She nods. I make her more soup and sit with her while she eats. She asks more questions. About the compound. About the people here. About me. I answer what I can. I tell her about the military. About coming to Haven 7. About the men who became my brothers. She listens like every word matters. Like she’s trying to decide if this place is real.
When she finishes eating, she looks at me with those big brown eyes. “I need to find my brother, Wyatt. I can’t stay here forever. He’s out there somewhere. Scared. Maybe hurt. I have to keep looking.”
I lean forward. “We will help you look. But you’re not doing it alone. Not anymore.”
She searches my face. I see the war in her eyes. The need to trust fighting with the fear of trusting the wrong person again. I want her to choose me. I want her to stay. I want her to let me protect her.
She doesn’t say yes. Not yet. But she doesn’t say no either.
I’ll take that for now.
I’ll take anything she gives me.
Because Junie Bellis walked out of the snow and straight into my life, and I’m already gone for her.
Completely.
Irrevocably.
And I’ll burn down anything that tries to take her away from me.
FOUR
JUNIE
Sleep pulls at me quickly, but even as I drift off, my mind stays on him. On the way he looks at me. On the way he makes me feel safe and wanted at the same time. On the way I’m starting to wonder what it would feel like to let him in completely.
To let him have all of me.
I wake up a few hours later to the soft glow of the fire and the low sound of typing. Wyatt’s sitting at the small desk in the corner of the room, his laptop open, fingers moving across the keys with quiet focus. The light from the screen casts sharp shadows across his face, highlighting the strong line of his jaw and the concentration in his eyes. He looks intense. Dangerous in a controlled way. My heart skips a beat as I watch him.
He must sense me stirring because he turns his head. His gaze softens the moment it lands on me. “You’re awake. How do you feel?”
I push myself up slowly against the pillows, careful of my leg. The pain is still there, but it’s dulled now, more of a deep bruisethan the sharp fire from before. “Better. The sleep helped. And the tea. Thank you.”
He closes the laptop and stands, crossing the room to sit in the chair beside the bed. He’s close enough that I can smell the clean, pine-and-soap scent of him. It makes my stomach flutter in a way I’m not used to. I’ve never been around a man who makes me feel like this. Warm. Aware. A little breathless.
“I looked into your brother,” he says quietly. His voice is steady, but there’s a seriousness in it that makes me tense. “Caleb Bellis. Twenty-four. Last known address in Denver. Financials show some large cash deposits six months ago. No clear source. Phone records go dark the night you said he called you. I’m still digging, but it doesn’t look good. He was in deep with some bad people.”
I feel my stomach drop. I don’t want him knowing the truth. Not the full truth. Caleb got mixed up with dangerous men. The kind who don’t let you walk away. If Wyatt digs too deep, he might see things that make him send me away. Or worse, put himself and everyone here in more danger than they already are.
“I told you he was scared,” I say, trying to keep my voice even. “He got in over his head. I just need to find him before it’s too late.”
Wyatt watches me closely. His eyes are sharp, like he can see the things I’m not saying. “If I’m going to help you, I need the whole story. Who is after you? Why? What exactly did your brother get involved in?”
I look down at my hands. They’re still bandaged from the glass cuts. I don’t know how much to tell him. He saved my life. He’s been kind. But trust is a fragile thing, and I have had mine shattered too many times. My father taught me that lesson well.
“I will tell you more when I’m ready,” I say softly. “I promise. I just need a little time. Everything is still so fresh.”
He nods. He doesn’t push. “Take the time you need. I’m not going anywhere.”
The words settle over me like a warm blanket. I believe him. At least for now. I finish the fresh glass of water he brings me and set it aside. My leg is starting to throb again, but I don’t want to complain. I shift carefully, trying not to wince.
Wyatt notices immediately. “Pain?”
“A little. It’s not bad.”
He stands and grabs the bottle of pain medication Eli left. He shakes out two pills and hands them to me with a fresh glass of water. I take them without argument. The exhaustion is creeping back in. My body is still recovering. I need rest.
