Changing You ✦ 𝑍.𝐷.𝐻.

Chapter 53 {R}

✦ RILEY ✦

Minutes passed and neither of us said anything. My body felt energy drained, my mind numb. The information I had shared lingered in my system like a cold you couldn't shake off.

It were the things I hadn't shared that were crushing me, though. The tasering, the beating, the torturing. The way they had held a gun up to Daniel's head, threatening to kill him if I didn't talk. The way Killian had stuck the pair of pincers into his bullet wound because I had kept quiet.

Zach's thumb brushed over my knuckles and the images faded before my eyes.

He scanned my face up and down, slowly letting go of my hand. Then he grabbed the empty glass of water from my nightstand and got up to fill it at the other side of the room.

I muttered a "thank you" when he handed it to me, the glass cold against my skin. I couldn't force more than one sip down my stuffed throat.

"Maybe you should lie down," he said, concern lacing his voice.

Is it just me or are there two of him? I blinked a few times, and the two Zach's faded back into one.

Reaching behind me, the sore muscles of my arms heavily protesting against each and every movement, I placed the pillow down before carefully letting my body rest against the bed. I bit my bottom lip at the little explosions of pain that shot through my body, mainly coming from my burning back as I felt the bandage scrape against the raw flesh.

"What happened to your father and the others?" I blurted out the question to give me something else to focus on.

"Um," he started. "We had already turned Sophia, Andrew and David in to the police before we found you." He paused, casting his gaze down to his hands, where he begun to twist his rings around — an act he always practiced when he felt uneasy talking about something. "My dad got away," he said softly.

I stared up at him, unable to prevent the panic from flashing across my features.

"He's a fugitive right now, they're looking everywhere for him."

I bit my inner cheek and grew quiet as the idea of Josh still being out there rooted fear deeply inside my head. A fear that made my body grow cold and had my insides clench together like they would fall out of place. A fear I couldn't let go of once it had settled inside my mind.

I jumped as the loud sound of Zach's metal ring clattering against the floor suddenly broke the silence.

At first, I didn't know why the sound scared me so much. But then I remembered the chains they had wrapped around our wrists and the sound they had made every time we desperately pulled at them.

With my heart beating in my throat I forced my body to relax, telling myself that it was over and nothing could happen to me anymore — that I was safe. The message didn't come through for the slightest bit.

My eyes snapped to Zach's as he blew out a harsh breath, and I hadn't noticed until then how fast his heart was beating. He was nervous, for some reason, and it instantly made me tense up more.

"I- I have to tell you something," he muttered.

I just looked at him, seeing how he swallowed and quickly wetted his lips before forcing the following words out of his mouth: "I didn't... I didn't hook up with Jordan."