Page 6 of Into the Dawn

Envy and loss hit me in a devastating double blow, and I can barely breathe, let alone speak.

He’s got the life I wanted.

Not that I don’t think Evan deserves it, he had it tough too. But when we were younger, he always said he didn’t want it, and now it seems it’s just fallen into his lap.

When I don’t comment, Ben continues. “So he's out. And Jack… Jack's a gentle giant most of the time. He’s not even from Sutton, so this isn’t his fight. He's already helped me more than he should’ve. It's not fair to drag him into it. And Henry. Well, he’s the law now. He’d have to do things by the book.”

And that won’t work. The first hint that the police are looking at them, and Jed will kill John. There’s no doubt in my mind.

“Kali's still recovering. I can't ask her to risk her life again, either.”

Irritation makes me squirm. As if I’m suggesting he drags any of those people into a battle with my family. They’re far too violent, and there’s far too many of them to take on in a normal fight. Any plan we come up with needs to be cleverer than that.

“I'm not talking aboutthem. I'm talking aboutme. I can help you.”

I can almost hear Ben’s confusion as the penny finally drops.

“Oh no, no, no.” Ben chuckles, having the actual audacity to laugh at my offer, before his voice cuts through the darkness once more, sounding offended by my suggestion. “You think I'm gonna trust you to help me? No way. You’d just leave me in the lurch again.”

The words cut deep but they’re not undeserved.

“I might now know where John is now,” I say, desperately trying to come up with words that will convince him not to do something insanely dangerous. “But I can find out if you let me go.”

Ben laughs again. “Or I could keep you and try to arrange a swap.”

Now he’s just being ridiculous. “They’ll kill him the second they know you’re on to them, you know they will.”

The first sign of anyone looking in their direction for John’s disappearance, and they’ll get rid of the evidence.

“Then what’s your genius idea?” Ben’s scepticism is jarring. I’m used to him being on my side. Or, he alwaysusedto be, until I ruined it all. “I’m supposed to just sit tight and do nothing? While you leave me in the lurch, as per fucking usual.”

I press the heels of my hands against my eyeballs and pray for patience. He doesn’t want to listen, he just wants to argue and snipe at me.

“If you let me pretend that I caught you, they'll lock you up in the same place. I know it. Jed wouldn’t be able to resist. And even if they don’t show me where the prison is, I’ll be able to find it. Then we can work out how to get you both free.”

I don’t say the words, but Ben knows that’s because my beast could find her mate anywhere. If I want her to. Our bond might be weak but it’s still there, and she wouldn’t rest until she found him if she thought he was in danger.

“They’ll think I’m a hero. Dad will let me back into the compound, and when they’re distracted, I’ll help you escape.”

I know it won’t be as easy as that, but I can do it. It could work.

“An inside job,” Ben murmurs, as he lets the idea percolate in his brain. I hold my breath, waiting for his verdict. It’s far from perfect, and there are a million reasons why this plan wouldn’t work, but nothing matters except this one fact: My mate’s life will be in my hands, and I’d die before I let them hurt him.

“It's a terrible plan, really,” he says quietly, but I can hear the smile in his voice. “Letting the ex that screwed me over once before march me right into the enemy's lair.”

I bristle at being calledthe exbut keep my mouth shut. Although I still consider Ben my mate, he clearly doesn’t feel the same way.

“I’d be waltzing straight into a clan full of vengeful lunatics who hate me with every ounce of their bodies, and allowingmyself to be taken hostage without even knowing if I'll be kept in the same place as John.”

It doesn’t sound great when you describe it like that, but I’ll make sure he gets out. This might be the only chance I have to redeem myself, and I’m not going to screw it up.

“And to top it all off, I’d be relying on you, YOU, to let me out. When you have a prior history of not coming through for me.” Ben’s words are bitter, but he seems amused by the situation. “And yet, it's the only plan I've got.”

I wait with bated breath for his decision while my brain scrambles to find an alternative option that might work if he says no. But I can’t come up with anything better, or less dangerous.

“Fine,” Ben says finally, coming to the same conclusion that this is probably the best bad option he has.

“Really?” I whisper, “You're gonna let me help you?”

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