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“What if they don’t like each other?”
“They will,” I promise her, though I have no idea if it’s true.
Silence blankets us while I wait for her to agree. I won’t force her to do anything. Strongly suggest? Absolutely.
Until this nutcase is apprehended, I don’t want Kirsten out of my sight. Come what may at the station and with my father, I will protect her. This very well may be the same person that killed the woman in the woods. With his level of obsession, it is difficult to believe otherwise.
And I’ll be damned if I let this motherfucker get Kirsten too. Not a fucking chance.
“I’ll text Skylar and see if CKI is cool with last-minute time off.”
Oh, thank fuck.
If either Calhoun or Kemp gives Kirsten any shit, I’ll storm into their office and swiftly change their minds. One of the only perks of being a founding family member… people do almost anything you want.
“They will be.” I press my lips to her forehead. “I’ll sort out where to stay. We should leave tonight.”
Kirsten opens her mouth to respond, then jerks back, eyes wide. A flash of red catches in my periphery and I spin around, drop my jacket and the bag and shift to block Kirsten. I reach for my sidearm just as I register Ben’s face.
He throws his hands up and shuffles back. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.” He takes another step back. “Didn’t mean to startle you, man. Sorry.”
I drop my hand. “Stupid fucking move,man.”
His eyes shift to Kirsten. “Came over to apologize again.” Then he shifts his attention back to me. “You’re taking her somewhere?” He narrows his gaze. “Why?”
Widening my eyes, I grit out, “Not here.”
The muscles in his jaw flex. “Fine. Whatever.” He peeks over my shoulder, softens his gaze for a beat, then levels me with an icy glare. “But wherever she goes, I go.”
For fuck’s sake.
Ben wants to tag along? Fine by me. But by the end of the trip, he’ll likely regret the decision.
“Then pack your bags.”
TWENTY-FIVE
KIRSTEN
This is a bad idea.Areallybad idea.
I don’t like the idea of running away. What will it accomplish? Travis seems to think it may draw out my admirer. That in my absence, they will slip up and reveal themselves.
All I foresee is pissing them off and making it worse.
The cherry on this whacked out sundae… Ben insists on joining the escape party.
After the kiss disaster last night, Ben tagging along is nowhere near a good idea. Yet, a piece of me wants him there too.
Years ago, I loved Ben. He was my other half. The brother I never had but couldn’t imagine my life without. We spent as much time together as our parents allowed. He picked me wildflowers every spring and tied them with twine or ribbon. He taught me to climb trees in the woods behind my house and his. Told the corniest jokes that were impossible not to laugh at.
A lifetime has passed since Ben was my person. And as much as I loved him then, we are no longer those sweet, innocent versions of Ben and Kirsten.
Losing my dad impacted several facets of my life. For years, anger and depression were my closest friends. I love Mom, but I’d loved Dad more. Not seeing him every morning, not sharing updates with him over dinner, not wrapping my arms around his neck for the best hugs… it’d been brutal. Missing him shredded my heart. Selling our home in Smoky Creek—though I understood why—and moving to Stone Bay felt like betrayal.
Skylar eased some of the hurt. Delilah too. They held my hand or hugged me breathless when I needed it most. So many days, they sat with me while I cried or screamed or ransacked my bedroom.
But they also spoke up when my body withered away. Not once did they criticize me for my choices. Control was something I’d lost when Dad died. Though I’d found a way to be in control again, it wasn’t healthy. With tears in their eyes, they expressed their fears. How distraught they’d be if my bingeing and purging stole me from them. Tears staining our cheeks, their confession hit me hard. The heartache I felt more often than not over the loss of my dad, Skylar and Delilah would live with that level of pain if I kept hurting myself. And I wanted no one to feel that kind of pain.
