Conflict of Heart

Chapter 23

"Princess."

Isabella murmured as she adjusted her position to turn her back to the deep voice that spoke.

"Princess, wake up."

"No," she muttered and shook her head.

Her body relaxed and her lips parted as her breathing slowed. Her head shifted and before she had a chance to react, she fell forward and knocked her head against the window. Her eyes shot open, and she reared her head back in fright. She looked around in bewilderment before her dark gaze landed on the man seated beside her, watching her with a slightly raised brow.

"You alright?" he asked casually as he regarded her with his calm, all-seeing eyes.

Isabella stifled a yawn behind her hand. "Mhmm," she hummed as she rubbed her eyes.

Ryker nodded slowly as he continued to stare at her. Her dark eyes appeared a little wider than they usually did, and when she looked back at him, he couldn't help but think that she resembled a sleepy puppy.

He shook the analysis aside as he gestured to the dimmed screen. "He's moving."

Isabella blinked at him in confusion before she suddenly remembered the reason for them being in the car in the first place. All the sleep seemed to dissipate from her as she focused on the computer. Sure enough, the red dot was moving across the screen and looked to be leaving the hospital's premises.

Without a word, Ryker started his car and eased it out of the parking lot. Isabella felt her heart kick up speed in her chest as adrenaline started to course through her veins. She licked her lips and drew a long, slow breath into her lungs before looking at their surroundings. She spotted the tall, lanky frame of the guard illuminated by the hospital lights briefly before he hailed a cab. Ryker remained stationary and watched with her as the yellow car drove past them before he eased into the street.

Isabella bit the inside of her cheek as she watched the dot move quickly down the road, the cab already out of sight. "Shouldn't you go a little faster?" she asked as she looked at the man beside her, who appeared to be going on a Sunday drive with how at ease he appeared.

"We can't let him get suspicious," he stated as he glanced at the screen before turning off into a side street.

As they followed along at a far distance, an unsettled feeling rolled over Isabella as she took in the dilapidated buildings that began to enclose them. They had definitely entered a part of town that no one in their right sense would meander into, and she felt her heart begin to thud against her chest, desperately attempting to escape and run to safety itself.

"Ryker . . . I don't like the feeling of this," she muttered, her voice timid as she looked around, and her nerves only grew more on edge when he switched off the car's lights, plunging them into an unsettling darkness.

He eased the car to a stop just short of the corner of a building, and her eyes glanced to the screen to see that the red dot had stopped a few yards around the corner. Ryker opened his door, and her gaze shot to him in shock. "What are you doing?" she hissed quietly as he stepped out the car, barely able to see the outline of his silhouette in the dark.

He looked at her and raised his finger to his lips in a signal for her to be quiet—at least that was what she thought he did—then he turned and walked in front of the car, pressing his back against the wall as he eased himself right to the corner.

Ryker slowly peered around the junction, seeing that the cab had stopped and the back door was open. He pressed closer to the wall when he caught sight of a figure pacing up and down beside the car.