Burke glanced at her once—steady, watchful. The only calm in him was knowing Rosie would never quit.
As Burke shifted into gear, Rosie’s eyes locked on the darkness ahead. They would not stop—they would bring her home.
Chapter 44
Hunted
Sheriff Burke Scott
Burke drove through the dark with the sirens off, blue lights spinning low against the trees. The wheel was slick under his palms, though he hadn’t loosened his grip once. Fear hollowed him out—Caitlin. Not Darcy.
He repeated her real name as if saying it could tilt the world back into place—but it didn’t. Every time, the syllables cut deeper. Darcy Nolan hadn’t been real. The woman he’d kissed, the one who’d pulled the defenses from his heart, the one who’d slept in his arms—she’d been a creation. A shield. A mask. Caitlin West was her name. Married. To a monster.
The road wound like a ribbon through the hollows, but Burke hardly noticed. Emma’s words tumbled through his head like stones tumbling through floodwater—strangulation marks, bruises, scars he knew all too well from ER visits and incident reports. And she had carried that alone. For months. Right here in his county.
A groan escaped him, low and raw. How many times had he seen her eyes dart at shadows, her hand hover like she wanted toconfess but couldn’t? He’d chalked it up to nerves. Trauma, yes—but not a whole different name. Not a husband who hunted her.
Slammed his fist against the wheel. God help him, he respected her for vanishing—for finding a way to live again. He didn’t blame her. She’d done what so many victims wished they dared: walk away. Disappear. Reinvent.
He could still smell her shampoo on his shirt. Ordinary things—her coffee cup, the hair tie she’d left on his counter—had become evidence of a life he might never get back again.
But it still cut him—because it meant she’d lived every second with him in fear, carrying a truth so heavy it bent her to the bone.
The radio buzzed softly. His head throbbed. One thought circled like a wolf in his chest: What if I’m too late?
By the time the station’s floodlights came into view, his eyes burned, body wound so tight it felt like it might snap. Scout was leaning against his cruiser out front, arms crossed, watching the road like he’d been waiting. The second Burke pulled in, Scout straightened. One look at Burke’s face and he knew—something was wrong.
Burke killed the engine and climbed out, movements sharp, shoulders heavy. Rosie leapt down beside him, pacing close, ears high. Rosie’s ears flicked at every curve, reading the world as he wished he could—without fear or doubt. Scout noted the grim determination in Burke’s face, the faint shake in his hands.
“Talk to me,” Scout said, voice low, steady.
Burke didn’t answer. He tipped his head toward the office door. Scout followed.
Inside the station, Burke shut his office door, dropped into his chair like a man aged ten years in an hour. Scout leaned against the wall, arms crossed.
Burke dragged a hand down his face. “She’s not Darcy Nolan.”
Scout frowned. “What?”
Burke’s eyes lifted, raw. “Her real name is Caitlin West. Married. Ran from him. Changed her name. Emma knew. She’s been hiding the whole time.”
The words hung between them, sharp as barbed wire. Scout blinked, then exhaled. Married. A fake name. Hunted. Beneath the shock, admiration flickered.
“Jesus…” Scout muttered. “No wonder she jumped at shadows. No wonder Rosie’s been on edge. She wasn’t nervous—she was hunted.”
Scout dragged a hand over his face, trying to process.
Burke’s eyes flashed, pain and fury tangled. “And I didn’t see it. I should’ve?—”
“Stop,” Scout cut him off. “You don’t get to beat yourself up for her choosing to survive. Victims make choices we don’t always understand, but it doesn’t make them weak. How many times have we wished someone would pack up and leave before it was too late?”
Burke swallowed hard. “Plenty.”
“And she did.” Scout’s voice softened. “Bravest damn thing I’ve heard. New name, new life, whole new identity. That takes guts most don’t have.”
Burke leaned forward, elbows on his knees, head in his hands. His voice came rough. “But it changes everything. She’s been lying since day one—and it doesn’t change a damn thing about how I feel.”
Scout’s chest tightened. He’d known Burke his whole life, but never seen him this way—broken and blazing at once.
