ra had spent two days unwinding at the little inn, more rxed than she''d been in ages. In the early evening, she decided to step out for a walk on her own.


    This city sat right next to the Capital-business was booming here, too. The Capital had its famous river, but this ce had the sea. Her inn was small, but if you followed the straight road in front, you''d reach the ocean in about twenty minutes.


    Spring was in full swing. The flowerbeds along the way were starting to bloom, and ra felt light on her feet. She even passed a few people selling seashells on the sidewalk.


    When she finally got to the beach, the wind was wild, carrying that sharp, briny scent only the sea could have. The view was beautiful, but she couldn''t help noticing how empty it felt seeing it all by herself.


    After a while, she found a phone booth near the road and called Ryan.


    She told him to get in touch with Z. Why hadn''t he shown up yet? Was he still angry with her?


    ra didn''t dare reach out to Z herself. With her ties to Dn, there were too many people from the Capital watching her every move. She didn''t want to drag Z into her mess.


    "ra, I already called him," Ryan said. "He was as rude as ever-hung up before I could finish my sentence. Are you sure you want to be with someone like that?"


    ra rubbed her forehead, feeling the ache in her head get worse with the evening breeze.


    She took a deep breath. "Did he say anything else?"


    She honestly didn''t know if Z had heard about her marriage to Dn. If he had, she figured he''d be furious, maybe even show up on her doorstep. But all she got was silence. She''d thought after Ryan told him where she was, he''de running.


    ra never doubted how Z felt about her, but his absence made her restless.


    Ryan seemed like he wanted to say more, but hesitated, probably worried Simon would catch on. When he spoke again, his voice was quieter.


    "Simon''s been crashing at my ce. We nned that thing togetherst time, and now he''s worried Dn''s going toe after him."


    "Ryan, don''t be reckless like that again," ra said.


    ying the shield for someone else was risky. And really, where did Simon get the idea that hiding out with Ryan would make him safe?


    Ryan lowered his eyes, his voice calm. "I know I acted on impulse. I just couldn''t stand the thought of you being forced to marry. That''s all I could think about. ra, you have no idea how much you used to hate him. Maybe being away will help you remember-and then you''ll be right there with me, taking Dn down."


    He knew he wasn''t a real threat to Dn, but he didn''t care. He wasn''t scared of anything.


    ra didn''t push it any further. She just asked him to swing by Z''s ce if he had a chance.


    The thought of that dark, run-down house made Ryan uneasy, like there was something lurking there that wasn''t meant to be seen. Could


    ra really be happy with a guy who lived like that?


    After he hung up, he drove over again, slipping through the night.


    But the little house was still empty.


    Ryan sat in his car, chain-smoking, telling himself he''d wait until daylight if he had


    to.


    Then his phone rang. Simon was calling, asking where he was.


    Simon never let him out of his sight. Annoyed, Ryan had no choice but to drive away.


    "I''m at the office. I''ll be back soon," he lied.


    Sitting in his own car, Simon


    watch Ryan drove off, his eyes


    cold. He''d always known Ryan couldn''t be trusted, but he hadn''t


    expected him to be this unreliable.


    ra wasn''t even part of the Bradford family—so why was Ryan still covering for


    her?


    Did he have feelings for her?


    Well, they weren''t real siblings, so maybe it made sense.


    Why did everyone want to take ra from him? It was infuriating. They were all


    the same. They all deserved what wasing to them.