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“Is it late?”
He shook his head. “Around eight a.m.”
“Oh. I haven’t slept in for years.” Then her eyes widened and darted around. “Is there danger? Has my father found us?”
“No. No, Elizabeth.” He shook his head and wished he could hold her like he had last night. “I apologize. I shouldn’t have woken you. I only wanted to make certain you were all right.”
She spooked easily. When could he help her heal from what she’d been through with her family? Maybe never. With the danger surrounding her, his purpose had to be to keep her safe. Not love her.
“I’m fine.” She glanced past him and then back into her rooms. “I’m surprised that I slept. I’ve never slept away from my father’s guards.”
He glanced sharply at her. He’d heard Peter’s gross comment about watching her use the bathroom. “They … sleep near you?”
“Not in the same room, but they’re always close. I feared last night they would find me again.”
“You’re safe here, Liz.”
“How do you know that?” She worried her lip. She looked beautiful and innocent and he wanted to pull her close in the worst way.
“I evaluated the Colevilles’ security last night. It’s like the Swiss Fort Knox. No one is getting through, and your father doesn’t know where you are.” He didn’t add that he would protect her. He wasn’t one to brag, but he was one of the top special ops lieutenants in the world.
She wrapped her arms around herself. “He won’t rest until he does. He’ll have me in his control again at all costs. Without me, his plans won’t work.”
He studied her. The panic and terror she clearly felt and the certainty her father would come for her made his heart thump hard against his chest. He wanted to convince her she could trust him to protect her.
She stepped in closer, and her soft scent washed over him. “Do you believe me, Hays?”
He wasn’t certain what she was asking. For many years, he’d tried to believe she was a snooty billionaire heiress who had viciously rejected him because he wasn’t wealthy or important enough for her. In the back of his mind, he’d never been able to forget how she’d been when they were together—genuine, sweet, fun. He’d felt like he had a window to her soul that nobody else saw. He’d prayed for her just like had his own parents, siblings, and close friends but never let himself hope he’d get a chance with her again.
Now he knew he should’ve trusted his gut. Elizabeth had been controlled and abused and his heart broke for her. He wanted to heal, lift, and love her, but he didn’t know if that could happen. He believed she was telling the truth, like he’d said last night. Did she need him to confirm that? He wanted to support her and protect her while he could.
“I do believe you, Liz,” he said, hoping his sincerity came through.
She let out a breath of relief, then said quickly, “It’s impossible for me to convey how dangerous and brilliant my father is. Quaid and Jacey should recognize the danger, but I fear they have a false sense of security knowing Mother is dead. Even if they want to believe me about Father and are trying to restructure their memories to see that he was in control, they haven’t seen what I have.”
“What have you seen, Liz?” Hays had seen darkness and death many times over. His innocent Liz should have been safe, but she may have been in worse situations than he had been. It was hard to wrap his mind around.
“More death, torture, and well-executed manipulation and mind games than anyone can imagine.”
Hays stepped in but didn’t know that this was the moment to reach for her. It definitely wasn’t the moment for a corny knock-knock joke.
“No one is taking this seriously enough,” she continued. “Everyone who is trying to help me or my siblings is endangering themselves and everyone they love. I want everyone to be safe—especially you, Jacey, Quaid, and their spouses.”
It warmed his heart that she included him on her list of those who mattered most to her.
“I’m sorry for what you’ve seen. What you’ve been through.”
She flinched and partially hid behind the door frame. She appeared innocently beautiful, but he could see there was a layer of darkness in her eyes. Pain, lack of faith, broken trust, a broken heart … his Liz reflected all of that and more in her blue, blue eyes.
“That doesn’t matter.”
It mattered to him.
“Hays.” She stepped out and squared her shoulders. “I’m so sorry that I sent you away … twice.” She flinched again. “And had to order the guards to hurt you.”
“You did it to keep me safe?”
“It was the only way.” Her bottom lip quivered, and she clutched her hands together. “When you came back and fought your way to me, I dreamed of letting you take me away with you. But my parents were both in the library. I didn’t know until my father cleared his throat.”
