Page 49 of Faded Rhythm

“Where to?” he asks.

King closes the door. “Briar Cliff Inn.”

The driver nods and pulls off without another word.

King keeps his eyes peeled, scanning every vehicle that gets near us. His hand rests next to my thigh, twitching occasionally like he’s ready to go for his gun at any moment. I sit in silence, watching him.

My heart aches. I can’t stop thinking about my daughters. I wonder if I’ll ever make it back to them. With tears blurring my vision, I wonder when this will end. If it will end. And then I wonder if they’d be safer with Ebony than with me.

The thought slices through me like a knife. No. I can’t even entertain that. I close my eyes and breathe in deep, but the tears fall anyway, hot on my cheeks.

Then, I feel it.

His touch.

His fingers gently brushing my cheek, wiping my tears away. But his hand lingers. It cradles the side of my face. His hand isrough and warm against my skin, and for the first time all day, I feel safe.

I lean into him, resting my head on his shoulder. He doesn’t speak. He doesn’t move. He just…lets me. And we ride like that, connected in silence, until the car pulls to a stop in front of our destination.

The room is small, dimly lit, and way too familiar.

A single queen bed dominates the space.

“Really?” I say, dropping my bag. “Again?”

King closes the door behind us with a soft click, then locks both locks. “It ain’t my fault this time. We were in a rush. I didn’t have time to specify your preferences with my contact.”

I shoot him a look. “And who is your contact, exactly?”

He doesn’t answer. He’s too busy checking every window for…something.

“I think I’d sleep better if I knew who was helping us.”

“You’d sleep worse,” he says, glancing over his shoulder. “Trust me.”

I sigh, pacing a little. “So what now?”

He scrubs a hand down his face. “I thought about what you said earlier. You were right. We don’t have time to figure out the why of all of this. So I think I’m gonna take him out and be done with it.”

I freeze. “By yourself?”

“I’ll do a better job if you aren’t there to slow me down.”

“That’s harsh.”

“Just being honest.”

My eyes narrow. “Do you…like killing people?”

His eyes flash with something unreadable. “I used to. I don’t anymore. Now, it’s just a job.”

A job.

Interesting. Terrifying, actually.

I watch him stare out the window and wonder what his story is. How he got here.

“How did Brett find you?”

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