I exhale and tip my head back against the couch, closing my eyes. "Tell me something you'd never tell anyone else."
She's quiet for a long moment.
"If I ever have a son, I'm naming him Hale."
My eyes snap open.
She's staring at me with a raw, unguarded expression.
"I decided just now. It's mine. You're not getting it back."
I don't know what my face does, but whatever it is makes her smile.
And I realize, with the kind of clarity that only comes when you're completely fucked, that this woman just wrote herself into my future without asking permission.
I'm so fucked.
TWELVE
KEIRA
Something is wrong.
Ewan is in a good mood, and that's setting off all the alarms in my head.
He laughs too easily at something one of the men says. Touches the back of my chair in a way that reads as affection to anyone watching. Every time I glance his way, he's already staring at me with those sharp, beady eyes of his, like he's in on a little secret I know nothing about.
Ewan has increased the number of guards since we got to Iceland.
The one stationed near the garden path isn't one of the regulars. He's got a blank face and stands like a statue, waiting for orders. I catalog it without looking directly at him. Scan the perimeter. Count exits. Mark who's armed and who's pretending not to be.
I make these small observations without thinking these days—have been for years. I suppose that comes with learning how to survive this type of life.
The Icelandic sun glints off the water beyond the cliff. White flowers dot the tables, and the embroidered linens smell like sea salt and citrus. So much dirty money surrounding us everywhere we go.
Across the lawn, Hale runs after a football with one of the junior guards, his hair a dark copper halo in the wind.
He trips, laughing as he jumps back up.
I love seeing him happy.
Ewan pours wine into my glass without asking.
"We should do this more often," he tells the table.
One of the wives leans toward me, a drunken smile already on her face. "The place is stunning, Keira. You're very lucky to live somewhere so remote and safe, with such a devoted husband."
My body recoils on its own whenever I hear the wordhusband.
"Yes, very much so." I sip the wine to stop myself from laughing.
Hale glances over and waves both arms, bright and oblivious. I wave back, blowing him a kiss.
Under the table, Ewan's hand slides onto my knee.
My whole body wants to jolt, but I force myself to stay still. Almost unfazed as his fingers press down. A silent reminder of ownership.
As if I could ever forget.
