There’s only glass separating us but it might as well be a brick wall.
Slowly, like he’s forcing himself to move, Tom pulls open my door, but he doesn’t move, just cages me in as we stare at each other.
And he doesn’t hide.
He lets me see the terror, the anguish, the absolute darkness within—each emotion flitting across his face before dissolving into the next.
It’s a punishment as much as it is a warning. Darkness flows through his veins, the kind that had seemed so romanticized in my head. But this is real, and without him uttering a word, I know he’ll stop at nothing to make sure I’m safe.
“Are you ready?” It’s barely a whisper as he leans back and offers his hand. Nodding, I unbuckle my belt and place my palm in his. Large fingers wrap around mine as he gets me settled in the other car without a word.
I don’t want it to be like this.
I wish we could go back to the way we were.
But I ruined any chance of that.
I watch as he methodically locks up the SUV before climbing in next to me, his cologne wafting across the cab. It’s heady and reassuring all at once, and it makes me want to crawl into his lap and stay there.
Where it’s just the two of us.
Safe.
“We have about an hour to go,” he says. “Sleep if you can.” Twisting around, he pulls a soft blanket from the back seat and hands it to me. “You’ve been through a lot.”
I want to object, but the second my fingers touch the fabric, I’m done. It’s soft and it smells like him and if I can’t have him, this is the next best thing.
Sort of.
Finding the lever on the side of the seat, I recline enough to relieve the ache in my back and spread the blanket over me. I only want to rest my eyes, but the second my eyelids close, I can feel the alluring pull of sleep, so I don’t fight it.
Because I swear I hear Tom’s voice whisper,“Sweet dreams, Kitten.”
TOM
Kat’salready asleep when I whisper the words, her whole body relaxing into the seat the second I handed her the blanket. It’d been a gift from Emerson and Isla for Christmas one year. The green-and-white paisley was not something I’d ever pick for myself, but they’d insisted I was boring.
They weren’t wrong then and they’re not wrong now.
Getting off at the next exit, I make the necessary turns to take us far away from the city and the surrounding area.
It’s farmland and rolling countryside now, and the records of this property are buried so deep no one would ever trace them back to me—if they could find an address at all. The surrounding area is a nature preserve and that suits our purposes just fine.
I already grabbed the groceries Royce rush ordered from the lockers at the gas station, lucky I wouldn’t have to deal with getting perishable items immediately. The lockers were a fairly new addition necessitated by all the folks around here that needed packages delivered in a timelier manner.
Overnight shipping doesn’t exist when you’re off the beaten path.
Part of me was surprised that Kat slept through it, but the other part was thankful she could rest. Unfortunately, that had me spiraling back to the reason she needed rest in the first place.
Exhaustion feels like a weighted blanket as I slow the Range Rover and make the turn onto the driveway. The house is set almost a half mile back from the road, the landscape making it impossible to see until you’re basically on top of it.
I loved this place the first time I saw it, but being here now has me wondering if I’ll be able to come here again with the same fondness. So few things in my life have sentimental value but this is one of them. I purchased it when I got out of the military.
It was the perfect spot when I needed a break, and when Royce moved in with me, this became his safe place too.
We could unwind here.
Exist.
