Whispered Shadows

Chapter Sixteen

The Trap

Noa

Two figures step out of the shadows at the end of the hallway, guns raised. The beams of their flashlights blind me, and I freeze, throwing up my hands instinctively.

"Don't shoot!" I shout. "I'm—"

"Noa?" Ryder's voice cuts through the tension like a whip.

The flashlight lowers slightly, revealing his face—jaw clenched, eyes blazing with fury. A man is standing beside him, his gun still trained on me, though his expression is more confused than angry.

He looks a little older than Ryder. His short blonde hair is flopped over to one side. His wide mouth is pressed into a thin line as his brown eyes lock on me. His face is more like an oval, but when you get down to his jaw you can see the definedness within it.

"You have got to be kidding me," Ryder growls, stepping forward. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Could you get your friend to drop the gun that's pointing at me?" I say to him hands still raised.

"Asher you can holster it," Ryder says never taking his eyes off of me.

My eyes watch this guy Asher put his gun back into his belt thing and lower my hands, "Thanks."

His free hand grabs my arm, "What the hell are you doing here?" Ryder repeats.

"I could ask you the same thing," I snap, yanking my arm free. "You're the one snooping around in the dark like some kind of—"

"Like some kind of FBI agent?" Ryder interrupts, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Because that's what I am, Noa. You, on the other hand, are not supposed to be here."

Asher's eyes are darting between us. "Should I just...?" He gestures vaguely toward the door.

"Stay," Ryder barks without looking at him. His attention is laser-focused on me, and I can feel the weight of his glare like a physical thing. "Do you have any idea how dangerous this is? Shadow could've been here. Hell, he might still be here."

"I'm not a child, Ryder," I shoot back, my voice rising. "You don't get to tell me where I can and can't go. If you'd bothered to keep me in the loop, maybe I wouldn't have had to come here on my own."

What now that he has his friend here he thinks he can cut me out? I don't think so. This happened to my sister. This is happening to me. There is no way in fucking hell I am backing down. I'm not sitting on my hands waiting for a man to tell me what I can and can't do.

His jaw tightens, and for a moment, I think he might actually explode. Asher, meanwhile, looks like he's watching a particularly entertaining tennis match, his gaze bouncing back and forth between us.

"I did keep you in the loop," Ryder says through gritted teeth. "I told you to wait. I told you I'd handle it."

"And what if Shadow sent this address because of Gia?" I counter, stepping closer to him. "What if this was a clue, and you missed it because you were too busy playing protective?"

The mention of Gia hits him like a blow. His shoulders stiffen, and for a moment, the anger drains from his face, replaced by something raw and vulnerable. But it's gone just as quickly, buried beneath that infuriating wall of control.

"This isn't a game, Noa," he says quietly. "This guy is dangerous. If something happened to you—" He cuts himself off, running a hand through his hair. "I can't let that happen."

The sudden shift in his tone takes the wind out of my sails. My anger deflates, leaving behind a gnawing sense of guilt. I know he's just trying to protect me. But I'm so tired of feeling like I need protecting.