Page 116 of The Road to Ruined

"He came all the way down here to save her. And he's not stupid—he knows this is the only way she'll ever be safe. He's not going to hurt her; he loves her."

I hold my breath and wait—wait for him to sayyes, I do love you, Teagan. But instead, he stares straight ahead at the wall, thinking it over.

"She gets under your skin, doesn't she?" Declan asks.

Still, he says nothing.

It's quiet for a few minutes. I cling to Luca's leg and stare at the head on the floor.

I remember the scared girl in the bathroom in Dallas, covered in blood, afraid of what it meant. Now, I'm sitting in a hotel room with a dead body and a severed head, unaffected.

Its eyes are open.

"Fine," Sebastian says.

"Okay," Declan says. He leans forward in his chair.

"No," Luca says. "I'm not leaving Teagan with him. I don't trust him."

"Do you trust me?" Declan asks.

"Are you kidding?No.You left her. I'm not leaving her again."

"Teagan, come here," Sebastian says.

My eyes dart to Declan, who nods.

"Don't," Luca says, his hand closing around my wrist when I stand.

"It's okay," I say. I place a hand on his cheek and lean in and kiss him before moving to Sebastian.

He pats his leg. "Sit on my lap."

Luca scoffs. "You've got to be fucking kidding me."

But I do it.

Sebastian grabs the hemline of the back of my shirt and pulls it up to my right shoulder. I'm naked beneath it; I see Luca tense before dropping my gaze to the floor.

"Hold still," Sebastian says, pressing his knife to that same shoulder. I dig my nails into his thighs as he cuts through my flesh, digging at it with the blade's tip.

"What the fuck is he doing to her?!" Luca asks. "You've got about five seconds before—"

"Relax. I've got it." Sebastian sets the knife aside, and I feel his fingers in the wound before he holds out his hand, revealing a small microchip. "It's a tracking device," he says. "Do you trust me now?"

"Youchippedme?"

"You can't really be that surprised, Teagan," he replies indifferently. "We need to get rid of the bodies before the sun comes up. It's going to start to smell if we leave them here all day."

"I'll help you," Declan says.

I feel Sebastian tense up. I'm sure he wants to argue against spending time with Declan asthis—he's not the guy behind the mask anymore. He leans in and whispers into my ear, "You soaked my thigh, little monster. I hope your boyfriend doesn't see that—wouldn't want him to find out how much you like it when I hurt you."

There are things I want to say to him. I want to lean into him. I want to touch him; I want to throw my arms around his neck and kiss his mouth. I don't think that'd be well-received by anyone.

"Thank you," I say instead, stepping aside so he can get up.

"I'll go get my things from the car," Sebastian says.

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