“So let me get this straight,” she says slowly. “You, the man who couldn’t tolerate a roommate for more than forty-eight hours, are living with a woman…and now you’re terrified someone is going to hurt her.”
I don’t answer. My reflection stares back at me in the dark glass, mocking me, and I turn from it.
“Wilder,” she says softly, “are you in love with her?”
The question hits harder than it should. I pinch the bridge of my nose.
“I don’t know,” I say.
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have.”
She exhales. “You always did jump from zero to a hundred when it mattered.”
“She needs protection.”
“She needs a choice,” Samantha corrects. “Does she even know you’re planning this?”
My silence is answer enough.
“Oh, Wilder,” she mutters. “You can’t just make decisions like that for someone.”
I drag a hand over the back of my neck.
“I’m not asking for relationship advice. I’m asking if you can keep her safe in Chicago.”
“I can,” she says immediately. “We have security. Staff. Confidentiality. If she comes here, your old contacts won’t find her.”
Relief loosens something in my chest. I brace both hands on the back of the couch and let my head drop.
“But,” she adds, “you need to talk to her first. You don’t get to play savior without her consent.”
“I know.”
“Do you?”
I straighten. “Yes.”
Another pause. Then her tone softens. “You know, I always wondered when this would happen.”
“When what would happen?”
“You’d meet someone who makes you care enough to be afraid.”
My thumb finds the bracelet again, running over the beads. I don’t like how accurate that is.
“When you were in prison,” she continues, “you said you didn’t want attachments because they could be used against you. Looks like that strategy didn’t last.”
“She’s different.”
“They always are.”
Despite everything, a small smile pulls at my mouth. I don’t tell Samantha the rest of it—that the moment Millie’s settled and safe, I’ll put this building on the market and follow her east. That I already know I won’t last a week in this city without her. Some decisions you don’t agonize over. You just know.
“Send me her details when you’re ready,” Samantha says. “I’ll make arrangements. And Wilder?”
“Yeah?”
