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Sterling glanced over, his hand finding my thigh, squeezing gently. “You’re quiet, baby. You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded, forcing a small hum. “Just tired,” I murmured as I leaned my head against the cool glass, pretending the world outside was holding my attention.

He frowned, his thumb tracing slow circles on my leg, but he didn’t push. He kept glancing at me, though, his jaw tightening each time like he could see right through me.

A sharp buzz came from the console, breaking the silence. He snatched his phone up, glancing at the screen before answering.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “How bad?” There was a pause, and his grip tightened on the wheel. “All right. I’ll be there as soon as I get Sienna inside.”

He ended the call, tossing the phone back down with a curse under his breath.

“That was Jett,” he said, glancing at me with an apologetic frown. “He came back tonight to one of his horses injured, and he needs my help. I need to run over there for a bit once I get you settled.”

“No problem,” I said softly, managing a smile that didn’t feel quite so forced this time. “Go handle it. I’ll be fine.”

He reached over and cupped my cheek, his thumb brushing my bottom lip like he was memorizing me. “It won’t be long, baby. And if you need anything, you call me. Got it?”

“Got it,” I whispered, leaning into his touch, my heart twisting, because fuck, the thought of losing him to whatever had followed me here made my chest ache like it was cracking open.

He pulled into the drive, killing the engine, and came around to my side, opening the door and scooping me up again without a word. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face in his throat as he carried me inside, his boots thudding steadily on the wood floor as his scent wrapped around me.

The house was dark and quiet, moonlight spilling through the windows as he shouldered open the bedroom door and laid me down on the bed like I was something fragile and priceless. He tugged off my boots and peeled away my jacket, his hands lingering on my skin as he traced my curves with his special brand of reverence that always made me ache because I’d never experienced anything like that before.

“Get some rest, Sienna,” he murmured, leaning down to kiss me deeply, his tongue sliding against mine in a way that tasted like goodbye for now and hello forever. His fingers tangled in my hair, and he tilted my head so he could claim my mouth harder…pouring every ounce of his obsession into it. “I’ll be back before you can miss me.”

I nodded, pretending my eyes were getting heavy and my drunk exhaustion was winning as he pulled the covers over me, brushing a stray strand from my face. He pressed one last kiss to my forehead, lingering there like he didn’t want to go, then finally straightened and walked out, the door clicking shut behind him.

I lay there, counting the seconds that passed, until I was sure he had to be back outside and driving away in his truck…and then I shot out of bed, my heart slamming wild against my ribs as I dug through my jeans pocket and pulled out the crumpled paper with hands that were shaking so bad I nearly dropped it.

I unfolded it under the dim bedside lamp with tears clogging my throat.

Have you told him about Boston?

The words stared back at me, scrawled and venomous, sinking into my chest like acid eating through bone.

If my secrets were dragged into the light, the fragile life I'd started building here would crumble to ash, leaving me with nothing but the ghosts I'd run from.

And this time, there might be no escaping them.

CHAPTER 36

STERLING

Istood in Jett’s basement, the damp chill seeping into my bones as I stared at the grizzled man strapped to the chair in the center of the concrete floor. Blood crusted his split lip, and one of his eyes was swollen shut, but he was still managing to smirk at us as we stared down at him. Rope bit into his wrists and ankles, coarse enough to leave burns if he struggled—and he had, judging by the raw skin and the overturned stool nearby.

“So much for your horse being injured,” I drawled.

Jett shot me an annoyed look from where he leaned against the workbench, his arms folded and his knuckles still split from whatever warm-up he’d given our guest. “I didn’t know if I was on speaker or not,” he said. “It’s not like I could just tell you I had someone strapped to a chair and it was time to murder him with Sienna in the car.”

Okay…that was a fair point. Apparently Jett had already put more thought into how our lives needed to be adjusted than I had. Fuck. I had to figure all of that out.

Right now, though, I was still annoyed and antsy to get back. I hadn’t missed that Sienna had suddenly gone quiet and her smiles had all become forced. She was pulling away again. I wasn’t sure why, but she was like a spooked horse, and I had to remind myself that if I moved too fast…I’d lose her.

Ryder shifted beside me, eyeing the prisoner with a lazy grin. “I thought you were out tracking that guy in Cheyenne this week,” he said to Jett as he idly played with his hunting knife.

Jett nodded, pushing off the workbench. “I was. I turned him in yesterday. But on my way home, this asshole staggered out of the woods right in front of my truck.”

Ryder’s brow arched. “So you just decided to pick him up and kill him? You could have eaten one of your popsicles instead.”