“Nothing to see,” Blake said. “Let’s get out of the city first.” His comments made her heart kick harder.
She swallowed, forcing the question out. “You’re sure? They were here for me?”
His jaw was set, his eyes never leaving the road. “I don’t say things I’m not sure about.”
Her chest constricted. “But why me? I’m just?—”
“Not just anything,” he snapped, his tone sharp enough to make her flinch. His hands flexed on the wheel before he forced his voice into something calmer. “You’ve been digging where someone doesn’t want you to. That makes you a threat. Threats get eliminated.”
Her breath stuttered. The bluntness left no room for comfort.
“You could have told me sooner,” she whispered. “You could have told me when I asked you last night. Instead you let me go back to sleep.”
“I told you what you needed to know at the moment,” he said flatly. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror, scanning, searching, then his hand shifted gears, and the car veered onto a busier street. “What good would it have been to have you awake and scared while I worked out a plan to get you to safety?”
“It’s my life. I deserve to know what’s going on.”
“You deserve to live. What matters is that you’restillalive. That’s my responsibility.”
His words lodged in her chest, heavy with meaning she didn’t know how to carry. She looked at him, really looked at the hard line of his profile, the steady set of his mouth, and the bruises darkening across his knuckles. He wasn’t admitting it, but those marks told their own story.
Silence stretched, and with it, her thoughts spiraled. Safe, he’d said. No one was getting past him. But safety with Blake came wrapped in secrets, and each secret made her realize just how far she was out of her depth.
Finally, she forced herself to ask, “Where are we going?”
“Somewhere safe,” he said. “Until I decide our next move.”
Untilhedecided. She bit down on the sharp retort that rose to her lips. The control in his voice grated against her independence, but she also knew—deep down—that without him, she might already be dead.
She turned her face toward the window, the blur of the city rushing past. Fear and frustration twisted inside her, tangled up with something else she didn’t want to name. Because for all the danger, all the secrecy, all the ways he locked her out … when he said she was safe, she believed him.
And that scared her more than anything else. She’d never depended on anyone for her safety or security. Not since she’d left home. She was used to dealing with chaos, yet it was his steadfast assurance that she was safe that was throwing her. Well, actually, it was her absolute trust in him when he said it that was the issue; now, wasn’t it? How did this man impact her so? She stared out the window and tried to find an answer.
The car slowed,tires crunching over gravel as Blake turned into a narrow lane shaded by tall trees. Elise leaned forward in herseat, squinting. The road curved sharply, bending them out of sight of the lake behind a wall of reeds and poplars. When the drive finally straightened out, a house came into view.
It wasn’t large, not the grand home similar to what she’d seen as they’d traveled along the lakeshore. Whitewashed stucco walls caught the morning sun, glowing softly beneath a roof of red, clay tiles. Green shutters stood open on the windows, their edges weathered by time, and vines curled lazily up the porch posts. It was simple. Unpretentious. Almost … charming.
Elise’s lips curved despite herself. “I thought you’d pick some sleek fortress with security cameras and bulletproof glass.”
Blake pulled the car to a stop and stepped out without answering. By the time she opened her door, he was already circling the house, eyes sharp, shoulders taut, scanning like a man on a mission.
She stood at the edge of the gravel, watching him. He tested the gate latch, scanned the road they’d left behind, then moved to the porch, running his hand over the railing as if checking for something invisible. He dipped down and felt underneath the porch, working something, and a metallic click sounded. He stood up and extended his hand to show her the key. When he finally met her gaze, he said nothing, just jerked his chin toward the door.
Elise followed, her heels crunching softly against the stones. “You do realize most people just … walk into a place like this, right? They don’t sweep for threats.”
Blake slid the key into the lock, his movements efficient and controlled. “Most people don’t have men trying to kill them.”
She’d give him that. But this was the first time she’d had people chasing her, so he’d have to give her some leeway. Sometimes the past forty-eight hours seemed like a dream—or a nightmare, depending on the moment.
The door swung open, and inside, the air was cool. The first thing she noticed was a cozy sitting room that opened up to wide windows, framing the glittering lake. Elise stepped past him, her eyes drawn to the view. Reeds swayed in the wind, and a dock stretched out like an invitation for just them.
She turned slowly, taking in the worn rugs, the stone fireplace, the shelves crammed with forgotten books. Sunlight spilled across the oak floors, casting a warm glow over the quiet space. It wasn’t perfect, but it was real. Lived in.
“I like it,” she admitted softly.
Blake still stood near the door, scanning the corners, checking the locks, and noting every window.
Elise crossed her arms, a teasing smile tugging at her lips. “You could at least pretend you’re not working. Tell me the shutters are charming, or the dock is romantic.”
