Her hand jerked away from the glass of water on the desk.
“I thought hope would motivate them,” he said gently. “It did.”
Her heart pounded hard enough to blur her vision.
“But then the weather turned.”
His tone warmed.
“A blizzard. Like the heavens opened and smiled on us.”
“Agent Quinn and Deputy Wilson are up at the Grady cabin now,” he continued. “Snowed in. Roads closed. No extraction possible until the storm passes.”
Up there.
Together.
“They tried,” he added softly. “The entire town. Quite touching.”
Her hands trembled at her sides.
“But safety comes first,” he said. “You understand.”
Static hissed faintly.
“I imagine it must be… complicated,” he went on. “Knowing he’s up there.”
Her chest tightened.
“Stranded,” he clarified. “With her.”
The image came uninvited.
Firelight.
Two bodies in a narrow space.
Warmth shared because there was no other choice.
“You care for him,” the voice said.
She didn’t answer.
Because if she did, something inside her would split open.
“He is a good man,” he continued. “Protective. Loyal.”
“Agent Quinn is impressive,” he added. “Beautiful. Accomplished. Strong.”
Each word pressed where it would bruise.
“They are well suited.”
Jealousy flared, sharp and humiliating.
It shocked her.
Scout deserved happiness.
