Page 110 of Sunrise

“You and he have cracked a lot of walls lately.”

“Yeah. We definitely have.” And it’s all thanks to Sophie.

Ryker takes a moment before speaking again. “Start cracking hers.”

Our gazes lock. My protective instincts crawl out of their cage, scenting the air. “How?”

“Figure it the fuck out, Knox.” Clicking some buttons on his computer, he spins the monitor around and my heart drops. “Figure it out fast before it’s too late.”

I bolt out of the room, leaving the live feed of Sophie screaming in the mirror of her dressing room playing soundlessly behind me.

Chapter 35

Sophie

I’m sitting at my vanity with a tube of lip gloss in my hand and tears streaming down my face when Dmitri nearly rips the door off its hinges.

“God damnit,” he mumbles, yanking my chair out so he can scoop me into his arms.

I feel so dumb. I don’t even know why I lost it just now.

“I’m so sorry,” I sob into his black cotton t-shirt.

“You don’t ever say sorry to me, honey.” He rocks me back and forth on the floor like he’s done a dozen times before. Only those times always happen when I knock on his door in the basement of the club and secretly fall apart with him.

Not even Dmitri knows my secrets, but it’s never stopped him from sitting with me through my suffering. The guilt of all my lies and trickery is eating me alive. “I’m an emotional mess lately,” I say, hiccupping into his shirt.

My door swings open again and Vault slips in. “I got her.”

“No, I want Dmitri.”

The pain my words must cause Vault puts a chill between us. But I can’t let him be the one to hold me together. I’m supposed to be the strong one in ourdynamic who has her shit together. If he sees me unraveling, he’ll look at me differently.

That rocket ship has already blasted off, dumbass.

Vault has seen me drunk, scared, and now… this.

I’d be a hypocrite to hide my trauma when I’ve spent the better part of two years dragging him through all of his in an effort to help him heal. The difference is his secrets only kept his dignity intact—his words, not mine—while my secrets keep me alive.

“I’m okay, guys.” Sucking in a deep breath, I wipe the tears off my cheeks and climb out of D’s lap. “I’m so sorry. I’m just all over the place lately and I haven’t gotten much sleep, and I just want…”To be held. To run. To forget my past and work towards a future. “Nachos and a cold beer.”

“Sophie!” Knox yells from outside. “Where the fuck are you?”

Vault pushes the door open but keeps his agonized gaze on me.

“I’m sorry,” I say to him again, just as Knox barrels into my tiny dressing room.

“God damnit, there are too many rooms in this fucking place.” He pushes past Vault and ignores Dmitri. “Are you okay, sweetheart?”

“How did you even know I…”Oh. Lifting my eyes to the camera in my room, annoyance hits me as I salute Ryker, who is undoubtedly watching from his office.

Being safely monitored is more like getting spied on lately.

Not that I’d change the way they operate around here. It’s nice to have them all running to my aid.

No one else ever has.

Tears fill my eyes again and I so badly want to tell them what’s really wrong.

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