Page 45

Magnus grunted, a noise that came from his chest. His arms crossed, he glared at Braden.

Jim glanced in the front seat of the rental car. He leaned in through the open window and pulled up an iPhone.

“Katie, this is recording.”

“What is, his phone? His fucking phone?” I turned to Braden. “Your phone is recording?”

He shook his head. “I was on Instagram Live while I was waiting to talk to you, I guess I forgot to turn it off.

Jim said, “Looks like a location marker too.”

“Did you use my name, Braden, were you talking about me?”

“I was talking about coming to see you, yeah.”

I looked at Magnus, wide-eyed.

He said, “We will need tae go today then.”

“Great Braden, now I’m suing your children and your children’s children. You suck.” I yanked the phone from Jim’s hand and threw it on the ground and stomped on it. It made a very satisfying cracking noise. I ground my heel into the top of it. “We’re done here. Don’t ever come to me with your petty YouTube troubles or your fake pleas for ratings help, as far as I’m concerned we don’t know each other anymore. We never have. Get off my property.”

“Fine, but if you wanted a court case, I’ll give you one.”

“For what? Name one thing you can sue me over?”

“You broke my phone. That’s part of my livelihood.”

I shoved him in the chest toward his car. “You shut up. You stole my livelihood from me. And I freaking left and moved to Florida and now I have my happy ending and you get the hell away from it; you’re ruining it!” I all but forced him into his car.

He climbed into the driver’s seat, started the car, and rolled down the window, “You know what, you deserved it. You’re a cold-hearted bitch⁠—”

Magnus grabbed the door handle and yanked it open. His voice was deep and guttural. “Get out of the car.”

“No.”

Magnus’s face was terrifying, dark and angry. “Ye heard me. Ye get out of the car and we will discuss⁠—”

Braden looked terrified. “Hell no.” He spun out of our driveway, slamming his car door as he drove, spinning up a spray of sand, and sliding a bit as he turned onto the main road headed south.

Magnus watched him leave, shaking his head. “Why canna I kill him?”

I stood beside him. “Because it’s illegal.”

“Tis hard tae understand, when he deserves it.”

“Well, I doubt he’ll bother us anymore, but man, it really bothers me that Braden is the one who leaked our exact location.”

“We are fully found, Kaitlyn, tis time tae go.”

21 - KAITLYN

Magnus tugged my bodice down my arms to my waist. We tucked in all the layers of my long underwear. I gathered my hair to the side while Magnus tightened the laces one after another and tied them. He rested his hands on my waist and pressed his lips to the back of my neck.

“How come as soon as I finish tyin’ your lacings I want tae take them off again?”

I wrapped my arm around his head and held him embracing me from behind. His arms around. I loved this position. Wrapped, pressed. His strength was a shield around me, enveloping and protecting. His voice near my ear, his breaths, now sure and healthy, warm and deep, filling the air around me. The scent of him on me. I pressed back and nestled to his chest. He kissed my ear and ran his hands up and down my tight bodice. This position was protection and desire, both, wrapped.

“Can we stay here, like this?”