She looked at the bruises, her eyebrows lifting, her hand still on his head. “Mere contusions. You’re strong enough to banish the pain.”
He blinked. Did she care or not? “Ned hit me.” Then he watched her. Carefully.
Her bright red lips pursed. “Hit him back.” No emotion, no concern was in her voice.
“He’s too big,” Denver whispered.
She let go of his head and moved away, making him feel cold. “You’ll be bigger someday.” Then she leaned against the counter and crossed her arms over a light pink blouse. The silky kind. “You have to fight your own battles, Denver. It’s the only way you’ll get strong enough.”
“For what?” His ears rang. She wasn’t going to protect him or Ryker or Heath. She didn’t care.
“For your life and what you must do in it. You’re unique.” She reached for a notebook. The damn lady was always taking notes.
He scowled. “Where do you live?” Why was she studying him? If she didn’t care, why was she even here?
She scribbled something. “That’s not your concern.”
He couldn’t see beneath her surface. Why not? “Do you care about me? About us?” Was there a way to make her care? If Ned hit Ryker in the head again, he might kill him. “Do you?”
She looked up, her eyes burning. “I care more than you know. We’re tied together forever. All of us.”
He shook his head. “I’ll run away. I will.”
She smiled then, her teeth white and straight. “Oh, Denver. You’ll never get away from me. That much I promise you.”
Denver jerked back to the present as the vehicle slid. He quickly corrected, looking to make sure Noni was all right.
She blinked, huddled closer to the heat as snow blew inside the vehicle. “You okay?”
He slowly shook his head. “Not even close, sweetheart.”
CHAPTER
14
The place outside Coeur d’Alene was a small cabin fronting a lake, away from any main street. Denver drove carefully around the lake road and down a long forested drive to reach the log A-frame. Snow billowed down, and across the lake, shimmering Christmas lights glowed from three widely spaced mansions as dawn began to lighten the sky. Between them, smaller cabins, dark and empty for the winter, dotted the hill.
He stepped out of the vehicle, noting defensive positions in rock formations and thick trees. Wind and snow battered him, and his boots crunched the ice. “The cloud cover is strong. If they were tracking us via satellite, they had a rough time. We’re safe here.”
Noni didn’t move from the vehicle.
He leaned down to see her staring numbly out the front window. His heart stuttered. What had he just put her through? He had to find the right words, but they escaped him. So he resorted to action. “We’re okay now. Let’s get you warm.”
Her face was so pale it looked waxen. But she opened her door after grabbing her pack. She left the small silver Lady Smith & Wesson he’d given her on the seat.
He stepped closer to the vehicle and gently secured the weapon, tucking it into the front of his waist. Shutting her door, he took her hand and led her across the frozen ground to the cabin, which was unlocked.
“It’s dark,” Noni murmured, her shoulders shaking.
He stepped inside and flipped on a light. The quaint entryway held a long bench and hooks for coats. He shrugged out of his leather jacket and took Noni’s wool one to hang up. “Boots off.” He kicked his off and then gently set her on the bench before dropping to his haunches and taking hers off. She allowed him to do so without saying anything. “Baby? I think you might be in shock.” He gently rubbed the thick socks covering her small feet.
She just stared at him.
The blank look sliced into his heart. His past was threatening her now. Fury at himself nearly choked off his breath, but he didn’t have the luxury of feeling anger. He calmed himself. There were so many promises he wanted to make her, but he wouldn’t lie to her ever again. He just couldn’t. So he’d stick with the truth. “I’m not gonna let anything happen to you. I promise.” Not once in his life had he meant a promise more.
She swallowed and then nodded.
Good. He stood and took her hands, pulling her to stand. Then he led her into a cozy great room complete with a plush sofa and chair set in front of a stone fireplace. Wide windows looked out at the darkened lake and houses on the far side. He pressed her onto the couch and then turned to quickly make a fire from the logs and paper set to the side. It soon crackled merrily and filled the room with warmth. “I need to check out the generator and make sure we’re set,” he said, turning to face her. “It’s on and working, so there’s probably warm water. How about a hot shower?” That might help ease her out of the shock. The woman had seen him kill again. His entire chest hurt at the thought. But for now, he had to get her warm.
