Chapter 86

• *~Riley~*
• I rub Talia’s back as she relieved her sorrow, my shoulders dampening from the weight of her tears. I attempted to breathe away the tears in my own eyes while I tried to soothe her. The drugs were wearing off bit by bit but my entire insides felt as if it were housing a desert. I shook the lulling thoughts away and force myself to focus on the present. How the hell was Talia here? The trade was supposed to have been made already. Me in exchange for her. Unless— it wasn’t honoured. Oh God, was her father even alive? There was no way he would have left unscathed, not when the deal wasn’t honoured.
• “No, we need to be strong. We can get through this. I am sure my father is already looking for me.” Talia sniffled, pulling away from my embrace to stare at me with the saddest eyes I’ve ever seen and my chest constricted. Todd had no idea just want he’d inadvertently exposed his daughter to and I couldn’t excuse my part in this. It was my father, my past that had finally caught up with me, we’d just not expected that Talia would be caught in the crosshairs. Draven had anticipated it would be my friends and ensured they were safe. There was no way for him to have thought Talia would get dragged in.