Page 102 of Freeing Lark

“I know.”

“Then I’m going to the island.”

His jaw tightened. “Lark.”

There was something in his tone that made her hackles rise. Not fear. Not concern.

Command.

“You don’t get to decide where I go.”

His expression hardened. “When armed men are looking for you, yeah, I damn well do.”

The words hung between them. Lark stared at him. For one awful second, she couldn’t breathe. She knew that tone. She’d heard variations of it her entire life.

You don’t understand.

We’re only doing this because we know what’s best.

You can’t possibly make this decision yourself. Not the right decision.

Her mother’s voice. Her father’s. Bradley’s. All the people who had spent years trying to shape her into someone she wasn’t.

And now Cormac. The man she’d trusted more than anyone.

“The hell you do.”

Cormac’s eyes narrowed. “I'm trying to keep you alive.”

“And I’m trying to live my life.”

“Your life is currently the target of armed men.”

“Then maybe you should tell me what’s actually going on!”

Silence. That silence told her more than his words had. Lark’s eyes flashed.

“That’s what this is about, isn’t it? You know something and you won’t tell me.”

“We’re still figuring it out.”

“And in the meantime, I’m supposed to sit here?”

“If that’s what keeps you safe, yes.”

Her laugh was short and bitter. “Of course.”

“Lark—”

“No.” She put her mug down harder than necessary. “You don’t get to lock me away because you’re scared.”

His expression changed. “I am scared.”

The admission stopped her. Cormac’s shoulders dropped slightly, and for the first time she saw beneath the hard exterior. There was fear there. Real fear. It softened her anger for half a heartbeat.

Then she remembered the rest. “That’s not protection, Cormac. That’s control.”

The word hit him like a physical blow. His face went still. Lark watched something flicker behind his eyes. Regret. She knew instantly she’d struck something deeper than she’d intended.