Page 85 of Wrecked By You
I collapsed to the floor and passed out.
* * *
“Johannes.”
I groaned as the deep voice penetrated the tendrils of fog that clouded my brain. But as much as I tried to break through, they were like chains holding me captive. I attempted to open my eyes. Managed a crack.
“Too bright,” I croaked, shutting them again.
Jesus. Everything hurt, from the tips of my toes to the top of my head. Was I even alive? Yeah, I must be. If I were dead, I wouldn’t be in agony.
Like an exhausted runner crossing the finish line, my memory staggered back to life. The two men waiting for me in my hotel room. They attacked me, but I fought back. Why were they there?
Oh God.
Ella.
“Fuck. Ella.” I forced my eyes to open. Nolen hovered over me, his face awash with relief.
“Jesus, man, thank Christ. You scared the shit out of me.”
“Where’s Ella?” My voice sounded stronger this time, less raspy.
“Easy, bud.” He put his hand on my shoulder. “You look a right fucking mess. Best stay away from mirrors until that bruising has gone down.”
“Stop stalling, Nolen. Where is she?” I tried to sit up. Failed.Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me?
Nolen grimaced. “I don’t know, bud. No sign of her. I’ve got security going through the CCTV. If she’s on it, we’ll find her.” He grimaced again. “Chloe’s gone too.”
Hehad them. The husband. It was the only explanation. I curled my hands into fists.
“What about Ginny?”
“She’s okay. I had the doctor check her over. Someone dumped her in an alley a few blocks away from here. She has no clue who it was or why she was targeted. Just that she got into an elevator with Chloe and two men followed them inside, and that’s the last she remembers.”
“Ella’s husband is behind this,” I said dully.
Nolen’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Husband? She’s married? But I thought you and—”
“I only just found out. She ran away from him, took Chloe, and came to LA. She’s been hiding ever since, but somehow he found her.”
“Why did she leave him?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
We hadn’t gotten that far, and it was all my fault.
Fuck.
I’d handled this badly.
If only I’d gently coaxed the answers from her instead of going behind her back and hiring a private detective.
If only I’d told her about what had happened to me, she might have felt able to open up about her own situation.
Sharing the worst time of my life would have shown her I trusted her, and in turn, she might have trusted me. My secrecy had encouraged her to keep her secret. Unlike mine, hers was a real and current danger, and keeping it had left her exposed. If she’d told me, I could have put a ring of security around her, made sure she wasn’t exposed while we’d figured out what to do. Together.
You’re a fucking idiot, Kingcaid. And now you’ve lost her, and you don’t have a clue where he’s taken her.