Not letting that happen.
Like it's a fact.
Like he's already decided.
I swallow hard, my throat tight.
"What about Inez?" I ask, my voice quieter now. "And Christina?"
His expression shifts slightly. Just a flicker of something I can't read.
"We're looking for them," he says. "Jace is tracking every lead. We'll find them."
"You don't know that."
"I do."
"You can't promise that."
"I can," he says, leaning forward slightly, his eyes locking onto mine. "AndI am."
The weight of his words settles over me, heavy and suffocating.
I want to believe him.
God, I want to believe him.
But I don't know him.
Not really.
I know he saved me.
I know he's been watching me for months.
I know he got my tattoo, showed up at the fundraiser, bought my shop without telling me.
But I don't know him.
And that terrifies me.
"Why are you always here?" I ask suddenly, the question slipping out before I can stop it.
He doesn't look surprised. "Where else would I be?"
"I don't know," I say, my voice shaking slightly. "Anywhere but sitting in a chair watching me sleep."
"I'm making sure you're safe."
"I'm in a safehouse," I point out. "With monitors and guards and whatever the hell else you have set up. You don't need to be here."
"Yes," he says quietly. "I do."
The way he says it makes my chest tighten.
Like it's not a choice.
Like he couldn't leave even if he wanted to.
