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That only spurred me on.

“I can’t let him hurt her, Elias. Don’t ask me more.” A shaky exhale escapes me.

I’m a madman. If Olivia hadn’t stopped me, I would’ve killed the man. Heck, I probably killed him.

I can’t care about her. I should stay away.

But fuck, my willpower is disappearing.

“I see.” I hear the familiar clicking of his lighter. “I understand more than you think,” he murmurs cryptically.

“Aren’t you going to ask me who I’m talking about?” My lips curl in self-derision. I’m a violent madman with no self-control. Add that to my list of unhinged traits. “Or do you know that too?”

“You threw yourself in front of a bullet forherwhile the woman you’re supposed to protect is being kidnapped. I’d say it’s pretty self-explanatory, wouldn’t you? You Andersons lose your minds when your hearts are involved.”

“Nothing’s involved.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” He chuckles softly. “You still in this, or you want out?”

Determination pulses through me. I have to see this through. “Good luck in hell trying to pull me out.”

“Thought you’d say that.” The clicking stops and amusement leaves his voice. “Lie low. I’ll let you know if I find anything. Lana and I’ll meet you in Dubrovnik.”

“Lana? Why are you traveling with my sister? And does she know?”

“Global warming, one flight versus two, saving on jet fuel. Take your pick. You Andersons have a target on your back now. It’s better this way. And she doesn’t need to know.”

He hangs up before I can ask more questions.

Head dipped down, I barely notice the wide open seas and the other passengers walking by. I tug my hair, my head swirling with what I can do, and what I should do next.

Everything’s unraveling. Spinning out of control.

Then I smell it.

The faint sweet scent of honey and cotton.

Olivia.

I spin around just in time to see her marching up to me, her lips pursed and eyes narrowed. She’s wearing another simple dress—blue this time. Her hair is in the same tidy little bun.

God, she’s so beautiful.

My heart skips a beat, and my lips twitch.

And just like that, the earlier heaviness vanishes.

Her magic.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere. I don’t care if you go all macho-man on me, because you’ll meet me for your next session. No more delays.” She crosses her arms over her chest.

I bite back my smile. Busted. I have been rescheduling our mandatory heart to hearts.

“Didn’t you learn in your intro to psychology classes you’re signaling a closed-off attitude when you do that?” I motion to her arms.

She lets out the smallest growl. “Don’t change the subject. Mr. Anderson, we need to meet. What happened three days ago was traumatizing for everyone involved. You almost died. You need to talk to someone about it.”

“We’re back to Mr. Anderson now, huh? What happened to ‘Rex’? I seem to recall someone bawling on top of me, crying out my name because she was terrified I’d gotten shot.”