Unbreakable (City Lights, #2)(30)

And yet, still no gunshots.

Hope flickered but I doused it. Frankie wasn’t about to let Cory go. They just took him too far away for us to hear him die.

A sob welled up in me but before it could burst out, Frankie streaked past the window, hands held before him, crying and wailing. The other hostages and I exchanged glances. Hope struggled to catch fire in me again, and then Wolfman came to the door. He opened it enough to put his head in. “Your guy’s okay. Just wanted you to know.”

He shut the door again, and Carol held me tight. I let out a breath that felt years old and miles deep. He’s alive. Cory’s alive. And then on the heels of that fathomless relief, came the wonder that it could be so powerful, that I cared so much. We’re human, bound together by this situation, trying to survive. That’s all.

I nodded. Of course, that was it. That was all it was. That was all it could ever be.

After the intense terror passed, the remainder of the day crawled by. I felt as if we’d been in here for years. Only two things broke the tedium, the first being the power went out at what I guessed must’ve been twilight. The room was plunged into a grayish dimness and the whir of the AC died. Monster squad members ran back and forth outside our window, but Wolfman, not Frankie, remained on guard.

The second incident of note was a non-incident—no dinner. Wolfman scrounged up some water for us but that was it. I thought he looked harried, frightened. Whatever was happening outside the four walls of this office wasn’t good for the monster squad, that was plain. But instead of comfort, the other hostages and I grew tense. If things grew too desperate for them, it meant bad news for us.

More hours limped by, the darkness grew gradually. The office became shadows and dark shapes and outlines. There was light from somewhere—we weren’t in pitch blackness—but hostages were able to sleep better.

But for me.

My engagement ring was in the pocket of my short blazer. I put my hand inside and twisted it around and around. It felt heavy. It felt like nothing. A trinket. What are you doing? What are you thinking?

I didn’t let myself think. I got to my feet and slipped quietly over the legs of my fellow sleeping captives and tapped gently at the door.

Wolfman cracked it. “What now?”

“I need to use the bathroom.”

“You went an hour ago. Get back to your spot.”

Wolfman had kind eyes. He carried a huge automatic weapon that he frequently brandished to get compliance, but he had kind eyes. I sucked in a breath and took a chance.

“Where is he?”

“Ah, Christ, lady…”

“I want to see him. I want to make sure he’s okay.”

“I already told you. He’s fine. Now sit down and shut up.”

“Please.” I continued to not think and pulled my engagement ring from my pocket. It glinted brightly even in the meager light.

Wolfman’s eyes widened. “How did you manage to keep it?”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s yours. Just let me see him.”

Wolfman snorted. “It’s mine if I want it.” He rubbed his chin, staring at the ring, then snatched it out of my hand. “Come on.”

I gasped as it disappeared into his pocket. What have I done? The diamond was too big, too ostentatious, too much compensation for all that was missing between Drew and me. But it came from him. A symbol of our pledge to spend our lives together and I had given it away for…what?

I have to see that Cory’s okay with my own eyes. I have to.

Wolfman walked down the darkened hallway and I hurried to catch up.

After several turns, we arrived at a door, its placard stating the office belonged to the assistant bank manager. Wolfman stopped and slipped a key in the lock.

“Ten minutes,” he said. “And then I bust the door in.”

“Ten minutes,” I said, over the pounding of my heart. “Thanks. Thank you.” I went in.

It took a few moments for my eyes to adjust to the dimness. The office was windowless and small: a desk, a chair, and not much else. Movement to my left caught my eye. Cory had been sitting against the wall but scrambled to his feet when I came in.

“Alex?”

“Are you okay?” He looked okay. The cut above his eye was a dark gash in the dimness but otherwise he looked unhurt. He looked beautiful. Alive.

“I’m fine.” He took a step toward me. “Why are you here?”

“I had to see you. To make sure you were safe.” My eyes met his in the dark. I swallowed hard, and whispered, “We have ten minutes.”

In two long strides, he was there, hauling me to him and crushing his mouth to mine. A knee-weakening thrill shot down my spine, one I hadn’t felt in months. Years, even. The first sensations coursed through me, burned through me, like a spark racing along a fuse. Somewhere, guilt and shame tugged at the corners of my mind, but they faded to nothing under the onslaught of the desire that consumed me.

This…this is fire.

He kissed me over and over, or perhaps it was only one long kiss he wasn’t willing to break. His breath rasped in his nose, as if he’d rather kiss me than breathe.

His tongue swept over and then into my mouth with a ravenous hunger, as if he was starving for me. But it was I who was starved for this. I felt as if a block of ice within me began to melt, at long last, leaving me warm and wet. I parted my lips for him, taking him in as deep as our mouths would allow, my tongue stroking his as I released breathy little cries of want into our kiss.