Burke gave a curt nod, then glanced back toward Caitlin’s door.
He didn’t leave the chair that night.
Chapter 51
Vigil
Burke Scott
The ride back to Oak Street was quiet, weighed down with exhaustion and ghosts. Burke drove in silence, hands tight on the wheel, eyes fixed on the narrow mountain road. Headlights carved pale arcs through the dark. Behind him, Scout’s cruiser followed close, its beams sweeping across the ridges like watchful eyes.
Every bend felt oppressively familiar, the air thick with things unsaid. In the rearview mirror, Caitlin’s face was a pale reflection—eyes wide, haunted. He’d seen battered women before, helped them into shelters, stood in courtrooms with them. But tonight, it was her—the woman who had been in his arms, who had laughed with him, trusted him. And now he was driving her back to the place she’d been broken.
He wanted to keep driving—up into the timber, into the dark—and never stop. But he knew her. She wouldn’t run. The determination in her expression, the fight in her spirit, told him she’d rather walk back into the fire than let Jason win again.
In the back seat, Caitlin sat rigid. The window gave her nothing but her own reflection—pale, bruised, hollow-eyed.Beside her, Izzy shifted stiffly, arm in a sling, ankle braced, body worn down. Rosie wedged herself between them, panting softly, warm breath fogging the glass, reminding them she was there—ready.
Burke caught glimpses of Caitlin in the mirror—the way her gaze stayed fixed on the dark beyond the window, muscles tense as if she expected headlights to flare behind them. She was waiting for him, still bracing for the monster to return.
When Burke turned the final corner, she inhaled sharply. The cottage waited under the porch light—cornflower-blue siding and white shutters glowing too peacefully, like the violence inside had been scrubbed away.
Izzy reached across, squeezing her fingers. “We go in together,” she whispered.
Burke eased the truck to the curb. Scout’s cruiser rolled in behind, headlights fading as he cut the engine. For a long moment, no one moved. Then Burke opened his door. He rounded the truck and steadied both women as they climbed down.
Inside, the lamps glowed golden in the living room. Scout and Parker had cleaned up well—no splintered doorframe, no broken furniture. It looked untouched. Yet Caitlin halted at the threshold. Rosie nosed ahead, circling the room before returning to Caitlin’s shin with a low, uneasy whine.
“What if he comes back?” Caitlin’s voice cracked, eyes darting at shadows.
Burke’s hand settled firm on her shoulder. “Then he meets me first. And Rosie. And Scout. And half the county. Nothing gets through to you now.”
Scout leaned in the doorway, arms folded. “A week ago, I was parked down this street watching his silver Tacoma. Tonight, I’m in your driveway. You’re covered.”
Burke’s tone stayed even. “I’ve got room at my cabin. It’s solid—thick log walls, remote. No one’s getting through those. You’d be safe there.”
He saw the fear flicker in her eyes, but beneath it, the same defiance he’d seen before.
“No,” she said quietly. “We’re not running anymore. This is home. If we go, he wins.”
Izzy lifted her chin. “We stay.”
Burke’s eyes softened. “Then I stay too.”
Scout nodded once. “And I’ll be right outside. My truck’s not moving till sunup.”
The cottage breathed quietly as Burke helped them down the hall. He settled Izzy in the spare room—water on the nightstand, her bag at the foot of the bed. Then he guided Caitlin into her room.
“Rosie,” he said, pointing to the hall between doors, “watch.”
The shepherd obeyed, lowering into a sphinx—ears sharp, eyes fixed on both rooms.
Burke shook the pill bottle gently. “Doctors sent these. Help you rest.”
She hesitated, then nodded. He held the glass while she swallowed, then tucked the blanket around her shoulders. His hand brushed her temple.
“I’ll be right there on the couch. No one will ever harm you again, Darcy—” he caught himself, voice softening. “I mean Caitlin.”
He kissed her forehead. “No one can get to you. Jason’s boxed in. Deputies outside his cabin know every move he makes. Sleep for me.”
