Page 106 of Virtuous Lies

“She’s not injured?” Danny questions.

“Of course not,” she answers.

“You said she was willing, Krista.” He steps closer to the bed.

I lift my head. “Please let me go,” I plead softly.

“She is.” Krista’s gun hasn’t moved, held protectively in front of her and aimed at Mikey, who remains cautious of her, sticking near the entrance of the room to keep the peace.

I shake my head, denying her claim.

“Why is she handcuffed?” he pushes.

“Precaution.”

Danny’s bottom lip tips out in consideration. “They’re pushing pretty hard to find her, Krista. Every contact they have has been activated. It’s only a matter of time before they find you.”

Krista nods. “I expected as much. That’s why I called you.”

Something is off. Being surrounded by police, I should feel safe, yet my anxiety escalates with each passing second. My skin prickles with unease. My gut is screaming for me to recognize the danger I’m in, and I want to acknowledge its panic, but I’m trapped, so I push it down. I clench my fists and release. I inhale deeply through my nose, forcing myself to welcome the way my lungs inflate before releasing my breath slowly. I bend my toes in my shoes, my muscles protesting all the way up my legs before I release the tension. None of it helps. My heart rate only increases, and I begin to perspire.

I look at Krista. The small sliver of relief she had demonstrated on Danny’s arrival has vanished. The hysteria in her eyes flicks between the two men overcrowding the room. Her hand tightens around her weapon.

Danny is too calm. Too flippant with the situation. He’s not afraid. There is no urgency in his conversation or movements. He’s waiting, and he’s doing it patiently. I’m not sure I want to find out for what, though.

Maneuvering around the bed, I’m forced to meet his eyes. “You had to call me.” His words are directed at Krista, but his eyes never leave mine. The incongruity of reassurance projected from this dangerous man sends a troubling spike through my body. “Ihad to call Mikey,” he murmurs, reaching for his Glock.

Mikey hums in agreement.

I pull my attention from Danny, seeking out the quiet man by the door.

“AndIhad to call in reinforcements,” Mikey finally speaks, his voice matter-of-fact and no less assuring.

Krista swallows. “Reinforcements?”

“Yeah.” Danny smirks, but she misses it. Her stare caught on Mikey in expectation.

The motel room door flies open, the aged wood cracking against the wall in an ear-piercing clap.

I scramble into a ball, slamming my eyes shut.

“Knock, knock.” Leo’s voice filters through the room with mirth.

I know I should feel relief, but being trapped on the bed with the threat of errant bullets forces my heart into my throat.

“Move,” Enzo snaps, and I open my eyes to watch him and Vincent push into the room, guns at the ready.

Enzo's eyes seek me out immediately, fury morphing his face from guarded to wildly reckless.

I avert my gaze immediately, seeking out my brother.

“I’ll shoot her before you do me,” Krista threatens, her gun now pointing at me. Her hand doesn’t shake, the promise in her threat one-hundred-percent real.

My teeth clank together with the tremble in my jaw. I slam it shut.

“I trusted you,” she bites out in Danny’s direction.

“You fucked up,” he tells her. “You fucked up,” he repeats. “And you put yourself here.”

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