Carson’s jaw clenched. “Nora—”
“Forget it.” She turned away. “I’m going to lie down. It’s been a long day.”
She walked to the bedroom and closed the door, not quite slamming it but close.
Carson stood in the living room, listening to the lock click, and wondered how he’d managed to ruin everything in the span of a few hours.
They’d been happy. They’d been in love. They’d had something real.
And now Eugene was out there, hunting her, and all Carson could think about was Lily.
About failing.
About losing someone else he loved because he wasn’t good enough to protect them.
He sank onto the couch and dropped his head into his hands.
This time, he would do better.
This time, he wouldn’t fail.
Even if it cost him everything, including Nora’s love.
Chapter 14
Carson sat in the safe house living room at three AM, weapon on the coffee table, laptop open to surveillance feeds and case files.
He hadn’t slept. Couldn’t sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Eugene with that knife at Nora’s throat. Saw the spray-painted message:FOUND YOU AGAIN.
Eugene was out there. Hunting. Planning. And Carson had failed to stop him.
The bedroom door opened quietly. Nora emerged in pajamas and one of his sweatshirts, her hair messy from sleep she clearly hadn’t been getting either.
“You should be resting,” Carson said without looking up.
“So should you.” She moved to the couch but didn’t sit. “How long have youbeen out here?”
“A few hours.”
“That’s a lie. You never came to bed.”
He finally looked at her. She had dark circles under her eyes, and the bandage on her throat was a stark reminder of how close he’d come to losing her.
“I needed to review the case files,” Carson said. “Make sure we didn’t miss anything about Eugene’s connections. Someone helped him escape. I need to know who.”
“And you couldn’t do that from the bedroom?”
“I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Carson.” She sat down next to him, close enough that he could smell her shampoo. “You’re shutting me out. Like you did at your apartment after we kissed. Like you’re doing now.”
“I’m not shutting you out. I’m focusing on the case.”
“Those things aren’t mutually exclusive.” She closed his laptop. “Talk to me. Really talk to me. What’s going on in your head?”
Carson’s hands clenched into fists. “What’s going on is that I failed. Eugene escaped because I got complacent. Because I was too busy playing house with you at that cabin instead of making sure he was secured properly.”
“That’s not fair.”
