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Her eyes fill again. “I’m so sorry that I brought this to your doorstep.”

“You haven’t brought anything to my doorstep.”

“I just collapsed in your bar.”

“Ryker handled closing it down.”

“Is he the one who called for you?” I nod. “He was trying to help me, and I think I hurt him.”

I can’t help myself—I snort. The idea that this slight woman could have left even a minor scratch on Tank is amusing. “You didn’t hurt Tank. He can take a hit.”

But she’s lost in the guilt now; I can see it written all over her face.

“I just didn’t want to be alone. I was alone for so long, Maverick. And I just needed—” She trails off.

“What?”

She turns to look at me. “You.”

My breath catches, chest tightening as the weight of that word lands. One simple word. Three letters. Yet it kicks the breath right out of my lungs. Me? She needs me? How? No one needs me.

She takes a deep breath. “I know it doesn’t make sense, but I know you won’t hurt me.”

“Never.”

“You make me feel safe.”

How do I put into words the depths to which I will go to keep her safe? That I would scour the face of the earth to find this monster and bury him, just so she would never need to be afraid again?

The breeze picks up a strand of her hair, sending it dancing away from her face. “But I know it won’t last,” she whispers.

“Why not?”

“He’ll find me eventually,” she says. “I almost escaped once. About a week before the chains broke. I made it as far as the living room upstairs before he caught me. That’s when he marked me.” She closes her eyes briefly and takes a deep breath as she fights to regain control again. “Maverick, I don’t know how long I can stay here. I know he’s going to find me. It’s not safe for you if I’m here. If he⁠—”

“Listen to me, Sadie,” I say, leaning forward and keeping my tone level and my gaze locked on hers, in hopes she understands the truth of what I’m about to say. “If he comes for you here, he will be leaving in a body bag.”

“You don’t understand,” she chokes out, tears streaming down her cheeks. “He’s⁠—”

“A man,” I tell her. “You’ve built him up to be a monster in your mind, Sadie, and for good reason. But he’s a man. Flesh and blood. And if he comes here, if he thinks—even for a second—that he’s going to get his hands on you again, I will make him pay for every single thing he put you through. Every scratch, every bruise...he will pay.”

Her body has stopped shaking, but even as the panic fades, the fear on her beautiful face remains. “I’m so scared.”

“I know. But I meant what I said, Sadie; you’re safe here. For as long as you want to be.”

She takes a deep breath, her shoulders relaxing. “How did you know the air would calm me down?”

I chew on the inside of my cheek for a moment, then decide honesty might be the best policy. At least where this is concerned. “It’s what works for me.”

SADIE

Iwake to muted voices and cool air kissing my face. With a yawn, I sit up and blink to clear the sleep from my vision. Instead of being in bed, I’m curled up on the patio couch Maverick had set me on last night after my panic attack.

Did I really fall asleep out here?

How much more am I going to put this poor guy out? I’ve already taken up his spare apartment; he shut his bar down early last night—on a Saturday night—and now I’m sleeping on his patio?

Embarrassment heats my cheeks, and I set the blanket aside to stand. As I stretch, I relish the feeling of complete and total restfulness. For the first time since I was captured, I managed to find rest.