“Shut up,” Wheeler said under his breath.

Ben smirked and scooped up a forkful, cramming it into his mouth as if in a hurry. “Sometimes there are games you can’t win, so you need to learn how to fold and take the loss.”

“Speaking of loss, don’t you have a game tonight?” Wheeler kept shoveling my chicken spaghetti in, and my, didn’t that inflate my ego just a tiny bit.

“Yep. Don’t wait up on me.” Ben rose from his chair and wiped his mouth with his napkin. “Except for you,” he whispered as he passed by me.

No one else heard his remark, and Ben left the room.

“Naya, you haven’t eaten all day,” Lexi scolded. “Try some of my mom’s coleslaw.”

“I think I’m going to go lie down. I didn’t get enough rest last night after everything, and the nap earlier wasn’t enough. You go on and enjoy that dish. If you peek in the fridge, you’ll find a dessert I whipped up for later.”

“Oh my God,” she said with a mouthful of spaghetti. “Is it that green stuff? That’s the best dessert. No one better touch it until I have some.”

I smiled and waved good night.

As soon as I reached my room, I kicked off my shoes and tried to ignore the sensation of feeling like a caged animal. I needed to get Misha back, but in my heart, I didn’t know if it was too late. A man like Delgado taking care of a cat? I couldn’t imagine it, but I also didn’t want to imagine what he’d done with her. The only way to keep from crying was to focus on Lola. She needed her mother, and I was going to make that happen. This nightmare had to end. The world is filled with unimaginable evils, but the worst act of evil is turning a blind eye.

I turned the dimmers on above the bed and crawled over the blanket. While the main room was shaped like a rectangle, they had extended the wall using the exact dimensions of the bed, so the only way to get in was to climb onto it from the foot. The lamps in the room were off, immersing the room in darkness. I stared up at the ceiling, trying to allow the dim lights to lull me to sleep.

No matter how many times I pounded on my pillow, I couldn’t settle my nerves. I propped myself up on my elbows and looked at the built-in shelf on the headboard. Someone had filled it with a large selection of romance novels—some of which had significant wear on the spine. Probably April’s collection, which I found amusing since she didn’t go through heat. My guess was that she and Reno used this room as a private getaway.

A knock sounded at the door. I shivered when the air-conditioning came on and a cold breath of air skated over my arms. Across the room, I heard the squeaky hinge from a door opening, but I couldn’t see anything since the only lights on were the dimmers in my cubbyhole.