Warrior (Relentless #4)(67)

“No.” I turned away from the body to look at Chris. “It’s close, but not him.”

“Too bad.” He motioned for two warriors to take the body away. “So what time do we depart this fair city?”

We walked outside to where our bikes sat in the driveway. “Tomorrow afternoon, Wednesday at the latest. Sara needed a few days with her uncle. This isn’t easy for her.”

Chris pursed his lips. “It was never going to be easy, but your girl’s tougher than she looks.”

“That she is.” Knowing that hadn’t made it any easier to leave her today, even for a few hours. I hadn’t seen her since I dropped her off yesterday, but when I’d called her earlier today to let her know I’d be back this evening, she’d sounded so lost. I knew her talk with her uncle yesterday hadn’t gone well. Standing outside her apartment last night, I could feel her pain, and it had been hard not to go to her.

“You heading back already? I thought Maxwell said the pack would watch Sara.”

“He did, but I don’t want to spend too much time away from her now.” I was actually planning to introduce myself to her uncle and to extend an invitation for him to come to Westhorne with Sara. I hoped it would help him and Sara adjust to the changes in their lives. And I wanted to assure him that we would never try to keep her from her family.

My phone rang, and I pulled it out, expecting to see Tristan’s name again. He’d already called me three times since I let him know Sara had agreed to go to Westhorne. The last time I’d seen him this happy was when Madeline was born.

Sara’s name flashed on the screen, and my stomach instantly knotted. She wouldn’t call me unless something was wrong.

“Sara, what is it?”

“Something outside.” She gasped for breath, her terror almost palpable. “They’re trying to get in. The ward is holding, but Nate’s not here. If he comes home and…”

I swore and jumped on my bike. Chris grabbed my arm, and I almost roared at him. “Call Maxwell. Sara’s in trouble.”

I forced my voice to sound calm despite my heart trying to punch its way through my ribs. “We’re coming. Stay right where you are, and do not hang up. I’m going to stay on the phone until we get there. Do you hear me?”

“Maybe I should call Maxwell.”

“No, stay on the phone with me. Chris is calling them now.”

Hearing her voice and knowing she was safe were the only things keeping me from losing it. I yanked on my helmet, activated the Bluetooth headset, and started my bike.

“I’m on my way,” I said as I shot out of the driveway.

“Okay,” she rasped, sounding a little calmer.

God, I never should have left her. If anything happened to her…

“What was that?” I asked when I heard a sound on her end.

“The house phone. Maybe it’s Nate.” I heard her run through the house and pick up the other phone. “Hello?” Then, “Yes.”

There was a loud noise as she dropped the cell phone. “Sara?” When she didn’t answer, I yelled, “Sara, pick up the phone.”

“I’ll do it!” she cried. Her words made no sense until she said, “How do I know I can trust you to let him go?”

“Sara, it’s a trap. Don’t leave that apartment!” I shouted. They couldn’t get to her, so they were using the one thing they knew would lure her outside.

“No! I’ll come,” she said to the person on the other phone. Then there was silence.

“Don’t listen to him. Whatever he’s telling you, it’s a lie.”

Nothing.

“Goddamnit, Sara, answer me!” I bellowed.

There was a muffled sound as she picked up the phone. Her next words were like a knife twisting in my gut. “I’m sorry, Nikolas. I have to go.”

“Do not leave that apartment. I’ll be there in thirty minutes. Whatever it is, we can take care of it.”

“It’ll be too late. They have Nate, and they’re going to kill him if I’m not there in ten minutes. I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I will not let Nate die because of them.”

“Sara, think about this,” I implored. “They are not going to just let your uncle go once they have you. If you do this, you could die.”

“He’ll die for sure if I don’t go. I’m not going to hide here and do nothing while he’s killed. I couldn’t live with that.” The resignation in her voice scared the hell out of me. “You were right. All I do is put the people I love in danger. It has to stop now.”

“Sara, no, listen to –”

The line went dead.

I called her cell phone, and it went to voice mail. I hit the gas and my bike shot forward. I tried her phone again even though I knew she wasn’t going to answer. Sara would do anything for the people she loved, even if it put her own life in danger.

It had to be Yusri al-Hawwash. A man who would risk the trolls’ wrath would think nothing of hurting Sara or her uncle to get what he wanted. I tried not to think about the other option, that Eli had finally found a way to get to her. The thought of her in his hands made the blood pound in my ears and my stomach churn violently.

I had never known this kind of fear existed until today. “God, please keep her safe. I can’t lose her.”