SWNOVELS Runner: Chapter 43
We were only two streets away from Kade and Gray’s house when Rylan pulled into a driveway. My nerves had only gotten worse since we got in the car. I gave it less than an hour before Kade and Gray got word out that this was all me. I needed to get as far away from Ridgewood as I could. I’d already texted Caleb to tell me where he was, and I was waiting for him to respond.
“You okay?” Rylan asked as he took the keys out of the ignition.
“Perfect,” I muttered. “Thank you, Rylan.”
“You know I’ve been trying to take them down for years. It’s you I should be thanking.”
“It won’t bring down the whole crew.”
“No…but it’s a start.”
“I really should go—”
“Come inside first. I’ll give you some food for the road.”
I chuckled. “You don’t want me to come in for food.”
“I just want to talk.”
“Only for a few minutes.” I got out of his car and followed him through the garage.
He opened the door for me, and I stepped into a hall. He flipped on the lights before leading me down the wide hallway until it branched out into a large living room. From the pristine white couch to the glass table with nothing on it, this house looked like it was staged to sell.
“I’m going to take a guess that you don’t spend a lot of time here,” I muttered.
“No, I’m usually at my office.” He gently took the backpack off my shoulder and set it on the couch before pulling me into his arms.
“I thought you liked them,” he said, searching my eyes. “What did they do to you?”
I frowned. “They lied. Their bosses know I’m here and they want me. And when I asked them about it, they didn’t come clean.”
Something seemed to be on the tip of his tongue, but he only shook his head, pulling me with him to another room. The house was one floor, and the hallway seemed to connect all the rooms. We stopped in what looked like a small library. One wall had floor-to-ceiling shelves of books, and I glanced at a couple of titles, wondering if we had the same taste, but from what I saw, it was all nonfiction biographies.
We stopped in front of an oversized chair, and Rylan sat down first before tugging me onto his lap. A lump grew in my throat, knowing what he was about to say.
“I’m leaving. Nothing you can say will change that,” I said quietly.
He ran a finger down my cheek. “I know. You’ll be safer that way anyway.”
“The crew might retaliate against you,” I said with a frown.
“Don’t worry about me. I can handle it.”
With those words, he kissed me, his hand going to the back of my head. I opened my mouth, his tongue clashing with mine. I let myself forget about the world for the next few minutes as I kissed him. Until my phone vibrated in my pocket. Pulling away, I saw it was Caleb.
“I have to take this.” I climbed off him.
He stood when I did. “I’ll go get that food I promised you.”
Watching him leave the room, I answered the call. “Hey.”
“Why are you leaving?” he asked immediately. “Did they do something?”
“You could say that,” I mumbled. “Where are you? I’m leaving in a few minutes. Once I get a car.”
“Are you okay—”
“I’m fine,” I interrupted. “Where are you?”
“Nevada.”
“Not too far. I should be there by morning.”
“I’ll text you the address.” He paused. “Are you coming by yourself?”
“Yes,” I clipped out. “I’ll call you later.”
“Wait. I got back on the dark web. There’s a new name popping up.”
I stared out the window into the darkness. “Name?”
“Yeah. I’ve seen it before, but it was never an issue until now.”
“Does it have to do with Joel?”
He sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t think so. But it has to do with you.”
My shoulders tensed. “How?”
“I just tracked his online movements, and he’s been searching about you. Sapphire. Jobs. Identity. People who know you.” The keys on his computer clacked in the background. “He’s been at it for months, and I don’t know how the fuck I missed it.”
“Who is he?”
“I’ve tried finding his real name, but he knows what he’s doing. I only know his screen name.”
I leaned against the glass. “What is it?”
“The Chameleon.”
“Chameleon?” I whispered, frozen in place.
My heart stopped, and I tried to stop the images rushing into my head. It wasn’t fucking possible. That name could mean things to a lot of people. Yet my night with Rylan wouldn’t stop playing on repeat. When my fingers brushed his chest tattoo. His chameleon tattoo. No. He wasn’t a part of my world. He was the good guy. The man who’d put his life on the line for me.
“What’s wrong?” Caleb asked. “Do you know who he is?”
“Mili, you ready?”
I spun around, my stomach dropping as Rylan stepped through the archway and back into the library. Did he hear me? Was it him? It couldn’t be. But why was dread claiming me as I looked at him now?
“I have to go,” I muttered.
“Wait. What happened—”
I hung up, sliding my phone back into my pocket. Forcing a grin, I glanced at the small bag in his hands. “Thanks for the food.”
“Of course.” His smile was the same as always, except maybe a little sad. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, it was just Caleb.”
“Did he tell you where he is?”
I swallowed. “Yes. He’s back in Florida.”
I shifted, panic clawing me when I realized I didn’t have my bag. Which had my gun in it. He’d taken it off and then brought me to another room. Was that on purpose? I shuffled forward, moving to take the bag from his hand, but he pulled back. My eyes snapped to his.
“Are you okay?” he questioned.
“No. My nerves are fried. I need to leave.”
Again, I went for the bag, and this time he dropped it and snatched my wrist. My breath hitched, my suspicion full-blown now.
“I heard you,” he murmured, his gaze locked with mine.
“Heard what?”
My heart was pounding in my ears, and I decided it was time to end the charade. Him grabbing me only meant one fucking thing.
“Tell me, Rylan. What does your tattoo really mean?” I asked, my voice almost catching.
Regret flashed in his eyes, but it didn’t mean a thing to me now. He’d been playing me for months. I ripped my arm from his grasp, backing up until I was far away from him. Unfortunately, that meant the doorway too since he was standing in front of it.
“Let me explain,” he said slowly, his body tensing.
“Please fucking do,” I snapped.
“Not here. We need to go somewhere—”
“Hell no. I’m leaving.”
I advanced toward him, making it very clear I had every intention of getting past him one way or another. Even with being laid up for a month, I was still deadly. I could handle him.
“I can’t let you leave,” he said in a low voice. “Not now. You were never supposed to find out.”
I didn’t even try to ask what he meant. I could do that another time when I wasn’t trying to run from a city. He wouldn’t be hard to find. And Caleb could do more research on him before I made a move.
“You’re more than welcome to try and fucking stop me.” My grin was full of hatred. “I won’t even need a gun.”
He lunged first, surprising me. I ducked to the side, swinging my fist toward his face, but he blocked it with his forearm.
“I’m not going to hurt you,” he grunted, failing to block my next hit.
Too late for that. These three men had caused my heart more pain than I’d ever experienced. We moved around the room with him blocking my hits and me trying to land one good enough to give me a second to run. No matter which way I went, he never let me near the doorway.
“Get off me,” I snarled when he grabbed my arm. I moved to hit the inside of his elbow, but he kicked out, sweeping my feet out from under me. I crashed to the floor, and I tried scrambling away before he could get on top of me. I slammed my foot into his kidney, and he groaned, but it didn’t slow him down. Fuck, he was strong. Much stronger than I thought. And he knew how to fight. It seemed he had as many secrets as I did.
I got back to my feet, only for him to get his arms around my waist, sending us both onto the chair. I landed on my stomach, my knees hitting the hard floor. He got one arm behind my back, practically sitting on top of me while he reached for the other.
“You fucking asshole,” I screeched, attempting to stand. But with his weight smothering me, that was impossible.
Something soft wrapped around my wrists, and I writhed, trying to get free. My face was nearly shoved into the cushions, and he didn’t let up until whatever he tied was tight. I twisted my wrists, knowing I could free myself, but not right away. I’d have to work through the damn knot. He finally climbed off me, pulling me with him.
“I told you. I’m not going to hurt you.” He didn’t look me in the eye as he kept a tight hold on my arm and pulled me out of the library. His tie was missing, telling me what was around my wrists. “But we need to go somewhere so you’ll understand.”
“Let go, Rylan. Please.” My voice trembled, and I worked my way up to real tears as I swallowed my anger. If he really didn’t want to hurt me, then maybe I could play on his emotions.
He glanced at me, shaking his head. “Nice try, Mili. But no matter how hard you try to act, that anger toward me is deep in your eyes.”
My tears stopped, and my glare turned into loathing. “I fucking trusted you.”
His jaw clenched. “I know. That was the whole point.”
I didn’t respond, letting him lead me down the hall. If I put up a fight, he’d only pick me up and make it harder for me to work on the knot. He walked a little behind me, making it easy to tell if I was going to attack. I just had to wait until he messed up. One second of him distracted was all I needed. We got to the end of the hall, and he stopped in front of a locked door. Keeping my chest pressed against the wall, he quickly unlocked it before placing me back in front of him.
My stomach tightened when all I saw was a set of stairs leading to a basement. “Where are you taking me?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
“Not good enough.” I moved to try and rush him, but he saw it coming, and he leaned down, throwing me over his shoulder. My screams did nothing as he carried me down the stairs. I craned my neck, seeing nothing but a long tunnel. A few lights made a dim pathway, and I flailed my legs until his arms tightened around my thighs. I subtly moved my fingers, trying to reach the knot as he walked farther into the tunnel.