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He went down, I shot to my feet, and bolted for the door as red and blue lights flooded the cabin. I was so busy fighting I didn’t hear the sirens until I was out the door and running into the night.

“Iris!” I heard him bellow my name before I saw him, and a second later, I was being scooped into his arms, enveloped in that safety and security I knew down to my soul I would always be able to count on.

“He’s in there,” I panted, tears spilling down my cheeks so fast they were like tiny rivers. “He’s in there.”

“Clear the house!” North barked, then hugged me even tighter as he pressed his lips to my head and whispered, “I got you, Little Flower. I’ve got you and you’re safe. I swear, baby, you’re safe.”

“I knew you’d find me,” I sobbed into his chest. “I knew if I fought long enough, you would find me.”

North took my cheeks in his hands and pulled back just enough to tilt my face up to his. “I’ll always find you, baby. You’re stitched into my soul forever.”

THIRTY-ONE

NORTH

I paced the kitchen, one hand holding the phone to my ear as I massaged at the back of my neck with the other. It had been two days since Iris’s attack, and while she was doing surprisingly well after being kidnapped, beaten, and nearly raped, I wasn’t faring so well.

Every time I closed my eyes I saw her running out of that goddamn hunting cabin, a look of complete terror on her face.

“I’m sorry, Chief. We’ve looked everywhere, and there’s no sign of him. We’ve questioned his entire family, but if they know where the hell Tolliver Brady is, they aren’t talking.”

I closed my eyes and focused on my box-breathing. By the time my guys had stormed the house, Tolliver had made a run out the back into the dense woods that surrounded the cabin. An APB had been issued immediately, but so far, it hadn’t turned up anything.

Tolliver Brady was in the wind. The only silver lining being that he was running with a bullet in his arm thanks to my girl.

Christ, she undid me. Her strength that night. Her fight. She never gave up, not for a single second. She said I’d saved her, but the truth was, she’d already saved herself before I showed up.

“Find something,” I growled into the phone. “The man isn’t magical, for fuck’s sake. He didn’t disappear in a puff of smoke.”

“Yes sir.”

I disconnected the call and tossed the phone onto the butcher-block counter.

“You know, a please and thank you will get you a whole lot farther.”

My head shot up to find Iris standing in the open back door, her shoulder leaning against the doorframe. She was dressed in her standard restoration clothes, and aside from the bruise on her cheek and temple, looked none the worse for wear. “What are you doing out there by yourself? You’re supposed to tell me when you leave the house.”

She pushed off the door and moved into the kitchen, stopping in front of me and reaching up to cup my cheeks. “First, not a huge fan of the tone you just used.”

I huffed out a breath and lowered my forehead to hers. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap at you, it’s just . . .”

“You’re scared. I get it. But, baby, we can’t let this man rule every second of our lives. I’ll give you a few more days of overprotectiveness, then I expect my North to come back.”

I let out a laugh of disbelief. “You’re kidding right?” I asked as I took a step back. “Honey, you were just kidnapped days ago. He could have killed you⁠—”

“But he didn’t,” she insisted vehemently. “He didn’t kill me. He barely hurt me. And, North, I put a bullet in that fucker. Don’t forget.”

That actually got a smile out of me, something I hadn’t thought possible. “Believe me, killer. That isn’t something I’ll be forgetting any time soon.” Leaning down, I pressed my lips against hers and spoke into her mouth. “Your strength amazes me.”

I felt her smile as she said, “As it should.” Her humor dried up then, a look of concern blanketing her face. “But you can’t keep obsessing. You’ll find him, and you’ll make him pay for what he did. In the meantime, we’re going to carry on with our lives as usual⁠—”

“But—”

She lifted her hand, cutting me off before I could interrupt. “It’s what we deserve, North,” she said, stalling the air in my lungs. “Baby,” she whispered, so much love and adoration in her voice. “We’ve had enough bad in our lives, don’t you think? This, here.” She waved a finger between us. “This is our reward for that. This is our happy. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone take that from us.”

Just when I thought it wasn’t possible to love this woman any more than I already did, she went and proved me wrong. “Okay, baby,” I said on a breath. “I promise I’ll try.”

She smiled, moving back into me and wrapping her arms around my waist. “That’s all I’m asking. In the meantime, we lean on each other. We carry the burden together. Because that’s what makes us strong.”