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Where was Hope? She wouldn’t run away without Faith. Right?
He needed to see her, assure himself she was all right, assure her he hadn’t willingly kissed that nurse and that she was the only woman he wanted to focus on.
Finally, finally, the police wrapped it up, and Chad shook the police chief’s hand and thanked him, then shook General Ray’s hand and thanked him. They all exited the house. Faith watched Captain Levi walk away, longing evident in her gaze.
Captain Levi glanced back at her. Their gazes caught and held, and Chad could feel something deep pass between them even from his vantage point.
Then Captain Levi showed the steel in his backbone and the high-level of training and self-restraint he had. He walked away.
Faith’s shoulders drooped.
Chad walked them all out, shut the door behind them, and returned to the great room, where Faith was gnawing at her thumbnail. “Are you all right?” he asked.
“Of course.” She yanked her thumb out and straightened, sassy determination in her blue eyes. “I am going on a hike, and you are going to go knock my sister’s door down and demand some answers.”
Chad saluted her. “Yes, ma’am.”
Faith darted across the room and gave him a hug. He loved this girl—or woman, as she had proven today. “I want you to be my big brother,” Faith said, blinking up at him with big blue eyes that looked almost like Hope’s.
“I want that too, Faith.”
“She tries to take everything on herself, and she’s terrified of ending up like our parents. But she’s wrong. She’s the most unselfish person I know; she just needs more hope. Go prove you’re not a playboy but one hundred percent committed to her. If you’re not, I’ll kill you in your sleep. We both know I could never accomplish the task if you were awake.”
Chad chuckled. Faith wouldn’t hurt anyone, but he loved her feisty threat. She adored her sister, as she should.
“You will never need to kill me in my sleep because I am one hundred percent committed to Hope. The problem is, will she ever believe me and trust me?” Chad had dated a lot, but that had only confirmed that Hope was the right one for him.
“I’ll pray she can.”
Faith headed for the garage. Chad wondered if he should let her hike by herself, but the danger had passed. Roger and Ramone were both dead, and Naomi Rindlesbacher was still being hunted.
Faith picked up a backpack and held it up. “I’ve got pepper spray,” she sang out. “Don’t give me that protective big brother face.” She grinned, lifted a hand to him, and she was gone.
Chad chuckled, but he wasted no time running up the stairs and down the wide hallway to Hope’s room. He rapped on the door.
Nothing. She was gone.
He couldn’t lose her again. He’d have to track her down. Find her. Plead his case.
He knocked harder and called, “Hope?”
The door swung open, and Hope stood there. She was gloriously beautiful in a fitted knit dress, her golden-brown hair still damp from her shower. She stared at him, her blue eyes red-rimmed.
“Hope?”
“Is everyone gone?” she asked. “Does Faith need me?”
She brushed by him, her light floral scent tantalizing.
Chad wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her to him. “Hope, I’ve hurt you without ever intending to. Will you please speak with me, allow me to apologize, and permit me to love you?”
Hope’s eyes widened. She pulled from his arms, her gaze darting around. “Where’s Faith?”
Chad swallowed down his disappointment. How would he ever draw her out? “She left on a hike, armed with pepper spray. She’s confident, brave, and all grown up.”
Hope met his gaze and smiled then. “She is, isn’t she? She’s so creative and whimsical that I worry she doesn’t understand the evil in this world, but I’ve realized lately she’s braver and more independent than I give her credit for.”
“She is.” He slowly moved in.
