Free Unbreakable by Emma Scott Page A

situation?” I asked, appalled.
    “Oh yeah. He’s that type of guy. But that’s not the worst of it.”
    “It’s not ?”
    He glanced at me sideways, as if deciding how much to tell me. Then he blew air out his cheeks and said, “Georgia wants to move to Sitka.”
    “Sitka…Alaska?”
    “That’s the one. If I don’t have a good enough residence for Callie when she visits me, the judge who handles all of our custody stuff will probably let Georgia move there. She’s got an aunt in Sitka, so she can plead extra help raising Callie.”
    “I take it you don’t want to go.”
    “It’s the last thing I want to do. No sun, no beach. Moreover, there’s no construction work there. Not like in L.A.” He dabbed his brow again, winced. “I work some nights as a bouncer for extra cash. I suppose I’d do that if I had to but it’s not much of a career.”
    “So…if Georgia moves there, you will too?”
    “Of course. For Callie.” He smiled ruefully. “So yeah, the monster squad couldn’t have picked a worse day to carry out their little heist. Or I picked the wrong bank.”
    I sat for a moment, absorbing his story, feeling it seep into my gut. “Oh my god, you must think I’m terrible.”
    He glanced up quickly. “What? Why?”
    “You must think I’m a spoiled, selfish bitch.”
    “I don’t think you’re spoiled—”
    “No?” My hands twisted in my lap. The ridiculous diamond scratched my palm. I wanted to throw it across the room. “Here I am, whining about my trial…”
    “Hey,” he said gently. “We all have our stuff, right?”
    I looked up at him and for a few moments, the meeting room and the other hostages fell away. Neither ugly fluorescent lighting nor the gash over his eye could mar his beauty and or the softness with which he looked at me.
    “I wish…” I began and had to swallow before continuing, “I wish I could help you in some way.”
    He smiled that crooked, charming smile. “You already are.”
    God, what did that mean? He was so close, I could see the tiny lines on his full lips and I wondered what it might feel like to touch those lips, to feel them sweep over mine and forget about this horrible, terrifying situation for a few stolen moments…
    Roy snorted in his sleep and we jerked apart.
    I tore my eyes from his and glanced around. Roy was slumped over his own chest, snoring noisily. The others were also asleep or close to it, despite the persistent glare of the lights.
    “I think I need to sleep a bit too,” I said. “I can’t keep my eyes open.” Or keep from having inappropriate thoughts about you. I needed to sleep to escape Cory, from the relentless, tantalizing presence of him. I needed to put some distance between us, the only way I could in this bank. Then I remembered what Carol had said about his wound. If he had a concussion, sleeping could be dangerous for him.
    “You need to stay awake,” I told him. “Dr. Carol’s orders. Wake me in an hour or so and we’ll trade off. Deal?”
    “I feel fine.”
I snorted. “And you say I like to argue.”
    He laughed lightly. “All right. It’s a deal.” He indicated for me to rest my head on his shoulder if I wanted. “Be my guest.”
    I hesitated. This wasn’t the distance I needed, but I heard myself whisper, “Thank you,” and I rested my cheek against the rough cotton of his jacket. And despite the danger, the frightening circumstances, I was asleep within moments.

Chapter Eight: Day 2
    Cory
     
    Time crawled without a clock to count the minutes or a window to show the night turning to day. There was nothing to do but listen.
    Faintly, I could hear the whup whup of a helicopter circling the bank. Closer, I heard the muffled footsteps of the monster squad marching around the halls, heard their low voices, sometimes shouts or cursing. A phone rang constantly. Even closer, the gentle snores of my fellow hostages. Closer than that, Alex’s breathing, like little sighs, as she lay against my