Stolen

Chapter Twenty-Two

Ember

The war inside of my head only grew louder when Knox kissed me again. I realized a moment too late that this was wrong. It felt right. Everything about being with Knox felt right. Carrson was never far from my mind but for some reason it felt as if he was always lingering in the shadows. Knox was always in the forefront. 

I helped Knox clean up from our brief training session. He was happy and it leaked from him. The energy around us had been light and playful before his heavy admission. And after...

    I sighed heavily, catching his attention as he placed the training rod back into its home.

    "What's wrong?" He asked softly.

    "Where's Carrson?" I asked. This wasn't the first time I'd asked someone but it was the first time I had asked Knox directly. Knox and I had established a common ground and I was slightly afraid to put that in jeopardy but I needed to know the truth at whatever cost.

    His blue eyes shadowed and his jaw tensed at my question. 

    "Why won't anyone tell me where he is?" I whispered, more to myself than to him.

    Knox massaged the back of his neck with his hand, "It's...complicated." He admitted. That was more than anyone else had told me.

    "Why is it complicated?" My head started to throb as I tried to remember anything about Carrson leaving or telling me he was going somewhere. I couldn't conjure anything except stolen kisses and this epic forbidden romance that didn't quite feel like it belonged to me.

    Knox sighed, "Em, I honestly don't know where he is. But I need you to trust me when I tell you that you don't want to find him."

    I looked down at my hands. Did they even belong to me? Was any of this real? Where is Carrson? Could he... there was no way. All of these images of him were in my head and they were all loving and caring images. Nothing that could even indicate that Carrson could have been involved in my abduction. But why else would he just not be here? Wouldn't the one person who was supposed to love me unconditionally be here when I woke up?

    Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I worked up the nerve to ask Knox the one question that haunted me.

    "Was it...was it him? Did he do this?" It came out as barely a whisper but from the look in his blue eyes I knew that he heard me.

    I tried to convince myself that the emotion on Knox's face wasn't guilt but it's all I could see. Slowly he pulled a cellphone from his pocket and put it to his ear. His eyes never left mine as he told the person on the other end to meet him now. When he hung up the phone and tucked it back into his pocket I asked him again.

    "Was it Carrson?" This time with more conviction in my voice.

    Knox pulled a shaky hand through his dark hair. "Ember, I'm going to tell you everything but this time...I need you to really hear me. Earlier when I told you that you were not going to like what you heard I was being serious. The only thing that I ask of you, is that you wait for Rhett and Maya to get here."

    Maya. She would tell me the truth. She'd been the only one who had willingly offered up any information as to what my life was like before this. I nodded to him. Agreeing to wait for her. I busied myself with tidying up the training area. Left out equipment was returned to the racks and when there was nothing left to do, I sunk to the ground to wait. The sun had set behind the buildings leaving us in dusk.

    Maya and Rhett entered the square slowly. Knox was the first to approach them. I couldn't hear what they were saying but from the sympathetic look that Maya threw my way, I knew they were talking about me. I pushed myself up from my place on the ground and inserted myself into their conversation. It was time that the secrets ended.