Page 70 of Torin

“That’s easy for you to say.”

“He wants you safe too.”

I fold my arms. “Torin, my father has just recruited half the state to look for me. If I move in with you, I’m putting you and Orson right in the middle of this.”

“I’ve thought about that.”

“And?”

“I still want you there.”

“I could stay here and you could just check on me.”

“No.”

The answer comes so fast I almost laugh.

“Very diplomatic.”

“I can try again if you want. Still gonna be no.”

“I can’t be here all the time, Hannah. At the lodge, there are two of us. Orson and I know every trail and logging road on this mountain. If somebody comes looking for you, we’ve got a much better chance of knowing about it before they get anywhere near you.”

I look around the cabin. Before, it felt hidden. Now it just feels isolated.

Torin’s voice is quieter when he speaks again. “I’m not leaving you up here alone.”

I look at him.

“Come stay with me.”

I go still.

“Okay,” I say. “I’ll come.”

Relief flickers across Torin’s face. “Okay. Go pack.”

I duck into the bedroom and unzip my backpack. There isn’t much to pack—a couple of changes of clothes, my toiletries, my laptop. The files I’ve carried with me ever since I left home.

I hesitate before slipping it carefully inside.

When I step back into the main room, every cupboard door stands open. The boxes Torin brought yesterday are lined up by the front door, already filled with pasta, rice, coffee and tins from the shelves.

He glances up from the fridge, where he’s pulling out the perishables. “All set?”

“Yeah.” I pass a hand across my forehead. “I guess so.”

His expression softens and he crosses over to me. “What is it?”

“I don’t know. I…” I look around the little cabin. “I guess it feels weird to be leaving so soon. This place had kind of been the light at the end of the tunnel for me. I kept thinking, if I can just get here...”

My voice trails away.

“...I’ll be safe.”

He follows my gaze around the cabin. “It did keep you safe.”

I look at him.