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“Are you close to your brother?”
He rolled his eyes. “As I said, every family has secrets or difficulties. My brother and I haven’t spoken in a long time.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s life, sweetheart.”
It seemed his entire life was sad. I took a deep breath, noticing activity in the water. “Are those seals?”
“Yes, they are. They’re very protected here.”
“This is a magical place. I grew up with servants catering to my every need. I bet you didn’t read about that.”
“No, I did not.”
“Look, I was taken for a reason, and I seriously don’t think it had anything to do with sex trafficking, especially since my mother jumped on my rescue. I know that sounds harsh, but she would have left it up to my father,” I insisted.
“I don’t know the details including who made the contact with the organization I work for, but I’ll do some checking. At this point, there’s nothing else we can do.”
“But sit and wait. What if they find us?”
He took a deep breath. “I won’t lie to you. There probably won’t be another rescue team sent. That’s why it’s imperative you follow my rules.”
“Which are?”
“You stay near the house. When we return, I’m going to show you what I call a panic button. That will send off a beacon to the Sandersons’ ranch. They’ll send help.”
“And where will you be?”
“If you need to do that, it’ll mean I’m already dead.”
I sucked in my breath. “You’re scaring me.”
“You’re a very intelligent woman. You should know the facts and what you need to do in case of a situation. I also built a storm cellar. I used that to keep certain foods cold and it’s also used as a weapons depository.”
“Let me guess. You want me to go there in case we’re attacked.”
“Yes. Can you shoot a weapon?”
“I’ve never done so.”
“Then I’ll teach you.”
His face was so serious, another weight forming a noose around his neck this time. “Thank you for everything.”
“Don’t thank me yet, sweetheart. I have a feeling there’s more shit to come. But I will do everything in my power to make certain you know how to handle yourself. Now, let’s get something to eat.”
“You have a grocery store around here?” What he’d just said sent a cold chill down my spine.
He inched closer, enough so had to fight myself to keep from reaching out and stroking his chest. “My sweet Willow. We’re going much more primitive than that.” As he took a deep breath, I could almost sense what he was thinking.
That I should be off limits, placed once again into the forbidden zone, but I wasn’t certain either one of us could accept that.
As he backed away, I realized that he was also prepared to die in order to keep me safe. No matter what, I couldn’t allow that to happen.
CHAPTER7
Willow
