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“Don’t be.” He shook his head. “I’ll keep you safe. If I have to fight the devil himself, I will, because I’m not going to lose another woman I love.”
“You…you love me?” I whispered.
Flashing me that incredible heart-melting smile of his, Joshua grunted. “You bet your sexy little ass I do.”
My heart galloped in a combination of bliss and fear. Dazed by his admission, I remembered what my little voice had told me: “You’ve searched for him your whole life. Deep down, you knew you’d never be whole until you found that perfect person.”
Releasing Sanna, I wrapped my arms around Joshua’s neck and kissed him, pouring the depths of my heart and soul into it. As I pulled away, the three words I’d never spoken to a man, besides my father, sat poised on the tip of my tongue.
Ian bounded into the room, his eyes wide and his expression grim. Skidding to a halt on the polished wooden floor at the base of the stairs, he sucked in a quick breath. “Somebody just blew up Mellie’s car.”
“That was my car?” I screeched.
“Yeah,” Ian nodded hastily. “But Dylan clipped the guy good as he ran back into the trees. Come on. Grab some flashlights out of the bags. We need to track him down. Hopefully, all we’ll find is a fucking dead body.”
Drake, Nick, and Joshua nodded before Ian glanced at Sanna and me. “You two run upstairs and start packing. The fire’s getting too close for comfort. Throw what you can in your suitcases and line them up by the door. As soon as we find this fucknut, we’ll be back to start loading the cars. Dylan and James are still on the roof. Holler if you need them.”
“Keep the doors locked,” Nick instructed Sanna before he kissed her hard.
“I’ll be right back, little one. You stay safe,” Joshua ordered. For once, I didn’t argue.
“You too,” I urged. Joshua gave me a quick, forceful kiss, then Sanna, and I watched them rush out the front door.
Following behind them, I locked the deadbolt and pulled Sanna to my side. “Come on. Let’s get our stuff packed up so we’re all ready to go when they come back.”
“So, do you?” she asked with a cheesy grin.
“Do I what?”
“Love him, too?” She rolled her eyes and shook her head, mocking my question.
I grinned. “Yeah, I do.”
“I knew it. I knew it,” she squealed. “Can I say it now?”
“Say what?” I asked as we walked up the stairs.
“I told you sooooooo,” she giggled.
“Shut up,” I laughed, then gave her a quick kiss before we each dashed into our rooms.
Tossing clothes into our suitcases like a wild woman, I couldn’t help but grin.
“So, that means you are moving to Chicago, right?” Sanna called from the other room.
“Looks like it,” I laughed.
“Fuck yeah,” she screamed.
I just laughed. Even though we were probably surrounded by fire and going to have to run for our lives, I knew the guys would find Tideway’s body and this surreal nightmare would be over. Joshua and I could begin a new journey in our lives together.
I heard a thud, followed by a howl as Sanna let out a curse.
“You okay?” I hollered out as fear slammed the joy from me.
“Yeah, just stubbed my toe,” she growled.
I sighed with relief and finished filling the suitcases. After packing the last bag, I lifted a box in one arm and gripped a suitcase in my hand before heading down the stairs. Lining them up by the door, as Ian had instructed, I turned, ready to go back up for more, when a strange noise at the back door caught my attention. It was a quiet tapping sound. Cautiously, I eased closer toward the door, trying to peer through the small crack in the hurricane shutter, but could only see darkness. There was another tap, and I flinched.
