I blink away the sting in my eyes. “I have to be… I have to be strong otherwise…”
“I know.” He gives me a small peck on my lips. “I’m proud of you, Hope.”
My throat closes, the prick in my eyes rises, and I try to hold myself together. “I-I…”
“It’s okay,” he whispers and shifts me slightly so I can rest my head on his chest.
“I don’t want to sleep,” I say.
“Me either,” he answers and his fingertips trail over my bare arm. “But… we should get some rest before we head to the cabin.”
“We’re really doing this?” I ask.
“We have to, Hope.” He sighs. “They won’t stop until we stop them.”
But how will we stop them. Ask nicely? Rough them up?
I peek down at my fingers and I know what kind of ending we’ll have.
Blood soaked.
KNOX
I couldn’t sleep, I couldn’t take my mind off what’s going to happen.
Hope’s sprawled on top of me, asleep. I’ve lost track of time, but the darkness outside is faltering.
“We should go,” Jaxon’s voice cuts through the living room and my brows draw together.
“You sleep?” I ask and he chuckles.
“We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” he says and nudges Dimitri to wake up.
I nod once and gently tap Hope’s shoulder. She stirs, then groans when I move her. “No,” she whispers, but I run my thumbalong her jaw until her lashes flutter open. “Time to move, sweetheart,” I murmur.
Jaxon is on his phone and a deep sigh follows. “It’s the cabin. They got it narrowed down. Dimitri.” Jaxon nudges Dimitri again. “Can you check it?”
“Not trusting it?” I ask and Jaxon shakes his head.
“The only people I trust are right here,” he snaps and slides his phone in his back pocket before heading into our bedroom.
Dimitri groans and gets up to grab his laptop. He rubs his eyes as the screen lights up and I can’t look away. Not as he types, mumbles under his breath. Only when he freezes do I know the answer.
“We’re really going back there, huh?” I scoff.
“Seems like it,” Dimitri says and slams the laptop shut. “Definitely a trap.” He shakes his head and his eyes find Hope.
“We’ll be fine,” he says and bends down to kiss half-asleep Hope. “We’ll be fine,” he whispers again.
Hope whimpers and shifts. But as Dimitri pulls back, she snatches his shoulder and pulls him back. “Good morning,” she whispers and gives him a soft kiss.
“She’s doing better,” Jaxon grumbles and I flinch.
“Jeezus, make a sound or something.”
“You were just too busy staring to notice me,” he teases. “Didn’t know you were so intowatching.”
“Jaxon, please, not now,” I say and run my hands over my face.
