Page 43 of Hunted in Hope Town

But it made her realize… She’d been so focused on herself, what her family might know or not know. But if Ellis was here, with her, that meant…

“Where does Jason think you are?” she asked.

He blinked at the subject change. “Most people think I took a remote job in Alaska.”

Because he’d left everything behind too. For two years, he’d been here, shadowing her, essentially. No doubt looking out for her. Waiting for signs of danger. But he’d…held himself back and away. Because Dr. Leigh had told him to.

Dr. Leigh had said that she had to be ready. That for most of the past two years she’d rejected reaching out for answers, for her past. No doubt out of fear, but she wasn’t afraid with Ellis. He’d always been her safe place. Even when they had their issues.

“Maybe I’ll talk to Dr. Leigh,” Kirsten said. It wouldn’t hurt to work through remembering with a professional. “But not now.” She turned her hands in his, then pulled them around her, pressing her body to his.

She felt him shudder, before he stiffened, and all the emotions in his eyes shuttered behind that blank FBI wall.

“Someone who hurt you and caused all this is out there. Ready and willing and waiting to hurt you and me again. That has to be my focus. Last time, I was too wrapped up in myself, in the job, in—”

“In running away.”

His mouth firmed, but he didn’t push her away, didn’t drop his arms from her waist when she wrapped hers around his neck.

“Fine,” he bit out, still holding himself back even if he wasn’t creating space between them. “Maybe. Maybe in some subconscious way that’s what I was doing, but I didn’t do it because… I wasn’t trying to. I was just trying to make sense of something, and work always made sense.”

“And I didn’t?”

He studied her with those hazel eyes that had always fascinated her. The things she saw that no one else did, and still the little pockets of secrets he kept hidden. Maybe even from himself.

“Sometimes, the things you needed from me didn’t make sense,” he said very carefully. “Which is still on me.”

Always so willing to take all the blame, but not always willing to mine into why that was.

Now it felt like… Even with this threat it felt like they had the answers within reach. If they could be honest about what they’d messed up, there was still a chance for them. Forget threats and danger.

She remembered her husband. She remembered everything that had been between them. And it didn’t matter how traumatic the past two years had been, how many ways they were screwing up their marriage before that—there was one simple truth at the middle of all of it.

They loved each other.

So she moved to her toes, ready to press her mouth to his. Ready to remind herself in all the ways she preferred.

But his phone began to ring.

“It’s going to be Zach,” he said. “I have to take it. I can’t put that off. Not unless you want to stay up here forever. That isn’t running. It’s what needs to be done.”

She looked around the room. Tempted to consider just…never facing any of this. But he was right. They couldn’t avoid the danger. Couldn’t hide from it forever.

“Fine, but we’re in this together now. Whatever you need to talk to Zach about, I’m going to be there for. And add my own two cents.”

Chapter Fourteen

It was harder than it should have been to disentangle himself from Kirsten. But the fact she remembered…

Well, it made nobility a little shakier. The lines he’d drawn far more…muddled.

Ellis had never been good at muddled.

But Zach would be calling with an update, with information. And the truth was they couldn’t figure out what life looked like now if they didn’t solve the problem of who was out to get them.

Could she really…still love him? Or was she just confused? Maybe she didn’t remember everything about those last few months before he’d left for the undercover assignment.

There was no time to wade through that. Not now. The phone had stopped ringing, but he needed to call Zach back.