Page 122 of Ravage
“Hurry up,” I snap at him, then move to lean forward against the back of the couch. I can’t sit down or sit still until Portia’s back and safe.
Jackson hops up on the back of the couch. He tosses an orange my way out of nowhere, and I catch it on reflex. “Eat.”
I tear open the skin in pieces and drop it on the floor as a later gift and surprise for Aiden. Even though my stomach is twisted in knots, I force myself to eat the fruit.
Dane eventually joins us in the living room and sits on the furthest end of the couch from me. He kicks his socks up on the coffee table and leans into the couch, his hands burying themselves in his front hoodie pocket.
For once, we’re all quiet.
It’s almost like old times, if not for the layer of tension radiating between us all and reminding me that those times are long gone.
Aiden stands at the edge of the living area. He’s dressed in military-esque clothing that accentuates the muscles in his biceps and makes my mouth water. “All right, Jackson. You tell us what happened.”
“Why him?” I burst out before I can stop myself.
“Because he’ll get straight to the point.”
Jackson chuckles and leans his face against his fist. “Her friend, Portia, was kidnapped by the congressman.”
“And we’re going after her, I presume?”
“We? No, I just need your help to find her. I’ll get her back myself,” I answer first.
Aiden casts his gaze over Kellan and Jackson, then lands on me. “That may have been your plan, but it’s not the one they’ll follow. We will assist you in getting her back.”
“I get Jack and Kellan going in to help me, but why would you?”
He scoffs and crosses his arms while widening his stance. “I don’t expect you to understand, but I’ll stand by my brothers if they’re running into danger to make sure we all come home. I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we stick together.”
“Not to mention our Guild mates might be held where she is,” Dane adds. I notice he refuses to look at me during this conversation as if he’s pretending I’m not actually here.
Which is…fine. It’s better than being held at gunpoint.
He stands and returns to his U-shape desk of monitors. “I’ll start checking cameras around your building tonight to see if I can follow them.”
Aiden nods and pulls his phone out. “I’ll call the scout team back in to rest and be on standby to go back out.”
A ringtone sounds and we look expectantly at Aiden’s phone. Then they look at me and I realize my pocket is vibrating. There’s only one person it could be.
I yank my phone out and flip it open.
“Portia?!”
Screaming pierces through the speaker into my ear and echoes in the room.
Chapter thirty
Raegan
“Portia! Portia!” My voice cracks.
“Such a shame she woke up so quickly,” Joe says over her screams. “But it is morning and as good a time as any to get started.”
“Stop hurting her! You gave me two days.”
“Of course, and you’ll have them. However, our mutual friends would like to learn more about her while she’s here. She’s refusing to answer any of their questions. So, really, this is her doing. I must say, she’s stronger than she looks.”
“Anyone who touches her is dead,” I bite out. “And I won’t be using a gun to do it. Tell that to everyone if they want to live. You’ll all leave her alone until I come for the swap.”
