“‘Fraid not,” Shelton said. “I know you wanted a shot at him.” He sent a nasty glare toward Alex. “Get your woman in line, Mason. I’ll call you when I find him. This ain’t over.”

“Fuck no, it’s not. I told you I can’t risk him on the loose.”

He turned toward the people still waiting for a fight. “Listen up, everyone!” His voice bellowed through the warehouse. “We got a little situation, so we’ll have to do this another night.” A collective groan traveled through the room. Shelton raised his hands. “Hey, all bets stand. The fight will happen. I’ll send texts out when it’s time.”

As the crowd grudgingly began to disperse, Shelton slapped me on the back. “Nate and…what’s-his-name will drive you back to the boat. They won’t be happy to deal with the shitty weather for another day or so, but I won’t let you be sitting ducks. Until we find Zach, you’ll have protection 24/7.”

He meant we’ll be watching you 24/7. I was unarmed since Shelton had confiscated my gun while Alex was inside that damn room with Zach. How the fuck were we going to get out of here?

24. Breaking Free - Rafe

24. BREAKING FREE - RAFE

The stubborn silence between us unsettled me. Everything about this night unsettled the fuck out of me. Alex perched on the couch, her shoulders slumped, eyes downcast. I stood in front of her and propped my back against the side of the bench. It took everything in my power to keep my hands off of her. If I touched her now, I might lose control and do something I’d regret.

“I’m so fucking furious with you right now.”

“I know,” she said, picking at her cuticles. I gnashed my teeth. If she went for her skin, that would be it. I’d make her hurt in a bad way…in the same fucking way her actions tore me to shreds.

What she’d done felt a lot like betrayal, though I knew she hadn’t meant to betray me. She’d thought she was doing the right thing by letting that piece of shit go. Nothing in my standard arsenal of punishment would fix this.

I crossed my arms, trying to contain the energy flowing through me. “What were you thinking?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

I let out a sigh and settled next to her on the couch. Resting my elbows on my knees, I dragged both hands through my hair. We had bigger problems to deal with, but at the moment, all I could think about was what had gone on in that room. Had he touched her?

“What did he say to you?”

“He said my dad killed my mom.”

I lifted my head and gaped at her. “I did not just hear that right.”