AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No.” She caught a tear with her lip. With no visible tremble in her hands, she reached for me and gently lowered my arms to my sides, removing the blockade between us. Standing before me, she cradled my face, her skin soft against the tough texture of my beard.
She was touching me. Facing her fears when I couldn’t face mine.
So damn strong.
“I’m right here, don’t you see that?” she cried. “See me?”
I covered her hands with my own, and unable to stop myself, set my forehead on hers. “You’re not going to listen to me, are you?” I choked out.
“Since when do either of us ever listen?”
20
MYA
“I should sweep the property.” He cleared his voice, then stepped back, forcing me to drop my hands to my sides. Moment broken. Connection we both clearly needed severed in the space of seconds.
“My father’s at his girlfriend’s place today. He took Scrappy. They’ll be back tomorrow, so I should just check things out once more with him gone.”
Ah, your father is playing Cupid. Giving us space. Also, a girlfriend, huh? “Maybe shoes and a shirt first.” Was that really the best I could come up with?
He nodded and started for the door, but then patted it twice instead of opening it up. “You up for getting out of here for a bit?” He faced me. “There’s a place . . .”
That thing called hope danced in my heart at his words, at the softening of his expression and how he was staring at me. Only-girl-in-the-world kind of look. His world, at least. And the only “place” I wanted to be. So yeah, he could take me wherever he wanted to go. “I’d love that.”
“Wear something comfortable. Grab a hoodie from my dresser in case you get cold, though. It’s hot out, but the shade . . .”
More hope twisted and turned into something beautiful in my mind, and I clung to it like it was the sun after enduring ten straight gloomy New York winter days.
“Give me thirty.” He spun his finger in the air, simulating the blades of a helo, something I’d seen him do a hundred times before while operating together. “Let me just walk the grounds first, then shower.”
“I’ll do the same.” I smiled. “Well, the wash-up part.” Maybe I’d pack us some food, too. He’d probably worked up an appetite after training. I didn’t want to think about why he was practicing Krav Maga, though. Not with him preparing to take me somewhere. If I was lucky, talking would be involved.
Once he was gone, I quickly returned to the house, walking as if the ground was on fire. The gravelly terrain really wasn’t kind to bare feet, and Oliver had silently dealt with this the whole way back yesterday.
I hadn’t seen any bandages when he was practicing Krav Maga, looking like a gorgeous Olympian god. So, I hoped that meant his feet weren’t as roughed up as I’d expected they’d be.
I hurriedly showered, towel-dried my hair a bit before twisting it into a side-braid, then put on some makeup. I didn’t have time to do a full beat like normal, but with the dark circles beneath my eyes, something had to be done so I looked alive.
A few minutes later, I was back in Oliver’s room, digging through the shopping bag of clothes. There was hideous, and then there was just-above-a-garbage-bag bad, and that’s what he purchased. I opted to put on the only other clothes I’d packed. Light-wash jeans with holes in the knees from American Eagle and a white tee with capped sleeves from Aritzia. My two go-to places for clothes these days. Well, BT, the days before my life had been flipped upside down.
I opened his top dresser drawer, then moved on to the next when I didn’t find a hoodie as he’d recommended. What I hadn’t expected to find were Tucker’s dog tags. Come to think of it, I hadn’t realized he hadn’t been wearing them that morning, and maybe not even last night.
Part of me wanted to take them back out, but he put them there for a reason, so I wouldn’t press as to why. I made a mental note to ask him later, then continued my search for the hoodie.
Finding a plain gray one that’d be way too big for me, I tossed it onto the bed and powered on my burner phone. It wasn’t like the cheap flip phones often used in movies, but the latest iPhone. Just not my iPhone. And just as importantly, untraceable.
The dog tags had reminded me of something I should’ve done yesterday, but I’d been thrown off from my confrontation with Oliver. I sat on the bed to text Gwen.
Me: Could you let Julia know I’m with Oliver? You may have already reached out, but you know she’s been worried about him, too.
Me: Also, any updates from the team?
With the cabin so small, I could hear the shower water running from down the hall, which I assumed meant Oliver’s check of the property had gone well.
Gwen: Good morning. I let Julia know yesterday. She gave me the same lecture Mason did about you going off on your own. Then when I explained you had an entourage you weren’t aware of, courtesy of Carter, she calmed down. She’s happy you’re with him but would love for him to reach out if he’s up for it.
Now that I knew Oliver had been in touch with Carter, I had to believe he’d asked about Julia on their calls as well. Anyone connected to our team was now at risk with the Sorens, and presumably all of The Collective, knowing our identities. Thankfully, Finn could more than keep Julia safe, which Oliver would know.
