Ephram’s jaw tightened slightly, the only sign that my words landed. “I am handling it.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “That is what men say right before women get blamed for things.”
Ephram’s eyes narrowed. “I am not saying you are wrong to be alert. I am saying you can’t chase him through the staff corridors, especially alone.”
“I wasn’t alone,” I argued, then realized how thin that sounded. “I mean, there were guests and staff.”
“You don’t have any help, you don’t have authority to be back here, and if Wickham were to do anything, you have no means of protecting yourself,” his voice stayed low and controlled.
“What was I supposed to do? Just let him go?” I shot back. “He already tried to corner me out there. He wanted a dance. Like he was doing me a favor by pretending nothing happened.”
Ephram’s gaze sharpened. “Did he threaten you?”
“No." I swallowed, then forced the truth out cleanly. “He tried to make it sound like the whole thing was a misunderstanding and we should move forward because it would be convenient for him.”
Ephram nodded once, absorbing that. “All right.”
“All right,” I repeated, frustrated by how calm he was. “That’s it? All right?”
“What do you want me to say?” he asked quietly.
I opened my mouth before I closed it. What I wanted wasn’t reasonable. I wanted him to tell me I wasn’t foolish. I wanted him to arrest Gavin. I wanted him to explain why he was here in a suit after telling me he couldn’t come with me. I wanted him to admit I mattered to him in a way that made this feel less uncertain.
Instead I lifted my chin. “I want you to let me help.”
His eyes held mine. “I’m letting you help by keeping you safe.”
“I’m not a child,” I snapped.
“I know." His voice softened a fraction, then steadied again. “That’s why I’m asking you to trust me.”
The word trust hit me harder than it should have. Trust was the thing I had offered Gavin without earning it. Trust was the thing he had turned into leverage against me. Trust wasn’t something I gave easily anymore.
I stared at Ephram, trying to read the edges of him, the intentions behind the restraint. He stood in the narrow hallway like a wall between me and the mess I was sprinting toward. He looked tired in a way most people wouldn’t notice. He also looked certain.
“I don’t step back,” I warned him, quieter now.
“I’m not asking you to step back from the truth,” he replied. “I am asking you to step out of the line of fire.”
I didn’t answer. I couldn’t promise that.
Footsteps echoed from the far end of the corridor. A door opened and voices were nearby, sounding brisk and managerial. The gala’s glossy surface hummed somewhere beyond these walls, music and laughter muffled by carpet and distance.
Ephram shifted slightly, angling his body so I was closer to the wall and less visible, his back to me. It was a small movement, instinctive, and protective. My chest tightened as I looked up at him.
“What are you doing?” I whispered.
“Keeping you from being noticed,” he murmured back.
Before I could argue again, someone rounded the corner with purpose.
Carly Hale moved like she owned every hallway in the lodge, which she probably did. Her dress glittered under the dimlights, her hair pinned perfectly, but the expression on her face did not match the sparkle. She looked pale around the mouth, her eyes sharp and unsettled.
She saw Ephram and made a beeline for him, relief flashing across her face like he was the first solid thing she had found.
“Officer North,” she said, voice low but urgent. “I need you. Now.”
His attention snapped to her immediately. “What happened?”
