Page 25 of Unplanned Target

Reaching up, I slide my palm against his, sucking in a breath when he grips tight and easily tugs me to my feet. He’s so strong. So sold. So sure. But also gentle. Kind. Thoughtful.

He’s taken better care of me in twelve hours than my ex-husband did in seven years.

Total.

And that’s doing weird things to my head.

We’re standing so close I can feel the heat off his body. Can smell the scent of his skin. Can⁠—

“Morning.” My daughter’s sleepy voice cuts through the quiet of the cabin, and the confusing jumble of my thoughts.

“Morning.” Owen doesn’t move. Doesn’t let go of the hand he’s still holding. “How did you sleep?”

“Fine.” Her bare feet scuff against the floor as she shuffles past us, dark hair messy, eyes barely open. “Is there coffee or something?”

She obviously hasn’t seen the position Owen and I are in, because I’m sure she would have some sort of reaction to seeing me so close to a man. Would likely fire off a million questions about the reasons for it.

Since I don’t want to answer those questions—probably couldn’t anyway—I tug my palm from Owen’s and step back, putting distance between us.

I curl my fingers into a fist, not sure what to do with the lingering warmth his touch provided. Warmth that is more than physical heat.

My daughter fishes through the cabinets and pulls out a can of cheap coffee. “So what’s the plan?”

“The plan is to keep you two safe until my team can figure out what’s going on.” Owen collects his pants from where they’re neatly folded on the table, stepping into them as Allie stuffs a filter into the coffee maker and dumps in some grounds. “We probably need to find a store nearby to stock up on provisions. But other than that, we’ll be staying here.”

Allie’s eyes jump to where he stands. “What? Why would we do that? We need to find Kinsley.”

Is she fucking kidding? If she’s not, I’m going to kill her. “You don’t need to find anyone.”

I can’t believe after everything that happened last night, Allie still thinks it’s a great idea to go out snooping around. Still thinks she has any business⁠—

Actually… I don’t find that hard to believe at all.

“Are you kidding me right now? You act like I’m a kid who can’t do anything.” Allie slams down the can of coffee grounds, the metal base hitting the chipped laminate counter hard enough to echo through the small space. “You do remember I didn’t get myself kidnapped and managed to get a bunch of information about those assholes, right?”

Owen’s head tilts, his focus zeroing in on where my daughter stands. “What information did you get?”

Allie stands a little taller, looking terrifyingly proud. “Pictures. License plates.” Her chin lifts the tiniest bit and a smug smile curves her lips. “And names.”

Owen’s brows lift. “How did you get names?”

It’s apparent the second my daughter realizes she’s outed herself. In the widening of her eyes. The paling of her skin. The way her entire body freezes in place.

“How fucking close did you get to these pricks?” I’m definitely going to kill her. Kill her and then lock her in her room for twenty-five years.

“They couldn’t see me. I’m not stupid.” Allie tries to defend herself.

She’s unsuccessful.

“You could have fooled me, because you sure are acting stupid.” I freeze when I realize how familiar the words I’m saying are. They’re the exact same thing my mother said to me when I was her age.

And equally stupid.

“You would have done the same thing.” My daughter adds salt to the wound festering inside me. It drives the guilt I feel about everything deeper.

Because she’s right. I would have absolutely done this. It’s my fault she did this, because as my mother wished for countless times, I created a monster just like me.

And now I have to suffer the consequences.