The Risks We Take Duet Box Set

80. Carys

CARYS

L acing up my running shoes is like putting on that one pair of jeans everyone has. The pair that makes your ass look fantastic and puts a smile on your face. Running is like that for me. Yes, it does help my ass look better—not quite fantastic, but good enough.

But it’s how it makes me feel that’s addictive. And staying active, eating right, and taking care of my body and my mental health are all supposed to help prevent flare-ups. Not completely—because nothing will ever do that. But the better care I take of myself, the better off I’ll be.

Mom found me an incredible doctor in Philly who I met with over the summer, and I really liked her. She talked to me about everything, not just about my lupus. We talked about things I could do that would help me feel better overall. Ways to prevent flare-ups, not just ways to treat them once they happened. “Shit.”

“What’s wrong?” Cooper moves up behind me, and I turn, seeing he’s in basketball shorts and an old t-shirt that stretches tight across his chest and around his biceps. His Kings ball cap is on backward, holding back his hair and making the whole package utterly irresistible. “My eyes are up here, Miss Murphy.” The ass uses my own words against me.

“Shut up.” I tie my other shoe, then stand. “I have a doctor’s appointment scheduled in Kroydon Hills next week. I forgot about it. I guess I should cancel it.”

“No. You shouldn’t, Carys. You need to go to that appointment,” he pushes.

I slide my phone into the pocket of my leggings. “Kinda on the wrong side of the country, Coop.”

“Then go home, Carys. Your health is just as important as Emerson’s.” His hand tugs on my ponytail and tilts my head back toward his. “Go home for a few days. You can always come back if you want. Emerson wouldn’t want you to miss it.”

I push him away and walk outside. “You act like it’s a car ride away. It’s eight hours on a plane. Not exactly a weekend trip.”

Coop follows me out and locks the door. The two of us stretch, and his eyes are glued to my ass the entire time. Another benefit of running.

“Just think about it. Please.”

I bend over and place my palms flat on the deck, deliberately placing my ass in front of his face and hoping to distract him. But he smacks it instead, sending a jolt to my core.

“Don’t be a brat, Carys. That’s not playing fair.” He jogs down the steps, and I follow behind him.

“I’ll make you a deal . . .”

Cooper turns back to me, brow raised. “Lay it on me. What’s your deal?”

“I’ll figure out a way to go to my appointment—including virtual, if that’s an option— if you’ll make an appointment to talk to someone.” His happy expression is wiped blank, and he stares at me.

“Have you been talking to Rook?” He’s masking his frustration well, but I still see it.

I step up to him and lace my fingers through his. “You need to talk to someone, Coop. There’s so much going on...”

“And I will. When this is all over and I have five minutes to deal with everything else. Keeping you safe and finding Axel are the only two things I can worry about right now, Carys. They’re the only things that matter.” He tries to drop my hand, but I refuse to let him.

“Tough shit, Sinclair. You matter. Your health matters. I don’t get to be your excuse for not healing. You’re not dealing with it. You’re pushing it aside.” I pull his hand up to my face and rub it against my cheek. “Do it for me if you won’t do it for yourself.”

“That’s playing dirty, mini-Murphy.” He cracks a reluctant smile.

I run my finger along his bottom lip. “Did it work?”

He wraps his arms around me and presses his lips to my forehead. “Yeah, it worked. I’ll call. But I’m not promising anything else yet, okay?”

I rise up on my toes and run my lips over his. “Thank you. Now, are you ready to get your ass handed to you by a girl?”

“Dream on, baby.”

I pop my earbuds in and point to my ears. “I can’t hear you.” Then I take off. Cooper catches up to me with ease, and we find a comfortable rhythm for our five-mile run.

R unning on the beach always slows me down, but Cooper was a champ and didn’t complain even though I could tell my twelve-minute mile was a little slow for him. When I press my palms to the outside wall of the house and stretch out my legs, he crowds my body from behind.

“Do you have any idea what watching your ass in those pants for the past hour has done to me?” He presses his erection against my ass, and my mind runs wild with the possibilities.

“I think I have an idea.” I spin in his arms, and he lifts me from my feet. “But I’m always happy for a demonstration. I don’t think I realized just how much of an ass man you are.”

“I’m a you man, Carys.” Cooper carries me into the house and takes the stairs two at a time as he gets us to my room in record time.

My hot skin prickles with awareness as we step through the door, and Coop sets me back on my feet.

He moves in front of me, blocking me.

“Stay here,” he demands, and every muscle in his body is strung tight and on alert.

I take a step back as an uneasy feeling blankets my skin. “What’s wrong?”

“The balcony door wasn’t shut” is whispered in my ear, sending a jolt of fear straight through me.

Oh, God. Axel .

A gun presses against my temple.

My eyes dart to Cooper’s in the reflection of the glass door across the room, and I begin shaking uncontrollably. Fear coats my skin and sends my thoughts racing. I’m not ready to die.

Coop turns, pulling his gun out of his duffle on the dresser as he spins around.

His blue eyes assess the situation in seconds.

And I’m suddenly less worried for myself and more worried for him.

“I warned you, Sinclair,” Axel sneers, pulling my body in front of his. “I told you I’d take something of yours if you didn’t give me back what’s mine. I gave you a fucking out. Just give me the flash drive, and this all ends.”

Tears pool in my eyes, and my heart rate spikes out of control as fear paralyzes me. “Axel, please,” I cry.

“Don’t.” He jerks me back, and my tears flow down my face. “This isn’t my fault. It’s your boy’s over there.” He presses the gun tighter against my head, hurting me.

Cooper steps forward, completely calm except for the fury I see in his eyes.

“Don’t fucking move.” Axel shakes as he screams across my room.

“Leave her out of this, Axe. This is between us.” Cooper points his gun at Axe, but Axel angles behind me.

My legs feel like they’re going to give out beneath me.

Oh God, I’m a human shield.

I’m not ready to die. Not ready to lose Coop’s life or mine.

“She’s got nothing to do with this, Axe.” Cooper’s voice is casual, like he’s not bargaining for our lives. “Let her go. We can work it out between us.”

“I. Need. The. Flash drive,” Axel roars, and I tremble, not sure how I’m still standing. “My life means nothing without it. Give it to me, and I leave. Give it to me, and this ends. We all walk away.”

Cooper’s shoulders drop, deflating. I pray Axel doesn’t see the tiny difference in him. “I don’t have it.”

Oh, God. No.

“What the fuck do you mean you don’t have it?” Axel explodes as he wraps an arm tightly across my chest. “Where is it?”

Cooper’s trying to reason with him, but I think Axel’s past the point of reasoning.

The gun presses even tighter against my skull, and I wince in pain.

Blood pounds in my ears, and my body shakes as silent tears continue to fall.

At least he knows I love him.

“It’s a few hours north of here. One of Rook’s brothers has it. Take me. I’ll bring you to him. We’ll go get it together. Just leave her out of this.” Cooper inches forward, continuing to remain calm even as Axel’s composure breaks.

“No, Cooper.” My heart pounds out of my chest. I refuse to trade his life for mine and let him get in the car with this killer. I refuse to let him die. “Don’t leave.”

Cooper’s eyes flare with anger and apprehension.

“Listen to your girl, Sinclair. She’s smarter than you. I’m not about to let you walk me into a trap.” Axel’s shaking hand rubs against my body, and I freeze. “Fuck. Fuck! This wasn’t supposed to happen. None of this was supposed to happen this way.”

Cooper’s eyes grow wide with Axel’s words, and all the regret of this past year drowns me when I realize this could be it...