The Drift (Preacher Brothers 3)

I’d seen so much. Too much.

I was a liability.

I turned and looked toward the bedroom door, which was still open. I could leave, escape. I could sneak out and run as fast and hard as my legs would take me. They were too engrossed in what was going on to even pay me attention. I thought those things over and over again and found myself edging toward the door. And each step I took, I felt a little tightness in my chest, increasing even more the closer I got. I stared at the one they called Wilder.

Wilder.

The way I thought his name, the way it made me feel, shouldn’t sit well with me.

I was so close to the door now. So close. But right before I could dart out, the one named Cullen stepped in from the hallway, his massive body blocking the entryway, his muscular arms crossed as he looked down at me. His eyes told me he knew exactly what I planned on doing.

“Going somewhere?” he asked in a deep, thick voice.

And after he spoke, I felt all eyes on me.

Looked like I wasn’t going anywhere after all.

Chapter Seven

Zoey

Several hours laters

I rested back against the wall so damn tired, but I couldn’t sleep for the life of me. I kept staring at Wilder, watching the rise and fall of his breathing, drawing comfort from it. It was strange to care about what happened to someone I didn’t even know, hadn’t ever spoken to, and, for all intents and purposes, his twin wanted me dead.

Kidnapped, held against my will, and probably about to be buried six feet under for being “collateral damage” was all pretty clear to me. But despite that, I stared at Wilder’s face and found myself hoping he survived, wanting to look into his eyes, to see if they were the same shade as his brother’s. I wanted to hear his voice, to see how deep it was, to see if it made me feel that the connection, this boundlessness I felt we had, would be stronger.

There was a soft knock on the bedroom door, and it opened a second later. Kimber peeked her head around the corner and gave me a timid smile.

“Can I come in?”

I didn’t respond, because I knew it wouldn’t have mattered what I said. She’d come in here regardless.

And she did.

She pushed the door open and a second later stepped in with Amelia trailing behind her. Amelia held a tray and walked over to me, while Kimber went to Wilder. Someone had come in every five minutes to check on him, but the men had all but ignored me, as if they either forgot I was here or didn’t give a shit that they kept a woman hostage.

Amelia sat on the floor a few feet from me and set the tray down, pushing it forward slightly, a small smile on her face. “You have to be hungry.”

I didn’t respond. I didn’t know what to say.

The tray held a couple bottles of water beside a plate that had a sandwich, a bag of chips, and a slice of watermelon. Beside that was a small slice of chocolate cake.

“I made the cake this afternoon.”

I glanced up at her, hearing the pride in her voice. I don’t know why I found it comforting. Maybe because it was so… normal.

“How are you doing?”

I was so tired I didn’t have the strength to fight. I shrugged. “I’m doing shitty, about the same as I feel.”

She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I know. I’m sorry about… all of this.”

I rested my head back against the wall. “It’s not your fault.”

She exhaled wearily. “It’s not like I’m helping you walk out of here though.”

She had a point, but again, I was too damn tired to fight her on this.

“What’s your name?”

I thought about not answering, lying, but what difference did it really make? “Zoey,” I finally admitted.

“You from around here?”

“Yes and no.” The look she gave me would have made me laugh if the situation had been different. “I’m what you’d call a free spirit… a nomad. I don’t really hang around for very long.”

She nodded like she knew what I meant.

“You look young.”

“So do you,” I replied. She grinned. “I’m twenty-five and too old to be jumping around like I do, but staying stationary and being sedentary was never my ‘thing,’ I guess.”

We were silent for long moments, but it was the good kind of silence, the kind I needed right now.

“I’m really sorry you’re stuck in this fucked-up situation.”

Me too. “Yeah, it’s pretty fucked up.”

I could hear how genuine she sounded, and I didn’t know why that tugged at my heart.

“But I want you to know you have choices. I know it doesn’t seem like it right now, but Frankie is only acting like this because he’s desperate, because his twin over there is fighting for his life and he doesn’t know what do to.” She exhaled. “No one knows what’s going to happen, and it’s making these normally hardened men even more unbearable.” The way she said the last part told me she felt the same way.