish someone would have been able to save my sister like that.”

“I know. We all do,” I sighed.

“I want to get back to her. I’ll check we’re good to leave, then arrange for the flight back home.” I nodded, fully on board with the idea of getting back to check on Addy. She had been so distraught last time I saw her, when Jordan carried her off to her room. It had killed me to leave without a word to her, but I had made myself do it. Now I needed to get eyes on her and know she was doing better.

Asher was walking away from me, when his cell phone ringing, stopped him. He pulled it from the pocket of the tactical pants he was wearing and turned to me with a look of worry.

“It’s Eli,” he told me, and I instantly tensed up. What if something had happened? What if someone had tried to get to Addy again and I hadn’t fucking been there to protect her? I’d never survive losing her. I’d never forgive myself for failing her.

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