I knew when her sanity clicked back in place. Her eyes cleared a little and her face twisted in pain as sobs replaced the screams.
“There you are, love.” I brushed my thumb against her cheek, smudging the speck of blood on it. I couldn’t tell her that, though. She would just freak out again if I told her that her face was speckled with a man’s blood.
“Are you ok?”
“They killed Keith,” she sobbed. “Why did they do that? Oh, God, Tilly and George—”
“It’s ok, it’s ok. Just breathe. As soon as we are somewhere safe, I’ll make some calls about them, ok? They will be fine but I need to get us somewhere safe, ok?”
She nodded dumbly. “They shot at us.”
“I know, sweet girl, and I’m going to find out why. I just need you to stay calm. Can you do that for me?”
Again, she nodded. “Yes,” she whispered.
“Do you want to tell me why they were shooting at us?”
Something that looked like guilt swept across her face. She tried to hide it but it was too late because I had already seen it. “Do you not think it was a robbery?” She scooted across to the other seat and drew her legs up to her chest, hiding her face in her knees.
A robbery gone wrong was one possible explanation, but I knew it wasn’t true. Kieth had wanted her separated from me. He had wanted her alone, knowing there was a gunman in his house. Had Chloe been the target? Shots had only been fired after I had pulled her back, so the target could have been me. Maybe they had needed me out of the equation so they could… I shook the thought away. I wouldn’t think about the things theywould probably do to her if they managed to get her alone. If I did, I would turn the car around and hunt them down.
I looked at her, crying softly out of the corner of my eye. She looked so weak and broken. So innocent. But she wasn’t. Deep down, I knew she wasn’t.
So what had Chloe got herself into? And how was Ghost involved?
Chapter Eleven
“Whose house is this?” Pocket had carried me from the car because he had thought I was asleep, but really, I was just closing my eyes to try to regain some control over my emotions. I needed some control, even just an ounce of it, otherwise I wouldn’t survive.
Sitting up in the middle of the bed he had placed me on, I glanced around. The room was neat and tidy. A homely space. But in the darkness, I couldn’t see much.
“Mine,” Pocket said gruffly. I could see his silhouette moving around the room. Pulling the curtains over the dark windows and opening drawers, but I couldn’t really see him. Not the expression on his face, anyway.
“Why are we here?” I asked.
Pocket's sigh was loud in the silence. “Because it’s safe. At least for now.” The mattress dipped as he sat down on the edge of the bed. But instead of reaching for me like I expected him to, he just sat there and stared at the wall. “And I was told to take you somewhere safe.” Slowly, he turned his head to me. “Do you want to tell me what’s going on, Chloe?”
Instantly, I recoiled from his question. I had only known him for a few days. Though he knew I had a secret, I wasn’t ready to tell him everything.
“I…” Tears sprung up again in my eyes. I didn’t know why this was happening. Hadn’t I done everything I should have? Followed every rule right until I found him at the side of the road? Was this all happening because I had saved him? Had I doomed myself? I didn’t know yet, but I did know I couldn’t tell him the truth. If I did, it would kill him.
“You think what happened back there was my fault?” My voice shook with the kind of righteous anger I had no right feeling. “Keith was my friend, and he is dead. Do you think…?” I dissolved into sobs and curled in on myself. None of this was an act. I had never wanted the people I cared about to come into harm's way. Not ever. It was one of the reasons I never got close to people, because I knew how quickly those people could be ripped away from me.
“I think you know more than you are telling me,” Pocket said softly. “I know it has something to do with Ghost. What I don’t know is why you won’t tell me what’s going on? I’m risking my life having you here and—”
I’d heard enough. Rolling from the bed, I moved around it and headed for the slightly paler black rectangle that was the door.
“Where are you going?”
“Away. Away from you and away from all of this. I don’t want to put you in danger because you think some crazy man is after me, so it’s best that I leave and never come back.”
Pocket caught my wrist easily, tugging me back towards the bed and between his knees. His hands kept my arms to my side, flexing around my wrists. “I don’t want you to go, Chloe. I just want you to tell me what is going on.”
“I don’t know,” I said honestly. I might know why it was happening, but not why it was so violent all of a sudden. Thethought made me frown. A tiny line appeared between my eyebrows. It had been violent before as well. Years ago. Anytime we thought we were safe, he would appear and prove to us that we weren’t.
“And your relationship with Ghost?” Pocket’s hands moved from my arms to my hips.
“Pocket please.” I didn’t know why I was begging, but I was. I had to because I didn’t want to go out there and be alone. I was so tired of being alone. Of keeping my distance from anyone who might learn to love me.