“Cyn?” This time his voice was sharper, his frustration evident.

“Kayden?” His name was a whisper, but it also had me grabbing my

discarded blanket and wrapping it around me toga style. I stumbled to the doorway, sticking to the heavier pools of shadow. “Here, I’m here.” My voice was shaky, but he heard me and reached out to turn on the kitchen lights. “No,

don’t.” It came out sharp. Maybe too sharp.

His hand hung in mid-motion, before he slowly dropped it. “Are you okay?”

Instead of answering with a lie, I asked, “How did you get in?”

He held up a key. “Got a copy from Terrance.” He moved closer. “Where

have you been?”

“That’s the million-dollar question.” I forced my legs to carry me over to the

couch and away from him. I curled into the corner, tucking the blanket around

me, and watched him make his way closer.

He sank to his heels in front of me. Exhaustion had left its mark on him, yet

those steel-colored eyes darkened as he studied me. He reached out, stopping when I flinched. “Cyn?”

That one word held so many unasked questions, but it was the mix of relief

and worry that got to me. I drew in a shaky breath and jumped off Kelsey’s hypothetical cliff. “I woke up in an alley in downtown Phoenix. The last thing I

remember is following Ramirez into a building on Friday night. Everything in between is an empty hole.”

Fury flared across his face, and his jaw tightened, but the fingers he brushed

over my bruised cheek were butterfly light. “I got to the building about fifteen minutes after we lost audio contact. It was empty.” He dropped his hand to cover

my fists in my lap, the warmth of his touch seeping through my chilled skin. “I

found your ear bud smashed into pieces, some drops of blood, nothing else.” His

gaze roamed over my face, his eyes narrowing when they dropped to my neck.

“I’m turning on a light.”

Before I could protest, he rose in a rush of movement, reached for the lamp

on the end table, and snapped it on. I ducked my head and blinked rapidly against the glare, as I huddled on the couch. Hands cradled my face, gentle but

inexorably tilting it up. He tucked my hair back behind my shoulders, leaving my neck bare. Uncomfortable with having my scars on display, much less the obvious signs of violence, I stared over his shoulder at the painting on the far wall.

“What else did they do?” Despite his careful touch, a cold, frightening fury

wound through his voice.

“I took some hits to my ribs and stomach, and a kick to the thigh. The marks

at my wrists indicate restraints of some kind.”

His hands left my face and brought up my hands, cradling them carefully. A

few tense seconds passed before he said, “From the parallel cuts, I’d guess zip ties, and based on the depth of the wounds, it looks like you struggled.”

Something soft brushed against the sore areas on my right wrist. Startled, I looked down. His head was bent over my wrists. He pressed another whisper-

soft kiss to the left one, before placing both back in my lap. His head lifted and he caught my gaze. The naked upheaval of emotion in his eyes blew through me,

leaving me stunned at the depth of it. “We need to take you to a hospital. Make

sure you’re okay.” His voice cracked, revealing his unspoken fear.

I used my free hand to trace one deep bracket on the side of his mouth. “No

hospital, Kayden.”

The line deepened. “Dammit, Cyn—”

“No hospital.” My voice came out strong, sure. “It’s only bruises, I promise.”

He studied me for a long moment before muttering, “Hell with a dixie cup.”

He got up and then sat on the couch beside me. I stayed still while he studied me. “Bruises only?”

I took a deep breath and gave him a nod. “They’ll heal; nothing’s broken, just achy.”

“But?”

When he picked up on what I wasn’t saying, I winced and tucked my feet under his thighs, finding comfort in the small touch. “Someone’s been messing

with my head.”

“Ramirez isn’t psychic.”

“I don’t think he wasn’t alone.”

“Ellery?”

I shrugged. “I’m not sure, maybe. Every time I poke at things, I hit a blank

wall.” A shiver rushed over me, stealing what little warmth I found. When he didn’t ask anything else, I looked up.