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“Got it. Over.”
With an arm around Hazel, I kissed the top of her head and inhaled her scent. None of this would have been possible without her. Traffickers had been running wild in our woods for years. And finally, we had something. Because my tenacious, genius wife convinced me to take her into the woods.
“They’re en route. I’m going to head to camp and meet the DEA guys there. They need a few hours. You go meet the state police. I’ll be in touch. Stay on the radio. Over.”
“Copy that. Over and out.”
Chapter37
Hazel
“You should get going,” I told Remy when he clipped the radio to his belt. “It’s going to take even longer because of all the mud.”
“Pack up your research, and we’ll head out.”
“Someone needs to stay here and keep watch,” I said, crossing my arms. “And you had to drive so slowly yesterday so I wouldn’t get sick. You’ll be faster on your own. I’ll stay here and take photos and be ready to show the police everything.”
He ran his hands through his hair, a pained look on his face. “I can’t leave you here. What if they come back?”
My heart clenched at his concern. Every day I spent with Remy, I fell in love with him a little more. The way he wanted to protect me only compounded those feelings. It was so silly to deny it. Of course I loved him. The problem was that love was big and scary and overwhelming. I couldn’t figure out how to convince my brain it was okay to tell him. I’d kept my heart closed off from anyone but Dylan my whole life, and though logic was my thing, reconciling that with what my heart wanted was difficult.
I pulled him close, resting my head on his chest. “It takes forever to get up here. The good guys are already on the way. You know where the roads are now, so you can show them. And this place has been empty for a long time. You’ll be faster without me.”
He squeezed me tighter. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“It’s only for a few hours. Now get going. The police will be waiting for you.”
He huffed and pulled back. “Keep the radio?”
I nodded and took it from him when he unclipped it from his belt. “Of course.”
“I don’t like this.”
Patting his cheek, I gave him a weak smile. “I’m fine. And when we get back to camp—after really long showers—we can celebrate our inadvertent drug bust properly.”
He winked. “Or we could shower together.”
“Even better.”
He ran his knuckles along my jawline, sending a shiver through my body, then tilted my chin up for a kiss.
“I’ll be back soon. Stay safe.”
* * *
I sank onto the cot, the intensity of the morning already exhausting me. What were the odds? I pulled a notebook out of my backpack and flipped to a new page so I could document every detail of the cabin and the surrounding area. This way, I’d hopefully unearth more clues about who had been here.
It would take Remy about an hour to get back to the main road where we had left the truck, then the police would follow him back, so I had a few hours of quiet to work.
Remy’s words from the previous night washed over me. All this time, I had thought it was impossible to let someone in, to accept help. But the truth was, I had been doing it since the day I came back to Lovewell. What we had was real. Had always been that way. Partnership, passion, and a deep commitment to one another.
Long term, we had a lot to figure out. But I wanted to try. I rarely did anything without devising a careful plan, usually overthinking things and creating unnecessary anxiety in the process. But my survival instincts were well honed after a lifetime of disappointments. My walls were high, but I had built them brick by brick over the past twenty-eight years to shield me from each bad experience, heartbreak, and missed opportunity I had lived through.
And here was Remy, breaking through. Climbing up and chipping away and helping me lower my defenses. And making me question my priorities in the process.
For so long, I had put my achievements first and my happiness second. But right now, with my heart full of love and my lungs full of mountain air, I knew I could have both. That I had met my person. Someone I could depend on. A man who would support my endeavors.
It would take time to break old habits and unwind patterns I’d followed for so long. But I wanted this. Wanted him.
