Page 33 of Ruined
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Chase’s mouth was moving but I couldn’t hear a thing he was saying. Not when my sole focus was Zoe and the way her face had turned ashen in a matter of seconds. She looked up from the phone in her hand, confusion marring her beautiful features.
What the hell is going on?
I heard her say that she had to go and then she was sprinting away. My feet moved before my brain even had time to give the command. Of course, I wasn’t the only one chasing after Zoe. Kenzie and I tried to squeeze through the door at the same time.
I placed my hand on her arm. “I’ll go.” I’m sure she had no idea why I wanted to go after her friend, I wasn’t going to enlighten her either. I just needed to get to Zoe. Without waiting on Kenzie’s go-ahead, I pushed past her.
Hurried steps carried me through the house. Relief washed over me as I pushed open the front door and spotted Zoe in the driveway. Where was she going? My jog turned into a sprint until I could reach out and wrap my hand around her elbow.
With a start she faced me, looking completely bewildered. I hated it; I wanted to grab the phone clutched in her fist and see what the hell could’ve upset her this much. I’d watched her all night — it was impossible not to — she’d started out looking reserved but as the night wore on, her smiles came more frequently and looked less forced.
On more than one occasion, I had to fight the urge to steal her away and finish what we’d started six months ago. The fact that she was wearing a pinkish dress with buttons running along the center didn’t help matters much either. If my mind wasn’t on her lips, it was on those tanned legs and how smooth they’d feel beneath my palm. Or what the expression on her face would look like when I slowly undid every single one of those buttons.
None of that mattered now.
Not when she looked about an inch away from death. Her eyes went wide, then they darted to my fingers still curled around her arm. I couldn’t bring myself to let go of her though; I needed her close.
Her gaze traveled along the length of my arm, over my shoulder before our eyes finally met. I had to swallow the curses that were on the tip of my tongue the moment I saw fear in her golden irises. That nagging need that I had to protect her tugged at me again, it was becoming impossible to ignore.
“Where are you going, Zoe?” My voice was steady while I was anything but.
Her brows pulled together as she crinkled her nose, almost like she was working out something in her head. “I have to go.” The words fell from her lips just above a whisper.
With her arm still in my grip, I took a step closer. “You already said that, sunshine. Where do you want to go?”
She blinked, her mouth opening and closing a few times before her voice sounded. “He…I…” Shaking her head, she sucked in an audible breath. “I can’t be here right now.” Zoe eyed my hand again, and then almost as if she couldn’t take it, she shut her eyes.
The right thing would’ve been to let go and get out of her space, for the life of me I simply couldn’t do that. “Let me drive you home.” I had no control over the words that spilled from my mouth.
Her eyes snapped open, roaming my face in search of who knew what, then she glanced at the house behind me. “But Molly?” Those two words almost stole the breath from my lungs.
Craning my neck, I looked behind me before capturing Zoe’s eyes with mine again. “I’m going to go inside and make a few arrangements.” I paused for a beat and then continued, “It won’t take long. Just…don’t go anywhere until I get back.”
The color was starting to return to her cheeks as the dazed look faded. “Eli, you don’t have to…I can walk.”
The need to slide my palm down her arm and take her hand in mine was so strong, how I managed not to do it was beyond me. “You’re not walking.” I pulled my keys from my pocket, offering it to her in my open palm. “The black one is mine,” I jerked my head toward the two trucks parked in the driveway. “I won’t take long.”
It felt like minutes before she reached up and took the key fob from me. Reluctantly, I released my grip on her to hurry back inside. With every step I took, I fought the urge to look over my shoulder to make sure she was getting into the truck.
The moment my feet hit the deck, I was met with everyone’s concerned faces. It was Kenzie who spoke first. “Where’s Zoe?”
“I’m gonna drive her back to the cabin. She’s not feeling too good.” I turned my attention to Logan and Harper. “I know it’s a school night, but would it be okay if I picked Molly up later?”
Logan nodded, his face filled with understanding. “You do what you gotta do, brother.”
Having a family like mine was a blessing on any given day, but today, I appreciated them so much more. After a quick ‘thank you’ I headed over to where Molly and Flynn were playing hopscotch.
“Look at me go, Daddy!” She squealed the moment she saw me.
“Hey, you’re a pro!” I dropped to my haunches in front of her. “Will you be okay playing here for a bit? Daddy has to take Miss Zoe home.”
“Can I come too?”
I brushed a few strands from her face. “Miss Zoe isn’t feeling too well, baby.”
A frown too deep for her little forehead pulled her brows together. “But she promised she’d color with me.”
