"Bourbon," I said. "The expensive kind."
"Of course."
He drove off to park the car, and I stood there for a moment, staring at the building.
Inside, the Sanctuary felt too quiet.
Too safe.
Like a lie I was telling myself.
I climbed the stairs slowly, my mind racing.
Merrick had found me. Which meant the others would come next. And when they did, they wouldn't stop at a street corner conversation.
They'd come with force.
And I couldn't let Mila get caught in the crossfire.
Which meant I had two choices.
Walk away from her. Disappear. Let her live her life without the shadow of my past dragging her down.
Or bring her into The Sanctuary. Tell her the truth. Let her decide if she wants to stay.
The first option was safer for her.
The second was selfish.
And I didn't know which one I'd choose.
Ellsworth appeared at the top of the stairs, holding a glass of bourbon that looked like liquid amber in the low light.
"Your drink, sir."
I took it, downed half in one swallow, and felt the burn settle into my chest.
"Ellsworth," I said.
"Yes, sir?"
"If you had to choose between keeping someone safe and keeping them in your life—what would you do?"
Ellsworth considered the question for a long moment, his expression unreadable.
Finally, he said, "I would ask myself which choice honors them more, sir."
I stared at him.
"And if I don't know the answer?"
Ellsworth's mouth curved slightly. "Then perhaps, sir, you ask her."
He left me standing there, glass in hand, the weight of the decision pressing down like a stone.
I walked to the window and looked out at the city.
Somewhere out there, Mila was in her apartment. Safe. Unaware that her life had just gotten a hell of a lot more complicated.
