Tempted Trapped and Too Late to Run

Chapter 728

She knew exactly how she'd let herself fall for Z before, and now it felt like she was slipping down that same path all over again.

Clara squeezed her eyes shut and burrowed deeper into the covers, refusing to face the world.

She froze when she felt the mattress dip beside her.

The main light clicked off, leaving just the warm glow from the two bedside lamps.

He seemed to be in a strangely good mood as he scooped her out from under the blanket and hugged her close, like she was something precious he couldn't let go. Clara kept her eyes closed, hoping she could ignore the uneasy feeling twisting inside her.

She tried to sound steady as she asked, "Was that explosion outside the city your doing?"

He just pulled her in tighter.

Clara pressed her lips together. She knew how he felt, but if he'd had anything to do with Z's death, then...

Her thoughts started to spiral, but then he spoke softly. "No."

She finally let herself breathe. Her whole body felt so heavy—just moving was exhausting. She gave up trying to resist and just let herself rest.

The next morning, she woke up with the feeling someone was watching her.

She opened her eyes and saw a stranger sitting there, staring right at her. Charles had been waiting for her to wake up for over an hour. The moment she opened her eyes, his whole face lit up. "Sis!"

Clara was about to respond when she heard footsteps at the door.

bed, and tried to feed her some soup

argue, so she opened her mouth and let him help. She was just about to ask who this other man was when

spoke, his lips brushed her ear, making

really have

of their whispered exchange, rushed over and sat down at

slept in days worrying about you. And that weird guy kept blocking me from coming in. If it wasn't for

even closer, and when he spotted the bowl in Dylan's hands,

and said, "Go do your

wasting a willing helper, after

his eyes. When this guy

his expression softened and he blinked at Dylan.

out who buried her alive. Can

him off, Clara thought. He'd just keep hovering here

the phone on the nightstand, stunned. How long had she been out? How had so many days

remember the rehab center? That guy said he was connected to the Warren family in the Capital. And there

might not get everything, but he

and something cold flashed

to say more to Clara, but she suddenly

felt a little safer with him. She took a shaky

hurts. I'm still so weak. I just want to

Charles was talking, flashes of memory kept storming through her mind. It was almost too

was so sharp, she broke into a sweat in less

gentle kiss to

.n