“Yes,” she whispers back. Then, louder, as if to confirm her surprise, “Yes, actually. I’m great. I’m better than okay!”
“Really?” I ask cautiously.
She looks up at me with peace in her golden eyes. “Yes,” she says.
I squeeze her once. She’s probably in shock. Maybe the shock will wear off and leave her feeling traumatized or confused. Perhaps she’ll want nothing to do with me because I’m the one who led her down this road.
But for now, we need to focus on the present.
“What happened to the hostage, Sunshine?” I ask.
“There was no hostage.”
Fucking Lucian.
“Get in the car,” I tell her. “We’ll move it off the road.”
I go to the car, grab my cleaning rag, and then wipe down the seats so they’re free of glass.
Then we climb into the truck together. As I drive off the road and into the cabin’s front area, she says, “He used a video he’d gotten off social media before I deleted it. A video of Mira, so it was her voice. She was younger in the video. We were playing hide and seek, so she sounded scared.” She shakes her head. “I’m an idiot for falling for that.”
“No,” I snarl. “You’re not. You’re a protective big sister who did what you thought was right.”
She sinks back against the seat, wrapping her arms over her middle.
“What now?” she says.
“We get rid of the body,” I tell her. “And then we go on with our lives.”
“What does that look like?” she asks, her voice hollow and withdrawn. I think the reality of what’s just happened is slowly setting in.
“You do what you were going to do before Lucian came back into your life. It looks like you and Mira have the chance to live, Sunshine,reallylive, without that asshole hanging over your head. You’re free.”
She nods, tries to speak, then lets out a shudder that turns into a sob.
I pull her into my arms. She grips onto me, then leans back, gasping when she notices my arm. “You’re bleeding.”
“It’s a flesh wound. Just another scar to add to the collection. Nothing for you to worry about.”
“Rhett…”
She sobs again. I pull her closer, letting her bury her face in my chest.
“It’s not going to be easy living with all of this,” I whisper into her hair. “But just know, Sunshine, you did the right thing.”
She looks up at me with tears in those perfect lion-colored eyes. “I found the light.”
“You found the goddamn light.”
She repeats, then pulls herself against me.
“Rhett, I’m sorry,” she murmurs. “I don’t want to be a coward, but can you handle… him?”
“Of course,” I tell her, gently kissing her on the forehead. “You never have to concern yourself with any of this ever again. Let me protect you.”
“You did,” she says fiercely, squeezing onto my side. “You saved me, Rhett. Just like you said you would.”
“That’s because…”
