message remained exactly where h

d slightly. That

e, not after the night they'd had. Not after the way

exhaled slowly, running a hand over hi

muttered und

. Or asleep. Or deliberately ig

ded more

moved before his tho

call, the line rang, once, tw

e, but something colder set

ried again. Longer this

esting his elbows on his knees, h

he murmured

screen for a second too long. He

st be wrong,"

*

ld came back in fragments. Dar

of her head as consciousness slo

even, shallow, then awarene

rst. Shadows melting into sh

hard, tryi

re.

ody shifted slightly and fr

f panic crashed

She pulled again

tly against her ribs as

rough, barely above a whispe

ears. The kind that made everythi

s moved slowly around the spac

d unfamiliar. No windows,

ll at once. The hallway, the sound, the ha

r ran th

Go

*

The engine roared to life bef

te, and didn't q

ing was wrong and he wasn't going to si

ain as he pulled

d that alone sent

he steering w

d ran through possibilities and none of

careless. She w

just disapp

He wasn't jumping to

in his chest w

*

he slower. Panic would not help

gainst the restraint, testing

ugh to cut circulation if she strug

did t

hy

.clients, coworkers, strangers

t pounded harder as a new fear crept in. Th

came from out

tantly..Her entir

ed and moving closer. Her

ly, her pulse skyrocketed

and hidden in shadow. Arianna's lips par

are y

didn't move closer immediatel

ow, that

he voice rep

ences in be

" Arianna's

ettled deep

sn't abo

*

saw it was slightly open. He stoppe

ed it open, sil

ickly. Nothing looked obviously w

a?" No

ther inside. T

on the floor and t

y. Damien bent down,

was enough. No more doub

dence and wasn't he

hing else, some

thing da

ke, his voice dropped into someth

ip tightened around the phon